What is Social Media Screening?

Social media screening is a process wherein you refer to your candidates’ social media profiles to ascertain if they are a perfect match for the open job role. This may be conducted during the initial stages of the hiring process or as a final step in recruiting.

While conducting social media background checks may seem like an easy task to do, it involves performing thorough research. You should be able to identify the red flags in a candidate’s profile without your personal opinions overpowering your hiring decisions.

Some factors classify as concerning behavior from candidates that you should avoid by all means. Here are some of these:

• Use of inappropriate or offensive language
• Illegal behavior or one that displays toxicity
• Derogatory posts about a specific gender, culture, religion, or even former employer
• Self-harm or posting violent, explicit images

Why social media screening is important?

Social media screening is important because of the following reasons:

• Gives you an insight into the candidate’s behavior
• Lets you know about the type of content candidates consume and share online
• Lets you identify their thoughts and opinions
• Helps you reach out to passive candidates
• Saves time and money
• Helps you cross-check and confirm the data provided by the candidate

That said, social media screening has its drawbacks too.

• It can involve legal trouble. Understand the hiring guidelines implemented in your country and organization before you proceed with the online screening process.
• It may lead to biased hiring decisions. There are chances that your opinions may hinder the recruiting process. This may happen when you and the candidate share the same hobbies or completed education from the same school or college.
• It may lead to reviewing inconsistent or false information. Not all candidates are active on social media platforms, which results in a lack of content posted online. Likewise, some may choose to upload or share certain information just to increase their follower count.

How to conduct social media screening?

Here are some social media screening do’s and don’ts that can help streamline the process.

• DO work on your employer brand. It is but obvious that the candidate will also look up your company details online just as you look for theirs.
• DO check only the professional details. Review how active the candidates are on various professional networks and the kind of work-related content they share.
• DO conduct reference checks. Know that the information shared online can be manipulated or fake, at times. Cross-check all the details before making a decision.
• DO ensure that you adhere to your company and industry standards when performing social media background checks. You do not wish to fall into any legal trouble because of the lack of it.
• DO follow the same screening pattern for all candidates. If you are checking a candidate’s profile on 5 different social media networks, ensure to follow the same for the others too.
• DO maintain a record of the screening process. Make sure you save data or take screenshots to supplement your hiring process.
• DON’T form recruiting decisions solely based on social media screening. Consider the personal interview, skill sets, job knowledge, and various other factors before you decide.
• DON’T refer to only one social media platform. Looking for candidate profiles on various social media networks can help make a more informed decision.
• DON’T use limited information you get from social media profiles to determine the candidate’s worth. Judge how they perform in person before you make a choice.

If utilized correctly, social media screening can be a smart feature in your hiring process. But the addition of an efficient recruiting tool or software can further enhance the process.

Jobsoid – The Best Tool for Social Media Screening

Recruitment software like Jobsoid can help identify and screen potential candidates without wasting your time. It comes with a Smart Filter Intelligence feature that helps fetch all the candidates with the skills matching your open job roles. Besides, it also allows you to add questionnaires in the application form itself to filter the candidates in the initial stages of recruiting.

Apart from these, Jobsoid also offers a variety of features that can make the social media recruiting process effortless and time-saving. So, register for 14 days free trial with Jobsoid to make some quality additions to your team of industry professionals!