MySpace and Facebook = The New Background Check?

Jasmine Flowers May 22, 2007

As I was browsing through some of the latest news on CNN.com a story caught my attention about a student being stripped of her degree only a few days before graduation all because of a picture and a caption she posted on her MySpace page.  

I am beginning to here stories like this one more and more as companies are catching on to the MySpace and Facebook craze.  These social networking sites that companies have begun to use as vehicles to attract, recruit, and network with Millennial candidates are now being used as pseudo-background checks and indicators to a candidates character.  In many ways, this is crossing the line of a candidate’s personal space by factoring these pages as valid input to a candidate’s profile.  I have both a MySpace and Facebook account and I use it to keep in touch with my friends through pictures, wall posts, and notes. It is quite infuriating to know that a MySpace or Facebook appropriate picture or caption could be misconstrued and used against me in a business environment in which it was not intended.  Since when are profiles on social networking sites such as Myspace and Facebook meant to be online resumes? 

Are venues like MySpace and Facebook valid resources to determine a person’s character, ethics, professionalism, or their ability to perform exceptionally? Absolutely not. However, given the access that companies, schools, etc. have to the information posted on the internet, candidates must take caution and better sensor the information that they post as it is accessible to many and can be considered a reflection of their character. It is also the responsibility of HR and recruiting departments to appropriately judge the information that they see on these sites and remember that in most cases it is not a reflection of job performance or a candidate’s character, and should not be taken as such. 

So, for my fellow MySpace and Facebookers, in this day in age be conscious that the information you put on these sites is accessible to anyone and can impact how you are perceived professionally. At the end of the day, you are responsible for what you make publically available. Don’t let a simple social networking site outshine the tangible data: your breadth of professional experiences, your seasoned interview skills, your historically high performance, and your credible background and references.

Posted in Human Resources Analytics, Recruiting, Recruiting Consulting, Sourcing