Should Employers Conduct Social Media Checks on Potential Employees?

Why Employers Should Conduct Social Media Checks on Potential Employees
A huge portion of the world’s population spends most of their time on the Internet. Close to 80% of employees today have a social media history. Part of the hiring process involves getting to know all potential candidates well. As such, most employers turn to social media check-ups in attempts to find the best employees. Here are some excellent reasons to check your candidates on social media.

Verification of applicant’s identity

Cases of identity theft have been on the rise in recent years. Thus, social media background checks can help you verify whether the candidate is indeed who they claim to be. Failure to run a background check on potential employers will undoubtedly put you at risk of hiring an identity thief or someone who isn’t eligible to work for you. Such mistakes in the hiring process might open you up to an unending mess of legal troubles.

To find possible red flags

The good thing about social media is that it gives the most authentic reflection of your personality. Considering that most potential candidates are always on their best behavior, social media check-ups can help you find out what lies behind the “near-perfect face” you are seeing. For instance, you might find posts or profiles on drinking or drug abuse, poor grammar, or sexual content. As much it might be disappointing to discover a very qualified candidate with critical shortfalls. You stand to gain a lot by not hiring someone with a history of any unethical behavior.

Understand their ambition

Social media can also help you learn more about the dreams and aspiration of a potential candidate. You can quickly tell this by looking at the entities they follow or engage with for professional reasons. Well, this should not form the basis of any hiring decision. However, if you find a person following influencers in a certain industry, you can easily understand that person’s goals or the work environment they are seeking.

Analysing the cultural fit

Did you know that the tone of a person’s social media posts is often indicative of his or her personality? Yes, the type of posts or quality conversations can be helpful in analyzing the cultural fit of potential employees before making the hiring decision. For instance, someone that is continuously initiating engaging conversations or and making fun in a good way can be a great addition to any customer service position. For the record, you should also beware of the fact that most people are confident on social media and you should never judge someone by a single social media post.

Compliance with regulations

These days, employers are bound by lots of legal requirements when onboarding new hires. For instance, employers are expected to observe anti-discrimination rules. Following such regulations objectively calls for accurate social media checks during the hiring process. Conducting regular screening will assuredly help you out of legal troubles linked to non-compliance.

As much as social media checks on potential employees are critical to any hiring process, employers are advised to observe the best practices to enjoy these benefits and avoid legal risks. Since most employers are not so sure of how to go about this process, enlisting the services of a company that specializes in online identity analysis like Fama will help you crack the identity of your potential employees.