In Parts One and Two of the series, Les Rosen discussed statistics from various surveys and news articles, and some of the legal implications of the increased use of social networking sites to screen candidates.

What’s REAL on the Internet?

How do you know what is “real” on the Internet? How do you know that the “name” you found is your applicant? You don’t. With more than 300 million Americans today, most of us have “computer twins” (i.e. people with our names and even a similar date of birth). There is also the question of how a recruiter even knows for sure the applicant actually wrote the item or authorized its posting?

There are anecdotes on the Internet of false postings under another person’s name – a sort of “cyber identity theft.” If anonymous information is posted, such as in a chat room, there is the new phenomena of Cyperslamming, where a person can commit defamation without anyone knowing who they are.

What are the lessons for employers and recruiters?

1. Using the Internet to screen candidates is not risk-free, especially when it comes to social networking sites.
2. There are no legal cases yet, but news travels fast on the web, and employers who rely overly much upon social networking sites may find that job applicants are not as eager to look at their firm.
3. If an employer or recruiter uses the internet, they should first consult their attorney in order to develop a written policy and a fair and non-discriminatory procedures.
4. For legal protection, employers should considering obtaining consent so that applicants are on notice that their web persona is fair game. Employers should not use any fake identities or engage in “pretexting” to gain access to information.
5. The most conservative approach is to perform an internet search AFTER there is consent and a job offer is made contingent upon completion of a background check that is satisfactory to the employer.