A few years ago a background check was the
only resource to check an employee’s obscure secrets. Nowadays, social networks
have replaced this obsolete practice. Networks like Facebook and LinkedIn tell
you more about a candidate than you may want to know.
Two things come to my mind: Is it legal and
if so, when can you use it?
Every career services lecture I’ve ever
attended, made it clear: no picture, no religion, no sexual option on your CV;
it’s illegal. Protected information they say. Protected?
How easy is for an employee to receive a
resume and automatically go to Facebook or LinkedIn and find out how the
candidate looks, does he/she likes to party? Is he/she gay or straight? or any
other piece of information. Usually you would hire a lawyer to tell you how to
outsmart the law. Here dinner is served for free.
However, (this is the pro bono advice)
never use social networks as your last resource to make the decision. It’s
perfectly legal if you use a searcher to get public information prior to the
interviews. Nevertheless, if you have already interviewed the candidate and at
the end you find something that doesn’t please you, you can’t use it. This is illegal.
So now you know, social networks outsmart
the law for you, if used appropriately. How much time do you think is going to pass
before rigorous regulation is passed.
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