Would you check social media before interviewing a potential employee?
Is online media screening the new referencing? With the UK now spending more time online, conducting thorough screening is more essential than ever and yet, there is no framework to assist organisations when making hiring decisions.
Without guidance, how do you decide if a person is suitable to employ within your business?
There is now more information online than offline, with more value in employers checking online media in the future. However, there is no recognised framework that advises businesses how to formally address information found online about a potential employee. Specifically, how do you determine if the information found is true and valid? how long before the information becomes irrelevant?
Many UK employers now carry out online media screening on their potential candidates with as many as a third reportedly rejecting a candidate based on their Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn profiles. In addition, more than half of UK HR professionals admit that a candidate’s online reputation can influence their decision to hire them.
The Better Hiring Institute is calling on the creation of a formal framework to help UK employers when making decisions based on a candidate’s online media profile. In the same way making decisions about previous conviction information must be done in a careful and considered way, so should any decisions based on online media checks.
