With the blooming of social media in the past decade, it becomes one of the most popular forms of communication in the 21st century, with billion users every month. People are using different platforms every day: Facebook for connecting with friends and family, LinkedIn for business networking, Twitter for newsgathering and the list goes on. With this in mind, it was only of time before social media began to be used frequently in the recruitment process. For employers to overlook the social media would be like ignoring e-mail 20 years ago. But how many people who use social networks are aware of the fact that employers are watching their activity and screening them when they apply for a job? According to the job site CareerBuilder, 52 percent …show more content…
Even though employers already have a lot of information about job candidates, social medias still offer much more information that could reveal the true nature of applicants because of their undecorated posts online. In addition, employers are also looking for positives that back up the candidate’s qualifications and they want to see if the candidate has a professional persona. And employers can find out the qualities that are not showed in the resume. For example, employer can see if Canada 's personality came across as good fit with the company 's culture, and whether candidates have great communication …show more content…
According to the article ”Can Potential Employers Check Your Facebook Page?“ by Lisa Guerin, “For example, candidates’ posts might reveal their ethnicity, political or religious views and disclose that candidates are pregnant, which can lead to discrimination claims.”(Lisa Guerin) Employers who discover those information online and use them as a basis for hiring decisions could face a discrimination lawsuit. Furthermore, Most employers do not realize the effect brought by social media screening. Social media a platform to express our personalities-for who we are, what we think-which are naturally linked to our creativity. s innovation becomes increasingly necessary in this competitive business world, creativity can be crucial for a company’s success. By constantly watching over potential employees shoulders, it could affect candidates’ expression of their
For example, Rosen states, “According to a recent survey by Microsoft, seventy percent of U.S. recruiters report that they have rejected candidates because of information found online,” (Rosen, Para. 3). Most of the time it is a necessity for companies to do online and background research on candidates because of wanting a safe environment to work in. Social media sites are the fastest way to see who a person truly is. But sometimes it can just be a character they posses because that’s what they’re followers want to see rather than their true self. Jokes can be made and other people do not see it that way which leads to your workplace seeing it and thinking that you’re a bad and trouble person. Rosen’s article informs his readers that you don’t want to be that person where one little thing you did on social media defines your whole life and you’re known for it. The new privacy on Facebook made certain parts of a user’s profile public which caused many criticism from users. Rosen also credits four democratic senators, Charles Schumer of New York, Michael Bennet of Colorado, Al Franken of Minnesota, and Mark Begich of Alaska. The four democratic senators were also concerned about the privacy changes Facebook made. They expressed their concern of “instant personalization” feature and new privacy settings to the chief executive of
People have the tendency to believe everything and anything that is posted online should be private. They don’t realize that what they post or send over a platform like Facebook isn’t exactly complete privacy. As Alfred Edomnd Jr. said in his essay Why Asking for a Job Applicant’s Facebook Password is Fair Game, “… don’t think business vs. personal. Think public vs. private. And if something is truly private, do not share it on social media out of a misplaced faith in the expectation of privacy (134).” Just as employees have the right to say no to this request, employers have the right to ask. Employers only want the best for everyone and that is why they need Facebook access to who they deem a potential problem. Asking is fair
The author defends his claim by implying that although one can simply deny access to their own Facebook page, an employer still has the right to ask for it because they are the ones who have the company’s best interest at heart. Employers want their business to not only run smoothly, but also that their employees and customers feel and stay safe. Ironically, he contradicts himself when he states, “I would have to want the job pretty badly… I would see if there were other ways… I would try to negotiate terms to strictly limit both their use… and length of time”(Edmond 132). In that paragraph he starts with putting himself in the employer's shoes but switches his view to now thinking like the future employee. Just as the author stated, anyone can simply go onto their page before giving their password up and change or delete whatever they don’t want their possibly future boss to see. They can even simply deny to having any social media and delete the apps from their mobile device. What would employers do in that situation? Deny the applicant a job because they fail to obtain any sorts of social media? Or would they go even further and ask to go through the applicant’s phone? Let’s say the employer doesn’t trust the applicant’s word and goes and searches him up anyways, the applicant can simply deactivate his account until the hiring process is over so there would be no way for the employer to find the account and snoop on it. Edmond also fails to mention how a future employer might not be trustworthy themselves. Let’s say the applicant has nothing to hide and gives up their password with no hesitation but, he does have conversations with his family discussing family issues that would never conflict with the job he is trying to obtain. The employer
In recent years hiring managers have also begun checking out the personal social media pages of candidates under consideration for a position, a practice known as "social media background checks," ( Employees Should Accept
Checking social networking profiles is an acceptable practice for potential employers or college admission officers. Students who post on social media
The web has in recent years brought new concerns about privacy in an age where technology indefinitely stores and records all social media aspects, every online photo posted, every status update, blogs and twitter posts by and about us will be stored forever available for future generations to see. At the heart of the Internet culture is a force that wants to find out everything about you. In 2010 Microsoft published a report that stated that 75 percent of United States recruiters and human resource professionals that they surveyed are not only checking online sources to learn about potential candidates, but they also reported that their companies have made online screening a formal requirement before hiring any candidates. Of the recruiters and human resource professionals surveyed 70 percent say they rejected candidates based on information found on social media site. This has lead so many people’s awareness about online privacy and the need to control public access to private accounts by online privacy settings in order to protect they online and real world reputation. There have been legal suits against many sites and employer’s over the invasion of privacy on the internet. The authenticity of what the recruiters find on these social media sites should be questioned.
