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How much social media screening is acceptable

The meteoric rise of social media has inevitably led some hirers to consider it as a research tool for screening prospective employees. Martyn Makinson, Managing Director of Ionic Recruitment.

The meteoric rise of social media has inevitably led some hirers to consider it as a research tool for screening prospective employees. Martyn Makinson, Managing Director of Ionic Recruitment.

Reppler recently conducted a survey that revealed 68 per cent of hirers have hired a candidate based on their social networking profile. 47 per cent also said they look at social media networks immediately after receiving an application for a job. As such, social media screening plays a key role in the very early stages of the hiring process. At Ionic, we use social media sites such as LinkedIn on a regular basis to search for candidates and It’s also a valuable resource for professional networking. On other social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter, hirers are trying to get a more personal view of a candidate, rather than the CV format they see on LinkedIn. This is where screening via social media becomes more problematic.

Hirers should remember that there is a clear distinction between a person’s personal and professional life. Facebook and Twitter doesn’t necessarily give an accurate indication of a candidate’s persona, skills and abilities; therefore hirers shouldn’t put too much emphasis on screening via these particular social media channels.Some suggest that reviewing a candidate’s Facebook and Twitter pages is not ethical, as they are not used for professional purposes. In this sense, businesses should limit their use of social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter for the purposes recruitment. However, Hirers argue that social media is a public forum; unless the candidate chooses to make their profile private.

With this in mind, it’s up to the individual to carefully manage their public profile and content on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter as their posts on social media may have an impact on their chances of their current or prospective employment.Screening via social media should be treated with caution, as there are no clear guidelines with regards to what it is acceptable and what is not. Eventually, it would be beneficial for both hirers and employees to abide by clear rules and the same openness that is carried out in all other aspects of recruitment. While social media can be helpful, it should not override existing recruitment tools and methodology.

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