Hiring and Social Networking Sites

There's a fascinating conversation going on in the Human Resources community about websites like MySpace and Facebook. People are debating whether or not hiring authorities should visit the social networking pages of their potential employees. It seems like a great way to get information on a prospective hire; a natural, 21st century derivative of background and reference checks. My general feeling is that it is best to wait until the job offer has been extended (or not) and accepted (or not) before visiting someone on one of these sites . You may want to see a candidate's domain out of simple curiosity, but that innocent interest can open a can of equal opportunity worms. Remember, those sites often list the age, religion, and sexual orientation of their members; and that's all information that people making hiring decisions aren't allowed to consider. Even if none of those demographics factor into the decision not to hire, if the wrong person knows you know, you may be liable.

So you've been warned. But if you just have to check someone's site before making an offer of employment, keep a couple of things in mind. First, respect the privacy of the individual in question. Privacy? This guy has information and pictures published on a website for the consumption of his 1,643 friends and the general public. That is true, and as long as you don't create a false identity to access the page, surfing the Net is hardly an invasion of privacy. But in general, whether or not the person ends up as a hire, it's unprofessional to say, "Hey Fred, did you see that young woman I just interviewed to be my assistant? I just found pictures from her last trip to the beach on her MySpace. I'll forward you the link...."

Also, if you must look, be sure to take what you find with a grain of salt. Just because you discovered that a person has an obsession with buterflies, kayaking, or 50 Cent doesn't mean that he or she will be a poor performer on the job. Conducting a quality, in-person interview and speaking with a former employer or three is still a great way to learn enough to make a smart decision. Besides, if your boss had access to all that personal info on you, you may not have a job yourself.