Given the fact that many companies have chosen to ban employees from using social networking tools such as Facebook during office hours, it seems ironic that many of them appear to be using such tools themselves to dig up potential dirt on prospective employees. Known as cyber vetting the practice is becoming increasingly popular among employers who want to screen out unsuitable candidates.
Says Debbie Goodman-Bhyat, MD of Jack Hammer Executive Headhunters, “In a recent poll of 500 employers in the UK, two-thirds admitted to regularly carrying out Internet searches, including searches of social networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook and YouTube.” An even larger poll carried out by social networking site Viadeo suggested that one organisation in five carries out such checks – and that a quarter of those that did had rejected applicants as a result. Goodman-Bhyat adds that South African companies are following these trends.
Screening with online tools
The most popular sites used are Facebook, MySpace and Google and Goodman-Bhyat explains why companies are finding cyber vetting a useful tool: “Prior to approaching potential candidates (as we do when headhunting), one can do a fair amount of information gathering and screening using online tools – this arms one with some basic information as to whether an individual might suit a certain role from a skills and experience point of view. It might also provide insight into an individual’s social network, community involvement, hobbies and interests and other non-professional or related activities.”
What about the ethics of such a practice?
There are those who maintain that the information people put on social networking sites is willingly placed in the public domain and therefore ‘fair game’ for anyone wishing to look for it. Others argue that people use social networking sites in their non-professional time and that companies have no right to snoop around in what is effectively ‘private’ space.
Goodman-Bhyat points out, “Often, people are quite different in their professional and private/social lives. The one does not necessarily affect or impact upon the other.” However, she adds that the latest online social networking sites provide access to people’s non-professional lives that may negatively affect perceptions of the professional persona. “For example, there could be indications of alcohol abuse, a lack of respect for one’s job or colleagues, or other evidence that a candidate may be involved in activities that do not fit ethically with the hiring company,” she adds.
With the tools and information being freely available, cyber vetting is likely to increase. But, ethical arguments aside, while employers might find it a useful tool, it should be used with some level of circumspection and should never replace a thorough candidate review process. “As headhunters we gauge the qualities of a candidate through vigorous interviewing and reference checking, the results of which, combined with the candidates’ experience, personality and work ethic, will determine whether they will be included in the shortlist we supply our client”, concludes Goodman-Bhyat.