The EEOC Hears Concerns About Social Media and Hiring
Kathryn Barcroft of Cohen & Gresser and Barrie Dnistrian of The Weinstein Law Firm write: As recent cases demonstrate, and as the EEOC reiterated in a press release, "the EEO laws do not expressly permit or prohibit use of specified technologies.... The key question...is how the selection tools are used."
March 09, 2015 at 12:48 AM
14 minute read
Less than a decade ago, employers large and small would typically evaluate and hire potential employees on the basis of some fairly standard assessment tools: job applications and/or resumes; in-person interviews; personal and professional references; and transcripts or test scores.
Depending on the sensitive nature of the job opportunity, an employer might have dug deeper into an applicant's background; a criminal background and/or credit check could aid the employers in deciding whether the new employee at the till, supervising small children or inputting confidential medical data, was indeed trustworthy.
Today, however, employers have an additional source of information at their disposal thanks to the advent and prolific use of social media by prospective employees.1 Popular social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn, among others, can provide an employer with a unique and very clear peephole into the personal life of an applicant that might otherwise appear perfect “on paper.” Because a qualified job candidate may not have considered his future job prospects when he posted lewd Mardi Gras photos back in 2009, or took to Twitter to rail against President Obama in 2012, a quick check of social media by a recruitment manager could sink an otherwise certain offer of employment.
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
Trending Stories
- 1The Law Firm Disrupted: For Big Law Names, Shorter is Sweeter
- 2Wine, Dine and Grind (Through the Weekend): Summer Associates Thirst For Experience in 'Real Matters'
- 3The 'Biden Effect' on Senior Attorneys: Should I Stay or Should I Go?
- 4BD Settles Thousands of Bard Hernia Mesh Lawsuits
- 5First Lawsuit Filed Alleging Contraceptive Depo-Provera Caused Brain Tumor
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250