Effects of Social Media & Background Checks on the HR Profession
John T. Watson
University of Nebraska at Kearney
Abstract
Social Media and background checks, in what ways does it affect the HR profession? There are many positives, negatives, and questions that come to mind when thinking about checking someone’s background and Social Media. Is checking someone’s personal information on a social media website unconstitutional? In the eyes of an HR rep, should a person be denied a job opportunity simply because they have something inappropriate or, something that doesn’t fit the criteria of that certain company? If an employee puts something inappropriate on a social media website, should that employee …show more content…
Utilizing these websites can help with the growth of a business, by advertising and employee to customer interaction. The affects Social Media and background checks have are both positive and negative. It is just how companies and people decide to use them.
Keywords: Social Media, HR (Human Resources)
Impact of Social Media & Background Checks on the HR Profession
Positives of Social Media for HR representatives
Since the recent boom of the usage of Social Medias, HR representatives are faced with many challenges to stay up to date and use these social media websites to the business or companies advantage. Their have been many studies to show if Social Media is a positive or negative tool to use. One of which is a study in 2012 by Jessica Miller-Merrel, (Miller-Merrel, J. (2012, March 20). How Social Media Changes HR | Human Resources and Social Media | SmartRecruiters Blog. Retrieved September 17, 2014.), says “Social Media is one of the biggest shifts in thinking and also communication since the Industrial Revolution”. (Merrel 2012) Merrel came up with the conclusion that “ Social Media changes Human Resources in three fundamental areas. These three areas are: Employee Communication, The Voices of the Employee, and lastly Employee Branding”. Merrel described Employee Communication as a “huge upside” (Merrel …show more content…
(Prywes, D. (2014, February 3). Be Careful What You Say Online. Retrieved September 17, 2014, from jobsearch.about.com) Dan Prywes a job research analyzer says “ You must use and think about many things when using a social media website”. (Prywes 2014) Mr. Prywes has 5 tips to help with Social Media. (Prywes 2014) Number one is to post smart, which means think before you post and don’t take a chance on jeopardizing your job. The second is keep your information confidential, don’t disclose information about your employer or other employees online. Third, Be intelligent. Do not send your resume around from work to work. The fourth tip is to be prepared for the consequences if you do post something that is confidential or inappropriate. And Lastly, think before you post because normally once you post something online it is out there, for forever and it is very hard to get rid of it. (Prywes
John T. Watson
University of Nebraska at Kearney
Abstract
Social Media and background checks, in what ways does it affect the HR profession? There are many positives, negatives, and questions that come to mind when thinking about checking someone’s background and Social Media. Is checking someone’s personal information on a social media website unconstitutional? In the eyes of an HR rep, should a person be denied a job opportunity simply because they have something inappropriate or, something that doesn’t fit the criteria of that certain company? If an employee puts something inappropriate on a social media website, should that employee …show more content…
Utilizing these websites can help with the growth of a business, by advertising and employee to customer interaction. The affects Social Media and background checks have are both positive and negative. It is just how companies and people decide to use them.
Keywords: Social Media, HR (Human Resources)
Impact of Social Media & Background Checks on the HR Profession
Positives of Social Media for HR representatives
Since the recent boom of the usage of Social Medias, HR representatives are faced with many challenges to stay up to date and use these social media websites to the business or companies advantage. Their have been many studies to show if Social Media is a positive or negative tool to use. One of which is a study in 2012 by Jessica Miller-Merrel, (Miller-Merrel, J. (2012, March 20). How Social Media Changes HR | Human Resources and Social Media | SmartRecruiters Blog. Retrieved September 17, 2014.), says “Social Media is one of the biggest shifts in thinking and also communication since the Industrial Revolution”. (Merrel 2012) Merrel came up with the conclusion that “ Social Media changes Human Resources in three fundamental areas. These three areas are: Employee Communication, The Voices of the Employee, and lastly Employee Branding”. Merrel described Employee Communication as a “huge upside” (Merrel …show more content…
(Prywes, D. (2014, February 3). Be Careful What You Say Online. Retrieved September 17, 2014, from jobsearch.about.com) Dan Prywes a job research analyzer says “ You must use and think about many things when using a social media website”. (Prywes 2014) Mr. Prywes has 5 tips to help with Social Media. (Prywes 2014) Number one is to post smart, which means think before you post and don’t take a chance on jeopardizing your job. The second is keep your information confidential, don’t disclose information about your employer or other employees online. Third, Be intelligent. Do not send your resume around from work to work. The fourth tip is to be prepared for the consequences if you do post something that is confidential or inappropriate. And Lastly, think before you post because normally once you post something online it is out there, for forever and it is very hard to get rid of it. (Prywes