Prejudice or Precaution? Employers using social networking sites to weed out applicants

Posted by Lima Al-Azzeh Sep 18, 2008

It used to be that employers simply used the reference list provided by an applicant to investigate whether that person was a good candidate for the position; but with the wide availability of social networking sites, some savvy employers have settled on searching an applicant’s online profile to find their answers. But what are the implications of using the web in this new form of pre-employment vetting?

Rosemary Haefner, spokeswoman for Carrerbuilder.com, has been quoted as saying that this type of search may aid an employer in getting a “more well-rounded view of job candidates in terms of their skills [and] accomplishments”. However, these sites may also provide the employer with a lot more information that is, quite definitely, none of their business; information such as a person’s sexual orientation or religion. With so much information being made available over the web, employers must be cautious of the implications this potentially raises in terms of discrimination and data protection issues.

Some other questions that could even arise have to do with whether a person’s lifestyle choices are being unfairly called into question. Perhaps an applicant’s profile shows their use of alcohol or drugs on the weekends or spare time outside of work, which naturally may be a deterrent to any employer. Yet, if an applicant’s choice of weekend activities in no way interferes with their level of productivity at the workplace, then that person was unfairly discriminated against before they have even had a chance to prove themselves at the job.

Yes, an applicant could avoid these potential issues by ensuring that their profile settings are made private, and perhaps that is a precaution that internet users need to be more diligent at considering, but a social networking site is assumed to be a place to make friends and meet people whether or not that has to do with the workplace. It seems that it would be far better for employers and recruiters to steer clear of using the internet as a new wave reference check.