62.6% of the world’s population, i.e. 5.07 billion people became social media users at the start of April 2024, says the team at Kepios! Meanwhile, data from GWI reveals that the typical social media user actively uses or visits an average of 6.7 different social platforms each month, and spends an average of 2 hours 20 minutes per day using social media!

This analysis clearly indicates the growing influence of social media on our daily lives. Given the amount of time the average user spends on social media, a person's social media profile is a clear indicator of his/her lifestyle, inclinations and preferences. It’s no wonder that businesses may want to check a potential employee’s social media history to see if any red flags may cast doubt on their application. 

Index What is a social media background check? Why is it essential to run a social media background check before hiring? Process of social media background check How background checks impact employment decision Conclusion F.A.Qs

What is a social media background check? 

A social media background check is a part of a pre-employment background check. It is a thorough examination of a person’s social media history, looking for negative behaviours that may be indicated by posts, likes, or comments. This may help give employers an indication of the personality or character of potential employees. These negative behaviours include bullying, racism, extremist religious or political views, excessive foul language to mention a few.

In addition to analysing a person’s social media accounts, a social media background check also looks into associations or groups to which they may be affiliated. Someone may post infrequently and have a relatively clean posting history, but this may only tell part of a story. If they are members of a group or frequently liked pages associated with problematic content or ideas, such as supremacist or fundamentalist groups, this may indicate a number of factors that could influence a job offer. The information found on social media can confirm details on a candidate’s application and real new insights about how they conduct themselves.

Why is it essential to run a social media background check before hiring? 

Employers use social media background checks to learn about a candidate as a person, how they conduct themselves in public, and any comments they have made regarding their professional journey. This can provide a holistic view for the employers indicating how the candidate will fit into their company’s workplace culture. Moreover, social media background checks are more relevant in some job positions than others, especially those that deal with the public and directly represent the company in comparison to the back-end staff that do not associate their name with the employers.

The risks it can detect include

 

There are several reasons social media screening may be important:

• Vetting culture fit
  A person’s social media profile allows us to learn about their values, goals, and personality through their posts and comments. This equips the hiring team to get a sense of how these potential employees could contribute to the company culture. A social media background check can ensure that applicants uphold the company’s mission even when they are not on the clock. 
  
  
• Identifying warning signs
  Hiring a person linked to a proscribed organization or hate group may not only damage the reputation of a business but may also open it up to potential litigation, corruption, or fraud. On a more personal level, it’s easy for someone to hide prejudicial views in an interview, but such thoughts may be more obvious in their posting history on social networking sites. Hiring a person with prejudicial views can be disruptive, or worse, to the workplace. Such views could lead to interpersonal clashes between staff or with customers. Also, social media background checks can reveal if candidates were dishonest during their application or have any potentially damaging information posted online, assisting the recruiting team in making informed hiring decisions.
  
  
• Protecting your company’s image: 
  Social media history also indicates that someone has a history of inappropriately sharing privileged information about a workplace or third party, helping to protect the integrity of the business. If a company has a prominent image, they may need to have high standards when it comes to their employees’ public image, including their public posts online. Employees who make offensive or concerning posts on social media may be traced back to their employer and cause bad publicity. 
  
  

Process of social media background check 

There are two broad approaches when it comes to social media background checks; one is to opt for a DIY method. The temptation for many recruiters is to simply dash to an applicant’s social media accounts and begin scanning for information. After all, given that the information is readily available, why not look it up yourself? However, this DIY approach is risky because ‘googling’ applications could breach legislation and random results won't give a complete picture of an individual, ultimately missing out on the benefits of professional social media checks. 

Another approach is to contact a professional background screening service, like Check Xperts whose trained team has been using sophisticated checks with machine learning and natural language processing to flag specific risk factors. The Check Xperts procedure is designed to remain compliant with legislation and HR guidelines.  

The process of a professional social media screening involves four key steps:   

1. Step one- The search 
   The social media screening process begins with the utilization of proprietary automated software, which plays an important role in conducting a comprehensive search. Using its artificial intelligence, it delves deeper into the digital footprint of a candidate through different social media platforms. However, it is important to understand that it can only search for publicly available information and not private accounts. Once, accounts are found it's time to move to the next step. 
   
   
2. Step two- Establishing an identity match 
   After finding relevant accounts, a match has to be made for the particular candidate, this is a crucial step as attributing negative social media accounts to a candidate or employee can be damaging for the company. Typically, the process relies on the use of three identifiers for precise identification, which is email address, first and last name, and date of birth. The analysts also go beyond these identifiers, considering contextual information such as age and location to refine the matching process. This attention to detail is critical in excluding false matches and enhancing the accuracy of the reports. 
   
   
3. Step three- Reviewing the content 
   Once the match happens, the third phase of the social media screening process involves a meticulous review of publicly available information posted by the candidate. The social media analysts review each piece of content to assess its relevance and implications about the content. It's important to remember that any content older than seven years is considered obsolete and not factored into assessments. 
   
   
4. Step four- Reporting content 
   In the final phase of the screening, a comprehensive report is presented by the hired company including all the findings of the process. 
   
   

How background checks impact employment decision 

Pre-employment background checks are an important part of the hiring process. These checks can verify someone's work history, experience, and education; uncover resume lies or omissions; and reveal a criminal history. Conducting employment background checks helps you make smarter hiring decisions, but it's important your background check process is consistent, legal, and fair. 

Including social media background checks in pre-employment background checks can help uncover areas of potential misconduct or criminal activity that may have been missed by traditional background checks, as well as providing insight into a potential employee’s online presence. By properly vetting social media sources – through technology - and staying compliant with relevant laws, employers can use social media as an additional tool to make more informed hiring decisions. 

Conclusion

Due to the amount of time people spend on social media, and the information that is shared on a daily basis, social media background checks are becoming more and more common. Employers are recommended to leverage a third party for social media screening purposes and to assist them in making an informed decision.  

Check Xperts in Pakistan can help with thorough social media background  searches of your candidate to ensure that you have a safe hire. Their AI-based program analyzes posts and images across 12 risk categories using machine language and natural language processing to flag specific risk factors. Schedule a call with an expert to get comprehensive background check services customized to meet your screening needs. 

F.A.Qs

1. Do companies check my social media before hiring?
   Many companies conduct social media background checks to gain insights into a candidate’s personality, behavior, and potential red flags that might not be evident from resumes or interviews. They often look for posts, comments, and affiliations that align or conflict with their corporate values and culture.
   
   
2.  What can they find about me from social media?
   Employers can discover various aspects of your online presence, such as your public posts, comments, likes, and groups you follow, which may reveal your personal views, interests, and interactions. They can also identify any inappropriate or offensive content, affiliations with controversial groups, and overall online conduct.
   
   
3. Can an employer reject a candidate based on a social media background check?
   An employer can reject a candidate if they find content on social media that suggests a poor fit with the company’s values, or indicates unprofessional behavior, dishonesty, or affiliations with inappropriate groups. However, any decision based on social media checks should comply with employment laws and be consistently applied to all candidates to avoid discrimination.