Is checking social media still a thing?

40 Comments

1. Anne KrookNovember 10,2022 at 6:08PM UTC

   I check LinkedIn, since candidates know it is work-targeted and I look for signs of collegiality and professionalism. Other than that I look at public social media, but very little that is posted there would lead me not to hire someone. Obvious warning flags include racist, misogynist, homophobic, or otherwise violent language. I would never ask for someone's password, and in many states those are prohibited questions. It goes without saying you should check your company's HR rules and, if this case is not specified, ask specifically about it.

2. AnonymousNovember 11,2022 at 1:56PM UTC

   Same. I worked in local government where we’re supposed to appear nonpartisan to the public. And, regarding LinkedIn, the person who filled my position had a nearly nonexistent profile, not even a photo or job history. My former boss is now frustrated that the person wants specific direction on what to do.

3. Kathleen FisherNovember 11,2022 at 4:28PM UTC

   Shame on your former boss for not doing their due diligence when hiring your replacement.

4. Lesa Edwards, Career Coach & Master Resume WriterNovember 10,2022 at 6:15PM UTC

   I think it is important for candidates to understand that many employers are looking at their SM not just for the absence of negative, but also the presence of positive. How are you contributing as a thought leader in your field and/or industry?

5. AnonymousNovember 10,2022 at 7:29PM UTC

   If an organization has any commitment to DEI, they should be checking social to see how their candidates may or may not align with their values. If we are fostering an inclusive work culture, you should know if a candidate shares racist or insulting memes publicly.

   My former employer used a tool that gathered any mention of our company name into a feed monitored by HR. We interviewed a guy who then posted his experience on a public blog. HR called him to discuss his comments about the "awkward" hiring manager. We still hired him and he told me this story. The hiring manager was never told.

6. GirlBossanova934974November 11,2022 at 1:35PM UTC

   In my view, please be very careful about how you use this. You want to check social media for any mentions or photos of criminal behavior or obvious misconduct. Blog posts like I stole from my past employer are obvious things that are red flags. Wading into political discussions is another matter. In my view, the applicant's political beliefs are none of the employer's business and should be kept out of the business.

7. Mhairi DunnNovember 11,2022 at 1:36PM UTC

   Absolutely not! I’d hope they were set to private anyway but all this will do is create bias in your hiring process. LinkedIn is maybe the only acceptable platform and every then I’d probably only do it at final stages.

8. AnonymousNovember 11,2022 at 1:40PM UTC

   I think it depends on the type of job. My current boss does check social media. He feels it gives an idea of how they represent themselves and how would they represent him at the office as well. He is a VP and has a lot at stake where we work. If you are in a high profile position like we are then yes. If you are working a stock room then no. Again I think everyone has a different take on it.

9. AnonymousNovember 11,2022 at 1:57PM UTC

   I think it is a total invasion of privacy. I personally do not check peoples social media account when I hire. But I am required to do background checks. I believe what people do on there own time is their business not the company. My work and personal life are separate. As it should be. If I want my place of employment to know something about my personal life then I will choose to tell them. Otherwise it is non of their business. People are entitled to their privacy and transparency and an employer is required to be non discriminatory. Even if the person has different view points than you or post things YOU may find offensive. Diversity on a team brings the best ideas. But sadly people can’t accept people for who they are, take things way to personally and then then start calling them toxic people.

10. Paulla Fetzek, MSEdNovember 11,2022 at 2:02PM UTC

    You're on a 50/50 with this one. Technically it's legal to do so. But there are several states who've now passed laws saying the exact opposite.

    I personally have no issue with someone checking my social media. Nonetheless, I can see where people feel it's an invasion of privacy.

    However, once you're employed - you represent your employer ALL THE TIME. Yes, even when you're on your social media. Even when you're on vacation. Look for articles about people who posted horrible things to their social media only to lose their jobs because of it.

    I think of it this way. As an individual with rights - I can say or do whatever I want and post it on my social media. But if it's public... I understand that I'm giving up my privacy on anything I post. So if a company decides to look and see if I have public social media this is completely within their right.

11. Melissa VerdoniNovember 11,2022 at 2:13PM UTC

    You do NOT represent the company on your own time. That being said, posting on socials that you committed a crime , talking against your boss, or talking about your bad work ethic , ect CAN lead you to losing your job. but employees are allowed to have personnal lives also, just as long as it doesn't become something that is work related, if i tell my boss i am sick and post pics on the beach .... well i just outed myelf. if i post picutres on the beach just on my vacation and bosses say u were in a bikini and we looked at your pics well that's not work related. there is a line to draw.

12. AnonymousNovember 11,2022 at 3:27PM UTC

    So where I work, someone was recently fired for saying bad things about our company on their social media. IMO, it was justified (after hearing out about it, I was honestly not surprised).

