Social Networking in Background Investigations

Alliance Worldwide Investigative Group, Inc. - www.allianceinvestigative.com

How is your organization using Social Networking to conduct background investigations?

There has been an increase in the number of employers using Social Networking as a tool utilized to screen candidates. While there may be some debate concerning the coorelation of the information developed to the job function, employers should be extremely cautious when implementing such practices for reasons beyond just the use of the information. While employers must be cautious and take intro consideration the federal/state laws governing use of said information; including avoiding discriminatory practices, as critical or possibly more troublesome could be the validity of the information that is posted.

As we look around, there are several social networking sites, including but not limited to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and more; all of which are sources for employers to gather information. The issue at hand aside from the legal ramifications of using the information is how the information posted has been verified to be accurate? Many employers are not aware that there are no means to verify information posted on social networking sites, and most information posted has no verification process. Furthermore, information of any type may be posted by anyone with no credentialing requirements.


For more information or to discuss how to use Social Networking in your candidate screening process effectively, contact us at sales@allianceinvestigative.com.