How can social networks help employers evaluate candidates?
"We consider screening candidates through Facebook and social networking sites as a necessary factor because it helps us understand more deeply about candidates beyond their CVs. For example, sites like LinkedIn feature referrals and testimonials on candidates' profiles that give us information about what they can bring to the job. For jobs such as web design, photography, media... the candidate's social network is often a gathering place for outstanding works or products and will help us have a clearer view of the candidate's previous work. Surname.
The “footprints” that candidates leave on social networks contain a lot of information about their personality and interests. For example, are they paying attention to the job field they are applying for? Do they follow or participate in new industry trends? This is a positive sign showing that for them it is not just work but also passion and love.
In particular, "scanning" candidates' social networks can also help us avoid mistakes. Who knows, some people have a lot of comments praising bad behavior. It would be lucky to recognize and eliminate these candidates early."
“90% of recruiters routinely explore social media accounts as part of the candidate evaluation process, especially now that cultural fit is so important to many companies.”
"Scanning" a candidate's social networks to gain a deeper understanding of a potential candidate beyond their CV is appealing, but it also comes with its own challenges.
“Perhaps the biggest potential drawback when evaluating candidates via social networks is that it raises concerns about bias. Many candidates who are not active on social media fear that they may not make their mark and that could result in not being interviewed or hired.
On the other hand, social media screening essentially exploits candidates' private information, and that can skew our hiring decisions. Images or comments taken out of context will be misleading and ruin a perfectly good candidate's chances of being hired. This creates an unlevel playing field for candidates and has the potential to provide us with misleading information leading to inaccurate decisions.”
If screening through social networks helps verify some information about candidates, according to Ms. Thuy Nguyen, it can also do the opposite and deceive employers. Information on social networks is easy to fake and candidates can easily write what they want. Furthermore, not everything we see on social networks is written by the candidates themselves. Some may be written by hackers, some are unfriendly status shares that are difficult to appreciate without full context.
Replies to This Discussion