13. AnonymousNovember 11,2022 at 2:02PM UTC

    From a candidate perspective, I assume that social media is definitely going to be checked, whether it's formal or informal.
    It's in the public domain and many companies are concerned about reputational risk. Social media use often demonstrates judgment, maturity and discretion. I had one company that did not indicate they were checking social media in the hiring process but internal training had very clear guidance around social media use. Also, social media is how many people find connections on sites like LinkedIn to get informal references. That's part of checking social media too! If you don't want your new employer to know about it, especially if you're searching, for candidates, I highly recommend a lay off the social media or lock it down. While I agree with many on the hiring side that it is a sketchy practice, the reality is that is the world we live in.

14. Sharon RosendahlNovember 11,2022 at 2:10PM UTC

    My concern with checking something like Facebook is that I will learn something about the applicant that can be construed affecting my decision, even if it doesn't. Things such as LGTBQ status, marital status or number of children. I don't have a problem with looking at LinkedIn as that is pretty much an extension of their resume.

15. Lori Laurito BetzNovember 11,2022 at 3:33PM UTC

    This is a great point!

16. AnonymousNovember 11,2022 at 7:35PM UTC

    Exactly. I always thought checking social media was inviting discrimination or the perception thereof.

17. AnonymousNovember 16,2022 at 6:10PM UTC

    I agree. As a hiring manager and in HR, I do not want to see anything. It could lead to seeing something that is a protected class that could if not chosen someone could say was biased against them and illegal. I have said before that I wish that I never see a resume with a picture because even that tells me more than I need or want to know. I want to know your KSAs and thats it when doing my first check on the resume and cover letter.

18. Cynthia Armistead NewmanNovember 11,2022 at 2:17PM UTC

    I started Googling and otherwise checking the Internet activity of applicants back in 1995. I still find it valuable to do so.

19. Goalsetter498760November 11,2022 at 3:06PM UTC

    My profiles are pretty locked down with occasional public posts about issues that are important to me because I want people to know what I stand for. Anything I have posted that's public, I have no issues with potential employers seeing.

    If what I post publicly on social media turns off employers, then our values do not align, and I'm glad we both got to find out at the start of the process.

    It would be a waste of time for me to be interviewed for a company that holds values opposite from mine. For both of us.

20. KileyNovember 12,2022 at 11:24AM UTC

    Agree. Equally, if my my online due diligence uncovers anything unsavoury about a propsective employer, I graciously remove myself at the start of the process. I will seek to protect my professional reputation and image at all costs and do not wish to align myself with a questionable employer. Risk management is key!

21. LISA MCCARTNEYNovember 12,2022 at 1:41PM UTC

    Good point

22. QNovember 11,2022 at 3:39PM UTC

    I normally check to see if the individual has LinkedIn or a website, as I am normally preparing to interview for seasoned technology and design expertise.
    If they have LinkedIn but failed to provide that information I take extra time comparing what they say on their LinkedIn job history compared to the resume provided. Significant difference or omissions make me add certain questions to the interview. A website or portfolio of projects worked is always helpful to review.

    As for social media such as Facebook or Twitter? I never actively seek that out, but will follow the trail of anything linked. For instance, if they have a website and they link to a Facebook or Instagram, etc. I will absolutely continue reviewing before interviewing them.

    In general, I don't expect to find much of anything relevant on social media that isn't work related. That said, if during due diligence I ran across something vulgar, crude, or borderline illegal it would color my impression of the person and how they carry themselves publicly. It means they are okay showing that to the world and perhaps lack discretion or enjoy stirring the pot. Those traits are not always a good fit for positions that require self-control and diplomacy for success.

23. RiaNovember 12,2022 at 1:23AM UTC

    1000% agree

24. AnonymousNovember 13,2022 at 3:44PM UTC

    While a contract recruiter, I used an approach similar to yours.

    I was instructed to Google candidates' names as a rudimentary background check. I felt very uncomfortable with this task which I believe should be performed by experts. To obtain information about a candidate, I never logged into any social media site other than LinkedIn.

25. Shelby CNovember 11,2022 at 3:49PM UTC

    Is it appropriate? Not really. Is it done? Yes. I think it should be limited to LinkedIn; however, a lot of people go much further than that.

26. Kathleen FisherNovember 11,2022 at 4:26PM UTC

    I don't think it should be a thing to check a potential/ current employee's social media other than LinkedIn. What people do on their own time is not the business of their employer. Unless working for the CIA, FBI, Secret Service, etc. why would anyone care to see the pictures of my kids, pets and family outings. I do understand social media posts can be "questionable" at times but unless something is directly reported about an employee's stability, it shouldn't be seen by your employer.

27. AnonymousNovember 12,2022 at 1:22AM UTC

    I don't think its an employee's family pics an employer is concerned about. Its poor behavior and inflammatory posts. Companies want to distance themselves from an employee behaving poorly on their personal time that's been captured on social media.

