The Use of Social Media As a Reference-Checking method

Advantages and Disadvantages of Using social media as a Reference Checking Method

You’ve most likely used a background check service for companies to confirm that your new workers are who they say they are. You don’t have to trust someone because they wrote something in their résumé. In some fields, such as healthcare and social work, selecting honest and trustworthy people is even more critical.

Advantages 

It can detect illegal, anti-social, or violent activity.

No one wants to recruit someone who might end up endangering their coworkers. However, just because someone has never been convicted of a crime does not indicate they have never committed one (Handelman, 2021). A social media screening tool can reveal photos of your prospects in uncomfortable positions and posts of them being violent or abusive online – all of which are easy to conceal during an interview.

It can check their professional experience.

LinkedIn is the finest tool for ensuring your prospects haven’t tampered with their resumes to make themselves look better. It may even persuade you that you made the proper option if they have recommendations from past employers. Candidates’ social media typically mirror their portfolio in digital and visual industries, including web design, photography, journalism, and more. They will help you acquire a clearer understanding of their past work. This is especially true for those in charge of social media.

Quick, easy, and inexpensive

Unlike other background checks, social media screening can often be completed by an HR expert without the assistance of a third party or the expenditure of additional cash. Most of the candidate’s social accounts may be found with a simple Google search. Employers can learn about their social interactions through Facebook, their past experiences through LinkedIn, their opinions through Twitter, and their day-to-day lives or portfolio if they work in a visual sector through Instagram.

Disadvantages

Lack of trustworthiness

It can be used to verify parts of the candidate’s information, but it can also be used to deceive the company. Unfortunately, falsifying information on social media is trivial, and those who truly want a job can easily write whatever they want. Furthermore, not everything you read on social media is written by the candidates (Jeske and Shultz, 2016). Some may have been written by people who hacked their accounts, others may be inside jokes that will be misunderstood, and yet others may be heated conversations with former partners – it’s difficult to judge these things without knowing the complete context.

Candidates face an uneven playing field.

Social media isn’t used in the same way by everyone. Some people use all social media platforms, while others would rather not have a Facebook account. While those who share daily provide a wealth of material for your social media screening, it may backfire and lead to you discovering stuff you don’t agree with. Does this imply that the person who doesn’t have a Facebook account is a better match for the job? This might not be the most accurate indicator.

Unconscious bias is possible.

When reviewing the applicants’ profiles, you’ll undoubtedly find information on their gender, race, impairments, age, marital status, and sexual orientation. Even if you do not intend to do so, this may influence your final decision because we are naturally drawn to those similar. Even if you didn’t base your decision on any of those criteria, it could expose you to legal action if the allegation is raised.

Reference

Jeske, D., & Shultz, K. S. (2016). Using social media content for screening in recruitment and selection: pros and cons. Work, employment and Society, 30(3), 535-546.

Handelman, E. (2021). The Expansion of Traditional Background Checks to social media

Screening: How to Ensure Adequate Privacy Protection in Current Employment Hiring Practices. U. Pa. J. Const. L., 23, 661.

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Overview:

 The use of social media has changed the ways HR conducts reference checks. This journal explores the advantages and disadvantages of using social media as a reference-checking method.

The Use of Social Media As a Reference-Checking Method

Instructions:

 Describe the advantages and disadvantages of using social media as a reference-checking method when complying with laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Older Workers Benefit Protection Act, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Requirements:

• Submit a Word document in APA format.
• Maximum three pages, minimum 500 words in length, excluding the Title and Reference
• At least two