Using Social Media to Assist with Recruiting and Hiring

Answer

The Influence of Social Media Profiles on the Hiring Process

The emergence of social media has turned the world into a global village because it is now easier for information to move across regions within a short time. This makes it easy and necessary for employers to conduct social media background check on potential candidates before hiring or recruiting them. Some employers use information found on candidates’ social media profile to make a decision in the best interest of the company. The director of Human Resource in New York City’s First Bank is interested in using this criterion to recommend the best candidate among Maria Hernandez, Melissa Prosecco and Wesley P. Robertson for the position of the vice president of the bank. The actions of the director are aimed at attaining background information that is critical in selecting the most suitable candidate among the listed applicants. As such, this paper describes ethical and legal effects of social media screening of applicants during hiring and recruitment.

Checking applicants’ Facebook profiles can paint a picture of their personality and interests (Alexander, Mader & Mader, 2019). For instance, Maria Hernandez is seen protesting. She states that she is championing for the rights of refugees who have been denied citizenship, a situation that makes her appear a nagging and troublesome person. Really?  Due to this negative perception, Maria is unlikely to be appointed for the advertised job. On the contrary, Melisa Prosecco provides a clear description of wedding, her pregnancy, and her happiness of becoming a mother. Clearly, this depicts her as a woman concerned with her family. On the same note, Wesley Robertson posts about the economic aspects of his country and various views that accountants have regarding his country’s economy. Robertson describes how he took his children to purchase expensive shoes that cost almost the same price as his first car. Principally, the information collected about these applicants can help managers to choose the most suitable person for the job (Tufts, Jacobson, & Stevens, 2015). Nonetheless, from the case presented, Maria is unlikely to be picked because of the negative posts on her social networking account that depicted her as a person who likes instigating conflicts.

The information gathered from the applicants’ social networking profiles can influence decisions and judgements of human resource directors in various ways. Evidently, from the social media profiles of the three applicants, it appears that the possibility of one securing a job depends on the relevance and appropriateness of his or her social media profile. As already stated, Maria Hernandez posts cast doubts on her competency in handling workplace conflicts. Her protests would make a human resource manager hesitant in hiring her because the manager feels that she would instigate violence when disagreement emanates in the workplace rather than addressing the issue amicably. Contrarily, Wesley Robertson seems to be the most suitable applicant for the stated position since from his social media posts, he appears concerned with patterns and trends of his country’s economic growth.  Moreover, he has a cordial relationship with his children who are soon graduating from college. This depicts a person who is full filled.

What of the potential risks, as an HR recruiter, in learning about the content of applicant’s social media public-facing content?????

The possible discrimination claims that may rise from using applicants’ social media profiles to make hiring and recruitment decisions is the violation of an employee’s right to participate in protected and concerted action. Tufts, Jacobson, and Stevens (2015) contended that under no circumstance should anyone including an employer intrude applicants’ privacy to search for incriminatory information. Based on this scenario, Maria may file a legal case citing breach of her private and confidential information, as well as, mistreatment because of her fight for the rights of minority groups. She is firmly engaged in activities aimed at improving the living standards of refugees who despite being protected by the law continue to witness various cases of economic discrimination and mistreatments. Intuitively, when Maria files such a case, she is likely to borrow support from the National Labor Relations Act which safeguards workers or applicants against discriminations during hiring and recruitment.

Essentially, there are myriad of laws and regulations that safeguard workers on matters related to their privacy and confidentiality to information they post on their social networking accounts.  In line with labor relations Act, any information from social media accounts should remain private and confidential since allowing potential employers to access them result in discrimination of employees and potential applicants based on age, race, disability and sex. Sinha and Thaly (2013) argued that it is unwise for employers to use information from workers’ or applicants’ social media accounts to make critical decisions regarding employment or work contracts because such actions violate labour laws and are deemed illegal in any court of law. Reports have shown that most social media pages are infiltrated because some people may post unnecessary information to tarnish the reputation of a worthy applicant for the advertised position (Sinha & Thaly, 2013). As such, information obtained social media platforms are impermissible in the court of law and thus regarded as mere allegations.

 Based on the case scenario provided, it is illegal and inappropriate for human resource manager to use information obtained from social media to decide on who to hire and recruit for the advertised job position. It is suggested that such personnel should adhere strictly to information that applicants have outlined in their respective cover letters and resumes, otherwise, they will be involved in a costly and lengthy legal tussle. It is also important to note that the HR manager is obliged to respect private and confidential information of each applicant, especially when deciding on whether to hire such a person. Using information from applicants’ social media platforms is thus malicious and discriminatory in nature. Therefore, HR manager should only use information that applicants have indicated in their cover letters and resumes.