28. Karlene BrownNovember 11,2022 at 5:22PM UTC

    When we hired, we had the rule of essentially “look at your own risk.” Meaning, you could but if you did and found something you wanted to question- was it worth explaining it came from looking up their social media? Which deterred us from looking. I think it was a good and fair practice, as it kept us from knowing info that could sway our decision or just knowing status things that you can’t ask during interviews. We weren’t banned from looking, but you had to let the interviewee know you looked it up if it inspired any interview questions. We also always had policies post hire about our social medias (including this one), but that was more so around confidentiality & being aware of not posting certain things about our work.

29. Maria Paula CalvoNovember 11,2022 at 6:33PM UTC

    I know doing it has been quite a common practice for a number of recruiters. Nonetheless, there is consensus about the fact that the majority of posts in social media represent only partial views of any individual reality, more often than not mostly everything relates to good news or extraordinary achievements. In addition, many individuals experiment hacking of their social media profiles and / or accounts. In this context, it is hard to believe that grounded and reliable conclusions can be drawn from this exercise.

30. AnonymousNovember 11,2022 at 7:29PM UTC

    As a candidate, the issue I have with this is some companies don’t go directly to Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. They Google. Which, to me, is doing too much.

    For me, if you feel like you have to do “research” (which lets be real, it’s not research, you’re just being nosy) beyond what’s provided on my resume, application, during the interview AND #SSN/background check then I’m not the candidate for you. I’ve already given you enough personal and professional information, anything outside of that is none of your business.

31. AnonymousNovember 12,2022 at 1:19AM UTC

    That's not necessarily true. Your social media posts if they reflect poorly on the company or are in stark contrasts with their values are very much an employer's business. I'm sure you've seen social media posts of people behaving poorly and were subsequently fired by their employer. Corporations have become more concerned about their image and an employee whose character as reflected on social media is a threat to that image. The CEO of Pappa John's pizza lost the chairmanship of a company HE CREATED because of racist posts. He was hurting the company's brand and companies will protect theirbbrand .

32. AnonymousNovember 12,2022 at 10:55PM UTC

    What if I don’t post where I work? How can that reflect poorly on the organization?

33. Cynthia Armistead NewmanNovember 13,2022 at 7:08PM UTC

    It isn't usually difficult for customers to find your social media profiles if they care to do so, so it doesn't matter whether or not you identify your employer in those profiles. If you express unacceptable opinions such as racist/misogynist/anti-semitic views, it reflects on your employer.

34. AnonymousNovember 13,2022 at 7:19PM UTC

    Actually, if you identify as an employee of a company in your LinkedIn profile, you are a reflection of their brand.
    If you post content that is contrary to their values, you could be jeopardizing your job.

35. AnonymousNovember 12,2022 at 8:01PM UTC

    While many are suggesting that LinkedIn is safe from the candidate's perspective, I kind of disagree! LinkedIn has intentionally become more and more like Facebook and Twitter, instigating users to let it ALL hang out. Likewise, there are many more off-color posts that may give an employer pause about a candidate. As a candidate, frankly, once I know who the hiring manager is, I not only look for content that person has posted, but I also look for content they have reacted to. Those reactions can tell you a lot about people as well. I once saw a male leader who "loved" an extremely misogynistic post. LinkedIn is not a candidate's friend anymore. Use it very sparingly if at all these days for anything other than browsing.

36. AnonymousNovember 12,2022 at 10:57PM UTC

    I think the real question here is why do you want to look at an individuals social media? You don’t own their thoughts and opinions so why would you care? I don’t think it necessary and frankly an invasion of their personal life.

37. Cynthia Armistead NewmanNovember 13,2022 at 5:06PM UTC

    It has nothing to do with who "own(s) their thoughts and opinions" - if you're responsible for hiring people, you DO care about their values and attitudes, which usually shine through their words.

    At one time, I was hiring for technical support roles and found many, many racist and misogynistic posts by one candidate. There's no way we wanted him speaking to our customers! On another occasion I found that a woman had totally falsified her resume according to information on her own website. (That woman was also so very obsessed with a celebrity and making plans for his upcoming visit to our city with such intensity that another staff member contacted the celebrity's security people to warn them.)

38. KileyNovember 15,2022 at 10:35AM UTC

    Agree 100 per cent!

39. AnonymousNovember 16,2022 at 6:14PM UTC

    I am not a fan. I do not want to see anything that could lead to a claim that they were not chosen because of a protected class. I need to know their experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, and if needed, education. I can get that from a resume and cover letter. I do not want to see anything else.

40. AnonymousNovember 22,2022 at 5:12PM UTC

    I personally feel like social media and professional life should be kept separate. Yes people can post about getting a promotion or landing a new job. If they're posting negative commentary about the company then that's more of a company issue then an employee issue.