Use Social Media Screening To Land The Best Recruits

Take a minute and Google yourself. It’s amazing what information comes up about you. In today’s wired world, our private lives are online. We live our lives on social media and once you post something online, it’s there for the world to see.

It’s easy to find information about anyone via Google or social media. One simple search and you can find out all sorts of details. It’s information that’s especially valuable in the hiring process. Why not take advantage of public information to make the right hiring decisions?

Pre-employment social media screening is a growing trend in the recruitment process. By checking out a job candidate via Google, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, FourSquare, or Flickr, recruiters can learn a lot about a candidate. They can gauge personality, professionalism, company culture fit, qualifications, and communications skills – all valuable information you want to know before adding someone to your team.

According to SkillMeter.com, 91% of companies check candidates via social media. Of those companies, 69% state that they rejected candidates because of what they found online. The study also showed that 68% of candidates were hired because of the positive impression they made online.

According to an infographic from Go-Gulf.com, when social media led to a job applicant being REJECTED, the main reasons were:

• 50% – Inappropriate Photos and Comments
• 48% – Content About Them Using Drugs/Drinking Alcohol
• 33% – Negative Comments About A Previous Employer
• 30% – Poor Communication Skills
• 28% – Discriminatory Comments
• 24% – Lies About Qualifications

According to the same infographic from Go-Gulf.com, when social media led to a job applicant being HIRED, the main reasons were:

• 57% – Professional Image
• 50% – Good Personality
• 50% – Wide Range Of Interests
• 49% – Accurate Background Information
• 46% – High Creativity
• 43% – Great Communications
• 38% – Positive References From Others

As a recruiter, social media can help tip the scales in either direction. It can either help to reinforce your decision or make you aware of any red flags. What you learn online, can help you make a solid hire or it can help you eliminate a candidate who may ultimately damage your company’s reputation. The information is there. It’s posted publicly on social media, you might as well use it to your advantage.

When using social media as a recruitment tool, please bear in mind the legal risks associated with this practice. Here is a good article that discusses the risks of social media screening that every recruiter needs to read.