Social Media in Recruitment – are we being too harsh?
It’s well known that HR managers and others responsible for recruitment often have recourse to social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter to essentially check the character of job candidates. And there’s some very good reasons for doing this. You certainly don’t want to hire someone who has posted material which is racist, sexist or various other unacceptable “ists”.
You also want to know if the candidate regularly posts photos of themselves puffing on a joint, for example, and so it’s easy to see that social media can be a useful vetting tool. On the down side, there are obviously potential discrimination and adverse action claims which might arise out of this kind of “research”. These types of claims typically arise in the pre-employment area where a candidate is rejected on the basis of some kind of lawful or protected activity or attribute. Although the candidate may ultimately have not won the position because of another reason (e.g. there was simply a more qualified or experienced candidate), the fact that an employer actually looked at a person’s Facebook page leaves it open for a rejected candidate to point to something on that site as a basis upon which they were discriminated against. For those of you who don’t know, it certainly IS possible to see who’s viewed your Facebook profile –google and try it if you don’t believe me! Because there is a reverse onus of proof in these cases, the employer may have to scramble hard to prove that the reason they didn’t employ someone was not an unlawful reason. Would you have the necessary evidence to back up your decision in that case?
Of course, the message for job seekers is to be very careful about what you post on social media. Having said that though, is it really fair to judge potential candidates so harshly, particularly younger candidates? I’m not sure about you but I’m certainly glad that there isn’t the same sort of permanent record of my adolescence (and my lack of judgement at that time) that exists today. OMG – I’d still be grounded if that were the case!
I’m not for a moment suggesting that indications of illegal activity or other problematic or anti-social behaviour should not be considered when deciding whether or not a person will be a good employee and representative of your business. What I am saying is that most of us do let our hair down from time to time. Some people Facebook it, others don’t. Let’s face it, some people Facebook their every meal so it’s not surprising that some people also like to post when they’re out enjoying themselves. Who’s to say the ones without a social media presence aren’t up to the same thing? Or worse?
Social media sites such as LinkedIn which have a more professional focus may be more appropriate candidate checking tools and can give an indication of a person’s character by showing, for example, charitable or other socially-conscious endeavours (such as board appointments or volunteer work). However, this is unlikely to show up the kind of “mischief” that we’re actually hoping not to find. My view is that whilst social media can be a good research tool for assessing someone’s character, it is flawed and should be used with extreme caution. Let’s not forget that a good old-fashioned reference check is still a useful tool in understanding certain aspects of a job candidate’s character. If your real concern is not that someone likes a few too many beers on the weekend but that you just want to know if they’ll be a good fit, psychometric testing is likely to yield far more reliable results!
At HR Business Direction we are able to assist with psychometric testing or discrimination claims if you find yourself in trouble. Contact us here.
Melissa Fitzpatrick LLB (Hons); B.Int.Bus; IRSQ
Industrial & Employment Relations Specialist
melissa.fitzpatrick@hrbd.com.au
07 3890 2066
www.hrbd.com.au