Digital Trails Have Started Acting as a Replacement for Traditional Resumes Among New-age Workforce
In the digital age, the balance between harnessing the insights from digital footprints and avoiding surveillance culture is of utmost importance. This is particularly relevant in the employment sector, where social media screening has become a proactive approach in a competitive market.
With 5.24 billion people using social media worldwide, a significant portion being millennials and Gen-Z, employers are increasingly using social media screening as part of their hiring process. Nearly 6 in 10 employers are doing so, according to recent statistics.
However, this practice raises several concerns. The permanence of digital footprints can lead to posts made during adolescence being judged without context or nuance. Moreover, the reward-based design of social media encourages impulse and boundary-pushing behaviors, which employers may fail to recognize.
To address these concerns, employers can leverage professional, regulation-compliant social media checks that use smart-search and behavior analysis tools to produce objective assessments. These checks can help uncover discrepancies, objectionable behavior, or risk factors that might not appear through traditional checks, enhancing the quality of hires.
Employers must ensure fairness by seeking candidates' permission, staying compliant with privacy laws, and avoiding in-house checks by untrained staff to prevent misinterpretation or legal breaches. Transparency can be achieved by informing candidates about the screening processes upfront and explaining how social media data will be used in the hiring decision.
Grace entails considering the context behind social media content and allowing candidates an opportunity to explain or clarify. Combining automated tools for initial filtering with human review helps avoid overly rigid or unfair conclusions and improves the candidate experience while managing legal risks.
It's crucial for employers to approach social media screening with empathy and understanding. They should ask if content is still relevant to who the person is today, if it reflects a pattern or a single moment of weakness and poor judgment, and if the candidate has demonstrated growth, reflection, and learning since then.
Moreover, the use of social media in employment screening can provide employers with additional insights into a candidate's character and potential risks related to brand reputation and data security. For instance, IBM uses their digital footprint to help customers understand their brand's values and verify consistency, which can drive new business.
However, it's important to note that not having a social account could also impact one's professional identity. Candidates without decades of work experience can gain visibility through their digital presence, something that their resume may not fully convey.
In conclusion, social media screening impacts candidate evaluation by adding depth but must be handled with professional care, clarity with candidates, and empathetic judgment to ensure fairness and respect in digital hiring practices. This balance supports a thorough yet humane assessment, especially important for younger job seekers with visible online presences.
Furthermore, the impact of social media on mental health, particularly among teens, is a growing concern. Platforms are alleged to maximize engagement through social comparison, potentially harming teen mental health. As such, educational institutions should integrate digital literacy into career development to help young people understand the long-term implications of their online presence.
[1] Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. (2021). Social Media and Employment. Retrieved from https://www.privacyrights.org/employment/social-media-employment [2] Pew Research Center. (2021). Teens, Social Media & Technology 2021. Retrieved from https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2021/09/29/teens-social-media-technology-2021/ [3] Society for Human Resource Management. (2021). Social Media Background Checks. Retrieved from https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/legal-and-compliance/employment-law/pages/social-media-background-checks.aspx [4] IBM. (2021). IBM Social Business and Digital Marketing. Retrieved from https://www.ibm.com/services/customer-experience/social-business-digital-marketing-services [5] CareerBuilder. (2021). Social Media Background Checks. Retrieved from https://www.careerbuilder.com/advice/hr/social-media-background-checks
- In the digital age, employing social media screening in career evaluation is common, with 5.24 billion users worldwide, it offers employers valuable insights into candidates' personas.
- This practice, however, raises concerns about privacy, contextual understanding, and fairness, as posts made during adolescence could be judged out of context, and the reward-based design of social media promotes impulse and boundary-pushing behaviors.
- To address these concerns, professionally conducted, regulation-compliant social media checks can help uncover discrepancies, objectionable behavior, or risks that might not appear through traditional checks, enhancing the quality of hires.
- Employers should ensure fairness by seeking candidates' permission, staying compliant with privacy laws, and using objective tools for initial filtering combined with human review.
- Transparency in social media screening policies helps candidates understand how their digital footprint will be used in the hiring decision.
- Approaching social media screening with empathy and understanding can help employers assess candidates fairly, considering the context behind social media content, and providing opportunities for candidates to explain or clarify their posts.
- The impact of social media on mental health, particularly among young people, is a growing concern, and educational institutions should integrate digital literacy into education-and-self-development programs to help young people understand the long-term implications of their online presence.
