近年来， 越来越多的雇主开始进行“社交媒体背景调查”。 大多数背景调查过程侧重于犯罪记录、教育证书或过去的工作经历，而社交媒体背景调查侧重于候选人的在线行为。通常，进行社交媒体背景调查的雇主会搜索 Facebook、Twitter、LinkedIn 和其他在线个人资料试图更好地了解求职者是谁。
在某些情况下，社交媒体背景调查可以成为了解求职者更多信息或与他们建立联系的诚实方式。例如，LinkedIn 是一个社交媒体网络，旨在连接专业人士和潜在雇主。公司经常使用 LinkedIn 来招聘候选人或找到更多关于他们的信息，而不是从一页简历中收集到的信息。
雇主有理由希望看到候选人的 Facebook 或 Twitter。某人在社交媒体上发帖的方式通常反映了他们真实性格和举止的某些方面。在 Facebook 上诋毁他们的老板、发布色情照片、谈论吸毒或过度饮酒、撰写攻击性推文或在网上行为可疑的候选人 有时会遇到潜在雇主进行社交媒体背景调查的问题。如果有人在网上亵渎、冒犯或粗鲁，了解这些信息可能是雇主重新考虑可能是有害雇用的有效手段。
除了潜在的好处之外，这种类型的审查还存在很大的问题。 我们学习中心的这篇文章 解释了为什么雇主应该在背景调查过程中避免使用社交媒体。原因包括误报或漏报问题（在社交媒体上找到合适的人并不总是那么容易）到非法（一些州禁止雇主要求申请人分享他们的社交媒体用户名）。
跳过社交媒体背景调查的最大原因之一是歧视风险。Facebook 个人资料通常会透露招聘经理不应该知道的某个人的详细信息，例如种族、性别认同、性取向或政治派别。查看一个人的社交媒体资料可能会影响招聘经理做出公正招聘决定的能力，从而为歧视诉讼打开大门。
仅仅因为社交媒体近年来已成为背景调查工具，并不意味着雇主应该在审查过程中使用它。在 LinkedIn 上招聘和建立人脉是一回事；窥探一个人的个人 Facebook 页面是另一回事。大多数人使用 LinkedIn 来建立面向专业人士的个人资料。Facebook 和其他社交网站的个人资料旨在更加私密和个人化——不一定是私密的，而是供朋友和家人而不是雇主看到的。雇主应尊重这些界限，并避免在招聘过程中使用社交媒体背景调查。
more employers have started conducting "social media background checks.” Where most background check processes focus on criminal history, educational credentials, or past work history, social media background checks focus on what a candidate does online. Typically, employers undertaking social media background checks will search Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other online profiles to try to get a better sense of who a job candidate is.
In some cases, social media background checks can be an honest means of learning more about job candidates or networking with them. LinkedIn, for instance, is a social media network that exists to connect professionals and prospective employers. Companies often use LinkedIn to recruit candidates or to find out more information about them than they can glean from a one-page resume.
Employers have their reasons for wanting to see a candidate’s Facebook or Twitter. How someone posts on social media is often reflective of some aspects of their true character and demeanor. Candidates who badmouth their bosses on Facebook, post racy photos, talk about drug use or excessive alcohol use, compose offensive tweets, or behave questionably online can sometimes run into issues with prospective employers conducting social media background checks. If someone is profane, offensive, or rude online, learning this information can be an effective means for employers to re-consider what could be a toxic hire.
Beyond the potential benefits, there are big problems with this type of vetting. This article from our Learning Center explains why employers should avoid using social media during the background check process. The reasons range from problems with false positives or false negatives (it’s not always easy to find the right person on social media) to illegality (some states bar employers from requiring applicants to share their social media usernames).
One of the biggest reasons to skip the social media background check is the risk of discrimination. Facebook profiles often reveal details about a person that hiring managers aren’t supposed to know, such as race, gender identification, sexual orientation, or political affiliation. Looking at a person’s social media profiles can compromise a hiring manager’s ability to make an unbiased hiring decision, opening the door for discrimination lawsuits.
Just because social media has become a background check tool in recent years does not mean that employers should use it in the vetting process. Recruiting and networking on LinkedIn is one thing; snooping around on a person’s personal Facebook page is another. Most people use LinkedIn to put up a professional-facing profile. Facebook and other social site profiles are meant to be more intimate and personal—not necessarily private but intended for the eyes of friends and family members, not employers. Employers should respect these boundaries and refrain from using social media background checks in their hiring processes.
