Is The Jury Still Out On Social Media Background Checks?
Mat Honan at Gizmodo wrote recently about a new company that helps employers search applicant’s “internet background” to assist in the hiring process. As Mat rightly points out, much of the concern over this “new technology” is overblown, and as he puts it, "[e]mployers would have to be stupid not to Google job candidates." As I have pointed out before, much of the unduly concern is that lawyers don’t understand the technology, and therefore if they don’t understand it, their client’s use of the technology can only lead to bad things. .png){kind=logo}
I think Guy Kawasaki had a great perspective on this issue when I recently interviewed him. He said he would be worried about a job applicant who did not have a Facebook page: what is wrong with this person? Is he anti-social? Is he not with the times or just simply does not understand simple technology? As Mat points out as well, with some common sense a job applicant can easily manage the results of an online search by being careful about which information he or she provides to the employer. For example, an internet search for the job applicant’s private email address might turn up more personal information than if the applicant has a separate email they only use for work purposes and lists on their c.v.
From the employer’s perspective I don’t think the analysis changes much for searching employees background on the Internet:
- If using an outside company, make sure the background check complies with the Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act and any state equivalent
- Do not create fake identities in order to gain access to individual’s social networks
- Rely on common sense and make the determination about hiring or firing based on the same criteria that employers already use and not on any illegal criteria.
Generally, under Federal law, employers may utilize social networking sites to conduct background checks on employees if:
- The employer and/or its agents conduct the background check themselves;
- The site is readily accessible to the public;
- The employer does not need to create a false alias to access the site;
- The employer does not have to provide any false information to gain access to the site; and
- The employer does not use the information learned from the site in a discriminatory manner or otherwise prohibited by law.
developed a better way to gain insight into new hire’s backgrounds: information posted in social networking sites. About two years ago, I was often asked whether it was legal to google a job applicant, or to review his or her information posted on the Internet. While some lawyers took the conservative approach to this “new technology”, it has become common practice to search applicant’s backgrounds on the Internet (see this 