Do you research your job candidates online before calling them in for an interview? While the exact numbers vary from survey to survey, most agree on the fact that a majority of companies are using Google to help screen their candidates. Are you? Here’s how to get started:
What to search for.
If you’re researching a candidate with a common name, try making your job easier by adding a location, a school that you know he or she attended, or a company where he or she works or has worked in the past. Sometimes people will use their middle initial to help distinguish themselves, so you can also try a search including it if you’re still coming up with too many irrelevant results. Once you’ve found someone’s social network pages, you can also try to search with the username they’ve chosen, which can be found in the URL of the page.
What to do next.
Once you’ve located the correct person, divide your results into personal and professional. LinkedIn is probably the most common professional page that you’ll come across, but if you’re dealing with a creative type, there may be a blog or a website with samples of the candidate’s work and current projects. This is where you want to spend the majority of your time, as the information there will be the most relevant to the actual job. Personal pages like Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest, may give you a glimpse into someone’s personality or warn you of any major red flags, but ultimately won’t tell you much about how someone will perform in your office.
But be careful.
There is a bit of a grey area when you use search engine to research candidates. Because there’s such a wealth of personal information involved in someone’s online presence, seeking it out can potentially open you up to discrimination lawsuits, whether or not you make a hiring decision based on what you uncover. It can be hard for a job candidate to prove discrimination, but there is some degree of risk involved. To protect yourself, develop a consistent strategy, and treat each candidate in the same way.
Why not leave hiring to the experts? Get in touch with one of our recruiting specialists at Burnett’s Staffing today. We source and vet job candidates for you, leaving you with more time for your business and more money in your hiring budget. Contact us now to get started!