Checking Applicants Social Network Before Hiring

Checking Applicants Social Network before Hiring

Spencer Richards

Columbia Southern University

In the article “should employer’s use social media to screen job applicants?”. This article gives two opposing perspectives to the ethical reasoning and legalities of screening a potentials applicant’s social website prior to hiring. Both points of views have interesting points that allow the reader to understand their reasoning regardless of interpersonal beliefs.

The article starts with a supportive prospective, stating that businesses need to prescreen potential applicant social networks prior to hiring. That prescreening of applicant social networks will help the organization in the long run. They give an example of an applicant socializing amongst friends with extreme racist ideologies. An extreme situation such as being racist in not accepted in any work place therefore it is better to find out prior to hiring this individual. But on a positive note an organization can screen someone social website and discover that the person will really benefit the organization, given an example of a person having impeccable writing skills, involved with charities, and is a firm believer of social responsibilities. The article also states that 77% of companies using social networking sites to screen employees are only using twitter and LinkedIn, because other sites such as Facebook have private settings that do not allow access. They also state that Human Resource Managers do not utilize social networks until after the interview process, and if the Human Resource Manager looks at a applicants Twitter or LinkedIn it is likely they will not discover anything that they do not already know.

In the sections of the article in which the author opposes the screening of potential applicant social networks prior to hiring, violates the applicant’s right to privacy. Looking at an applicant’s social network is similar to following that person home and peeking through their window. Searching an applicant social network is unethical. They mention that these methods of prescreening applicant are currently being use, and has caused for individuals to not be hired due to non-work related reasons. Human Resource Managers are trained professionals who should not need social networking to persuade their decision during the selection process. Prescreening applicants through social media is not accurate and pictures can be misleading.