How to Screen an Applicant via Social Media

Working in the HR department can sometimes become very stressful. Facing a variety of people with different personalities can give someone a headache, and it would sometimes result in a very difficult situation for the company. If multiple applicants are highlighting the best resumes, and they are competing for a single position, it is up to the executives who they wanted to choose. But sometimes, they are being overwhelmed by the positive content of an applicant’s resume, without further analyzing their behavior, which would later become problematic once an individual enters the company. There are many instances that companies have hired persons who do not really deserve the job. They were hired just because of what they have written on their resumes. To rectify this problem, some companies are using the method wherein they would also be checking an applicant’s social media account to do background checking.

Social media screening is one of the newest concepts in the corporate world. Since almost everyone, especially in the United States, has a social media account, companies have used their resources to check what an applicant posts or shares, and what the overall profile says about the person. What happens is that whenever a person submits their resume at a company’s HR department, the HR personnel would forward the application to a special team inside the HR department which would do the background checking. Some companies are using the information given by an applicant in order for him or her to be searched through social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Once a profile matched, these are carefully analyzed by the HR department. They are looking for photos or posts that can be viewed publicly which would say something about the applicant. Also, based on what they are posting online, the HR department can formulate a decision whether to hire them or not. The executives are also briefed about the information being found online. Even the most qualified candidate can fail when screened using their social media accounts, just because of what they post and share publicly. However, on the side of the company, screening someone’s social media traces would help them identify who really deserves the job. For most companies, a person’s attitude is more important than their personal achievements.

With social media screening slowly getting a trend among businesses and enterprises, one must be careful on what they post or share. Everyone thinks that posting or sharing something is their right, but they must be careful because what they are doing in cyberspace might affect their careers. It is also important to take note that whenever an individual uses his or her social media account, it is better to tag all posts private or seen by friends only, and not share them publicly.

FAMA is a company focusing on background checking through the use of social media. They are using a special tool that has an algorithm which manages to analyze different identities online. People working at human resource departments in several companies are calling the tool from FAMA as a breakthrough, and it managed to make their jobs easier in profiling candidates. FAMA can help a company identify the personality of an applicant through checking their online presence. It has been regarded as one of the best startups because of their unique concept, and more companies are choosing their method in order to save time in identifying the best candidates.