HOW IMPORTANT IS SOCIAL MEDIA USE IN HIRING?

It doesn’t seem that long ago when a candidate would share a resume or bio with an average length varying anywhere between 2 pages, and even up to 20 pages. Hiring managers and human resources would go through the resume for education, experience, family background, responsibilities, phone or Skype interview a suitable candidate—and then arrange for a face-to-face interview.

ALMOST EVERY RESUME LOOKS LIKE A TEMPLATE AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET.

The interview process has undergone many transformations. It’s no longer a one-way monologue. There are many shades— from a stress interview or a panel interview to a casual conversation. The objective is to know more and share more, since the cost of one wrong hire is way more than the time spent on hiring a candidate. The 15 to 45 minutes or more of interview time, no matter how intense and in-depth, cannot bring out all the qualities of a person. The interviewer gets to know only as much as is shared by the candidate.

That’s why there’s more of a trend towards referring and validating the candidates claims against the information available on social media. Social media today has a broad canvas that all can see—from Twitter, WhatsApp, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc. Observe the individual’s likings, preferences, or inclinations published or posted on social media platforms. Some of these are professional networking forums while others are personal and non-business.

WHILE SETTLING ON THE CANDIDATE, IT’S A GOOD PRACTICE TO CHECK THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE.

This does give you an insight into the person’s social interactions, thought processes, perspectives on various aspects of work and life. Some of the posts will also show the individual’s social or political inclinations, causes which are close to heart and its impact on the individual as well as work preferences. It is said that birds of the same feather flock together. This applies to people behavior on social media as well. The kind of company that the candidate keeps or has in his or her network, gives away a lot about the person.

DIFFERENT GENERATIONS SHARE INFORMATION DIFFERENTLY.

And while the “younger generation” may be more inclined to share photos and videos or experiences, a more “mature” generation normally shares incidents, descriptions, events, books, poems, etc. The difference is in the speed and depth of what is being posted, liked and shared. Also, there are many people who may not be very good with words but can articulate well through photos and videos. If one would like to scan for people skills, one can find a wide variety: from attention to details, to tact, diplomacy, ability to speak up, and humility.

SCANNING THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA IS ALSO A SKILL BY ITSELF.

A mere word search or superficial viewing of profiles does not convey a lot. You, or someone on your team should be social media savvy, connected with the right people on the network, and be able to project the appropriate image of self and the organization so that the appropriate candidates surface in your searches. Social media is, after all, based on the searches—what you look for, you get.

Another point to keep in mind is that the social media posts are a shot at a point in time. It shows only the picture which has a particular context. Taking the post or picture out of context may have a completely different meaning.

BE AWARE OF FAKE AND MANIPULATED INFORMATION.

Today, there is a huge influx of fake news, fake posts and too many manipulations which often incorrectly projects the true picture of the candidate. Basing decisions of hiring, without knowing the authenticity of the social media posts, can be a very dangerous approach to hiring. There are far too many incidents of hacking of social media pages and forums.

With the ever-increasing popularity of social media and the awareness by many candidates that companies and their hiring managers do refer to social media, many of those people make lots of effort to put across a very carefully, crafted image. In fact, some go to the extent of hiring professional advisors who help build a social media image. And if you feel that might that be the case, reliance on social media postings may not always be the right approach. So as they say, buyer beware.

DON’T READ TOO MUCH INTO THE POSTINGS OF THE CANDIDATE.

Although it seems strange that people post very intimate and personal information on social media platforms, should you bring it into the discussion, candidates often feel offended and believe that your organization has a culture or tendency to pry into the personal lives of its employees. So be careful, certain references to one’s social media presence can be a tricky area to navigate.

Keep in mind that there are many individuals and organizations who believe that one’s social media absence is the better choice than having a social media presence.

One last thought:

Not all organizations or experts believe in social media as that important an item in the overall reference checking methodology. Perhaps it should be considered as just one additional way to professionally reference and background check a potential candidate. It’s up to you and your organization to decide.

Related: Social Media Use In Hiring: Assessing The Risks.