The social media background check guidelines: Points recruiters have to understand.

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What is a social media background check and what are its key points? Let’s find out. Nowadays, especially that things are going digital, it’s safe to say that many of us get hooked on social media. More than a decade ago, we were restricted with only a few options on social media platforms. The users at that time were not as many as today’s users, too. Imagine, even your uncle who’s not so much into gadgets is probably a Facebook user. An introverted neighbor that you know is more likely to have a social media account as well.

Given the accessibility and convenience that social media brings, it’s no surprise that people are into it anymore. Regardless of their age, gender, and social status, almost everyone we know is a social media user. Some even go beyond just being a user and become a page owner, a vlogger, and an influencer, to name a few.

If you are a recruiter and you want to further filter the list of your applicants, visiting their social media pages is ideal to do. First, you get a glimpse of how they think and what their personality is like. Social media background checks are important so you can learn more about the job hunters trying to get into your organization.

Social media information about the job applicants may be easily available, but not all of them have their accounts set to the public. It is also important to understand that analyzing a candidate’s social media account must be ethically done.

What are social media background checks really?

Doing a thorough social media background check is not just merely reviewing the candidate’s posts, tweets, and videos. It is done to understand the job hunter on a more personal level. It is a good thing that many social media platforms give us details on a particular person’s networks. Professional alliances of that individual are often available as well. This is also an aspect of the check that helps recruiters decide if the person is culturally fit or not for the role.

Another purpose of doing social media inspections is to measure the social intelligence of the candidate. Aside from the necessary skills, of course, you’d want your future employee to be socially aware as well.

What are the social media platforms that are usually checked?

According to statistics, there are already more than 3.6 billion social media users as of 2020. The number of available platforms seems to rise as well—and it is something that is not shocking. Recruiters don’t have all the time in the world to check all platforms. However, the most popular ones are the usually inspected platforms.

Facebook. This platform took the world by storm a decade ago. This is where people can post, share, and react to something they have a particular interest in. Facebook also lets users connect to celebrities and other famous figures through pages. There are also relevant discussions that happen in groups. If the candidate has gone absolutely private on Facebook, at least recruiters will still be able to see their comments on various posts and thoughts posted on different Facebook groups.

Twitter. Twitter may be a less formal and more conversational version of Facebook. Users post tweets that are basically thoughts, blurbs, and random notes limited by the number of characters. This makes the posts on Twitter shorter and concise when compared to the posts on Facebook. Twitter trends are also a thing. Recruiters who want to take a peek at the candidate’s social awareness can rely on this platform.

Instagram. Oh, photos. Selfies, snaps of food, pictures of wonderful places, and more are all on Instagram. Aside from getting a glimpse of how creative the candidate is when it comes to curating his or her feed, recruiters can better know what the candidate is into recently or in the distant past. They can also check who the candidate is following, which can say something about his or her character and preferences.

LinkedIn. Since the recruiters are looking for a new member of the team, of course, they have to take a look at the candidate’s LinkedIn account. Here, they can check the employment history of the candidate. Several corporate posts can be found here as well. Perhaps, through this platform, they can view how the candidate is as a team player.

Given these notes, it’s also important to understand that not everything is in their social media accounts. Many candidates are particular about what they post as well.

What to look for in the background check?

It is not the profile photo, definitely. Kidding aside, when analyzing the social media accounts of the candidates, it helps that you have an initial list of trigger points that can hinder you from hiring a particular applicant. Make sure to add the following to your bullet points:

#1 Inappropriate company posts

An employee who tells a lot of inappropriate things about their employer and then posts them online is never a model colleague. One must always think before they post online. Whatever issue they have with their company, it is best to settle that in person with the proper parties involved.

#2 Illicit behavior

Although social media platforms give us the freedom to post whatever we want and say whatever we feel, what we post can still be a direct translation of our inner self and thoughts. It is never appealing to post something on LinkedIn with a curse on the caption. Also, it is way inappropriate to start a hoax on Facebook or Twitter. This is a reminder as well that we should be responsible for social media users.

#3 Offensive and hateful posts

Hateful words and phrases will always leave a bad impression. Regardless of the reason, there is always a better way to tackle things. Leaving it up to social media and ranting there all day will not do any good.

Doing social media checks yourself can be time-consuming, tiring, and expensive. If you want to veer away from the hassle of doing it, hiring experts on social media background checks can do the trick. Globeia is committed to doing social media inspections as efficiently and effectively as possible. After conducting the check, you can be sure to receive detailed and accurate reports about the applicants that you are targeting.

We encourage you to contact us today if you want to get started. We’ll answer any question you might have and even help you gain more insights on why social media background checks matter. We’re excited to talk to you soon!

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