In the early days of social media, the idea of an employer checking a potential employee’s Facebook page to assess their suitability for a role wasn’t something that many job seekers would have worried about.

Users felt that their profiles were a place to express themselves unfiltered – and work was an entirely separate domain.

However, as a YouGov survey demonstrates, Facebook and Twitter are becoming increasingly popular recruitment tools for employers, with nearly one in five employers (19%) having rejected candidates based on their online activity.

0 %
of employers have rejected candidates based on their online activity

This statistic is yet another example of how social media is infiltrating most aspects of people’s everyday lives – and while it may be a daunting prospect for job seekers, employers are capitalising on the opportunity to get a more personal (and arguably more accurate) impression of prospective employees.

The benefit to you as an employer is simple: as most of us now live our lives online, our social media profiles are an indication of our social circles, our interests and how we express ourselves. Checking candidates’ social media profiles can also prevent a situation later on whereby you discover that an employee’s social media presence or the views they express reflect badly on your business.

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How is social media influencing employers' recruitment decisions?

As an employer, you have likely experienced candidates who come across well on paper but whom you later find out are not a good fit for the role or the company culture. For this reason, cautious employers are embracing sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn as a welcome insight into a person’s character – and this is influencing their recruitment decisions.

Off-putting activity included:

Aggressive or offensive language (75%)
References to drug use (71%)
Bad spelling and grammar (56%)
Drunken pictures (47%)
Political views and activity (29%)
Vanity (26%)

Perhaps surprisingly, the survey also found that 46% of employers use Facebook to screen applicants – almost as much as they use professional networking site LinkedIn (48%).

What are the risks of using social media to weigh up job applicants?

While sites like Facebook don’t currently have a function that notifies users of who has viewed their profile, snooping on prospective employees isn’t risk-free for employers.

You might feel safe in your anonymity when viewing profiles on Facebook or Twitter, but if you view someone’s profile on LinkedIn without anonymity enabled, they’ll know about it – and it’s worth keeping that in mind.

You should also remember your obligations under General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). While you are within your rights to view a candidate’s social media profiles, GDPR prevents employers from taking this information into account when making recruitment decisions without the candidate’s consent. 

Therefore, if you find that you’re swayed by what you discover online, you might want to consider eliminating social media from your recruitment process so that there’s no suggestion of it influencing your hiring decisions. As always, if you’re concerned that your recruitment practices may venture into potentially dangerous legal territory, always take from an employment law company before acting.

Employment law considerations

Although there is no law to prohibit employers from scouring applicants’ social media profiles, it is essential that any information you obtain when looking through their social media profiles is not used in a discriminatory way.

If you ultimately decide not to hire a candidate based on what they post online, you may leave yourself open to claims for unlawful discrimination.

For example, if a candidate’s profile contains numerous pictures of their children and references to family life, this isn’t to say that they won’t be able to juggle family and work commitments. Similarly, you shouldn’t presume that because their tweets make reference to practicing a particular religion, they won’t “fit in” with managers and colleagues.

From an Employment Law perspective, employers should be aware that discrimination claims can be brought against them in the pre-employment period – and that while looking at a prospective employee’s social media profile isn’t unlawful, using it as a basis for rejecting them could be.

Top tips when using social media as part of your recruitment process

Speak to the professionals

If you’ve been stung in the past by candidates who didn’t match up to their CV, it makes sense to ensure your recruitment process is as robust as possible – whether that includes social media or not is up to you. Ultimately, while sites like Facebook and LinkedIn can be great recruitment tools, you should take care not to become over-reliant on social media – and take the information you find with a pinch of salt.

If you’re in the process of recruitment, worried about a pre-employment claim, or in need of advice about any part of the process, lean on our qualified Employment Law specialists for expert guidance. Our experienced team can help with compiling job descriptions, updating Contracts of Employment, creating best-practice Employee Handbooks and reviewing your existing policies and procedure, plus any other employment matters.

For support, call 0345 226 8393 or request your free consultation using the button below.

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