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
Social media’s usage in employment decisions has emerged as a contemporary problem in Employment Law for several reasons. The first reason for this trends development is the excessive usage of social media websites. According to a recent Pew report 65% of adults who use the internet have a social media presence in some form. (Hidy 70) With that in mind employers have begun to use the information found within a social media website to obtain information they do not otherwise get on a resume and in an interview. These web pages can give the employer and insight into the true nature of an applicant. However employers need to approach the information on social media websites with care as these sites are easily manipul...
Even to, though social networking is not private, everyone does not have access to it. “Over half of the applicants found on search engines and nearly two-thirds of the applicants found on social networking sites were not hired as a result of the information found on sites, such as Facebook.com, MySpace.com, and Google.com. Among other concerns, these sites are not necessarily valid nor is there any way to ascertain the true identity of the person responsible for the information found.” ( Jones ). By posting inappropriate thing it lowers your chances of being hired or accepted into college. People are responsible for what they post. It’s unreasonable to make personal information available to the whole world and not expect employers to look at it. ( Lee ). If people are willing to post things online to the public where friends and family can see, employers and recruiters should be able to use it as a resource. Using Facebook, The privacy wall is not there. Facebook is there to share not protect if people want privacy do not post on Facebook. ( Parr ) Even if you think your postings are private they are not and they follow you wherever you go. Every time someone posts something on social networking it is in the public to see and it follows you even if you think it’s temporary or
This is yet another way of invading privacy. In the past, employers would only know what you told them in your interview. They would assess your skills and determine if you were right for the job, aside from knowing your beliefs or views. However, now with Facebook an employer can see all the personal information, this can negatively influence a candidate’s job. The same goes for those who are currently employed and potential students. “Dr. Nora Barnes, Director for the Center of Marketing Research at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, published a study that showed more than 20% of colleges and universities search social networks for their admissions candidates” (Fodeman). This is becoming a part of the admissions process, but it is unfair. Searching someone’s Facebook to determine his or her admissions eligibility is wrong and a privacy invasion. As long as a student has fulfilled the school’s requirements and done well in school, why should it matter what their personal lives are like? In the time before Facebook, this would be like a school sending someone to secretly follow a potential student and see what he or she does in their
The way future candidates view social media has evolved drastically over the past ten years as technology has evolved. From websites like LinkedIn to Twitter, each website provides a unique opportunity for employers to view a future candidate. According to Media Bistro/Infographic, “92%of companies” use social media as an initial step to recruit future candidates. Another statistic Media Bistro/Infographic provides is that 73% of employees hire using social media and 20% of employers say it takes less time to hire via social media. What do these small statistics mean? Majority of the time if recruiters use social media, it is like an extra step to background checks and screenings before the interviews. Social Media allows for employers to have additional information of their prospective candidate before hiring. These statistics show that employers look at a person’s profile based on the information that is public or accessible; yet the employer uses that decision to hire the future candidate. Based on what a person post, there are heavy consequenc...
Students who want to find jobs may regret posting private pictures and comments on Facebook. Employers not only screen resumes and conduct interviews, but also view job candidates’ Facebook profiles. The boss wants to know if the applicant is actually a “professional.” Pictures may show the person drinking, smoking, or doing other unprofessional activities. Offensive comments can also hurt an applicant’s chances of getting the job.
Social networks are increasing dramatically every year. Employers are turning to social networks because it is a tool to screen job applicant’s profiles. According to a survey conducted by jobvite.com (2013), 94 % of employers use social media profiles to recruit job applicants. This trend assists the applicants and recruiters. Job applicants should be judged by their social network profiles because social media give positive image about the candidate, prove the information in the resume, and help to identify if the person fits the culture of the company or not.
Social media is a internet-based tools that promote collaboration and information sharing. Social media can be used in academic settings to promote student engagement and facilitate better student learning. The students can use the social media to find any information because can save time and faster to access information. The students also can improve their knowledge and language level when using the social media in students daily routine. Social media can promote community development through collaboration and information sharing. When use the social media it can provide opportunities for individual expression as well as interactions with other users. Current research has indicated that using social media as an educational tool can lead to increased student engagement. Social media can give more experience in daily life and give more knowledge
Platforms such as Facebook and Twitter allow users to access company information, photos and employees as well as ask questions and express personal experiences with the company. It also allows potential employees to understand the vibe of the organization and gain a deeper and more personal understanding than a website. However, with social media, it is important to not ove...