Screen Job Applicants

Since many people have begun to use social media, employers have begun to browse job applicants’ social media accounts with the hope of learning more about the individual. In “Should Employer Use Social Media to Screen Job Applicants” by Joyce LeMay, LeMay argues that employers should not use social media to screen job applicants since social media is private and the process of viewing an applicant’s is unethical. Since employers are viewing sensitive information about an individual, the author argues that the employer will discriminate against certain applicants and will not hire the individual. Also, she states that the individual’s social media is private and an employer’s viewing of the account can be equated with spying on the individual

LeMay says “31 percent of 212 respondents (about half were in HR [human resources]) said they believed that using social media for screening applicants is unethical” and “only 20 percent of employers use social media to screen applicants” (21). Due to a negative view in the eyes of the public, LeMay believes there is a decline in the number of employers using social media to screen job applicants. However, many employers have noticed the need for viewing applicants’ social media to gain valuable insight into the applicant’s character and ethics. In the University of Michigan Journal of Law Review, Peter B. Baumhart states that employers are beginning to find social media as a valuable resource for gathering information on job applicants since many details about the applicant which would normally be found through an internet search are found through social media (507). Since many job applicants have social media, employer have found the process of gathering applicant information easier than other information gathering methods. According to Baumhart, “Certain employers also have to consider whether an applicant can be trusted with sensitive information or trade secrets, and looking at the applicant’s SNS [social networking sites] accounts can provide into the type of information that the applicant tends to post online” (508). Because of the popularity of social media, government organizations and companies with sensitive information use social media posts from the individual to determine trustworthiness. As more people begin to post personal information on social media, employers find the process of social media screening imperative to determine the eligibility of the