Social Media Policy

With breathtaking speed, social media has exploded into the preferred recruiting and screening method for many employers. National surveys say 73 percent of HR and recruiting professionals now rely on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and corporate blogs to identify, approach, and check out candidates for job openings.

Why? The social media approach is cheap, it’s easy to use, and it offers both a huge audience of job seekers and the tools to sort through them quickly and efficiently.

But, there are enormous hidden risks for employers. From violations of discrimination and privacy laws to reliance on the notoriously unreliable information that pops up on social media sites. If you’re not prepared to recognize and avoid the potential pitfalls, you could be hit with legal issues.

Evans Media Group can help guide you through the best practices for using social media sites to recruit and screen applicants. We can develop a social media policy that fits into your company culture as well as be your resource for:

• The latest updates on how employers around the country are using social media sites and tools to identify and vet new workers
• Which federal and state laws come into play when you use Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social media to make employment decisions
• What information you must disclose to applicants when you use social media to screen them
• How to proceed safely if you discover potentially negative information on the Internet about an applicant
• The dangers of relying on social media data about an applicant that may prove later to be unreliable, completely false, or defamatory
• Other unique legal issues you’ll face when using social media for recruiting and screening (e.g. Could you face negligent hiring claims if you decide not to use these tools?)