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With so many candidates out there, and you want to believe everything written on their cover letters and resumes, but you may want to get a more complete picture. Enter the wide world of social media. Nearly every candidate has some sort of connection with social media, be it Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Instagram or some combination thereof. Employers using social media to screen candidates has gone up 500 percent within the last 10 years, should you follow their lead?

 

  • Social media gives you insight into candidates’ professionalism.

Employers have chosen not to hire candidates who decide to put all of their thoughts and habits online, including drug use, provocative images/videos/information, discriminatory comments, bad-mouthing a previous company, or poor communication skills. It’s perfectly reasonable to look into anything a candidate posts publicly online … and anyone who has a job or wants one should know this and deal with any fallout.

 

  • Social media gives you a more complete view of the candidate.

If you want a holistic picture of a candidate outside the confines of an interview or resume, look at their social media posts. Culture has a great deal to do with hiring – the “fit” of a candidate goes a long way toward whether they’ll do well and become part of the team, and you may also find out something interesting that didn’t make it onto the resume, such as their volunteering at homeless shelters or love of art history.

 

  • Make your search broad.

To get a full picture, start with their LinkedIn profile to see if they have cultivated a professional persona. You may also see whether you have connections in common, which is always good for networking. If they have a personal website, you’ll want to check out how they present themselves, as well. Look at any Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram account to see what they focus on: Do they have certain interests they post about frequently? Are they well rounded? Good communicators?

Social media encompasses so much of our lives, it only makes sense to screen candidates this way as well. To find your next well-vetted candidate, visit PrideStaff.

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