social media checks

I worked on a search for an Office Coordinator position recently. The client let us know that they have found someone at the end of the October and that they are not interested in the candidates that we presented. We moved on.

I just got an email from that client and informed us that the new hire didn't work out. They asked us to work on it again. We were also informed that we need to do social media check on any potential candidate. I have never done social media checks before and I need help.

What do I need to look for?

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Permalink Reply by Linda Ferrante on November 19, 2014 at 8:20am

'Social media' checks are when you search someone out on various social media accounts (facebook, twitter, instagram, etc.) and scour their pages for anything that may 'disqualify' them for the position. This is a BAD idea, and quite possibly illegal (I don't know your laws). I would imagine that candidate they found on their own had questionable info on their social media, hence the directive.

Since there are SO many things that can be taken out of context on social media, I would not use it as a reference tool. Your client has no skin in the game on this one, but you certainly do. If the candidate sues you because you found something on their fb page and chose not to pursue them, YOU are left holding the bad, not your client. If push comes to shove, when you select a candidate, ask them to make all their social media private. I would check with a lawyer first, then inform your client of the legal side.

In all my years recruiting, this has only bitten me once. A candidate had some questionable pictures from a wedding and the client freaked out. It wasn't a big deal (this was about 6 years ago, so it was all the rage), but the employee just made her page private. This is ALSO why you never accept friend requests from candidates or employees. :)