Why consider checking a job applicant’s social media channels?

Simply put, it can be an additional but important step in the recruiting workflow to help further protect your company brand and the safety of your workforce from toxic behavior. The actions of “One bad apple” have the potential to negatively impact not just the well-being of your employees, but also your company’s reputation. We all have horror stories of off-color conversations and inappropriate harassment from problem employees that unchecked, would have likely risked the loss of top talent.

For better or worse, it stands to reason that an applicant’s digital presence can often provide a pretty complete picture of their character. Information found throughout social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) can also help you determine whether they would be a right fit for your company. This doesn’t mean that a Social Media Check eliminates all risk. But in general, and as part of an overall recruiting effort, a Social Media Check is a valuable—and compliant—tool to help you minimize the risk of a toxic workplace.

How does a Social Media Check work?

The Configuration
Social Media Checks are designed to save hours of manually scouring an applicant’s online presence by instead utilizing a proven AI system to return accurate information in a fraction of the time. During your specific account setup, we’ll work closely with you to implement flags for specific risk behaviors that are important for your company to identify:

• Drug and Alcohol Use
• Explicit Sexual Content
• Violence and Bullying
• Racism and Hate Speech
• Profanity

The Request
Submitting applicants for a Social Media Check is as easy as providing A-Check with name, date of birth, and additional information securely within A-Check Direct or via an A-Check integration with your existing ATS.

The Search
Within 24-72 hours, AI software builds a comprehensive online profile of your applicant, while experienced investigators verify the applicant identity and review 100% of all flagged content returned during the automated search.

The Report
Your report is available for review within your applicant’s screening file in A-Check Direct. You’ll have an opportunity to review a listing of the social sites searched and examples of negative content.

But are Social Media Checks Legal? Yes, they are.

Yes, compliant Social Media Checks are legal. That said, employers should rely on a reputable third-party partner—like A-Check—for assistance. Our Social Media Checks are performed with a focus on compliance. Simply put, we work to redact protected class information you should not see when making hiring decisions: race, gender, age, religion, disabilities, etc. You’ll have the behavior-related information you need when considering applicants, while also being removed from protected information that would be impossible to “un-see.”

Have questions about A-Check’s Social Media Check? We’d love to help and welcome your call or email.