Spoiler alert! Your online presence is now as crucial to your job search as your resume. What you share on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X, Threads, or TikTok speaks volumes about your personality and professional potential. A quick online search reveals that a substantial number of employers routinely use a social media background check to screen job candidates.
Employers look beyond your qualifications; they analyze how you present yourself to the world. Your posts, comments, and shares can significantly influence hiring decisions. They can either highlight your professional engagement and personal achievements or raise red flags if deemed unprofessional.
Before you panic about that post from last summer’s beach party and consider drastic measures like deleting your entire social media presence, take a deep breath, and keep on reading. By the end of this article, you’ll know exactly how to leverage your online presence and ensure it won’t jeopardize your career.
What Is a Social Media Background Check?
A social media background check involves reviewing a candidate's online presence to gain insights into their behavior and personality beyond the formal resume. Unlike traditional background checks – which typically focus on verifying tangible information like employment history, education, criminal records, and credit scores – social media screenings are less about verifying factual data and more about understanding an individual’s public persona and social behavior.
What Is the Purpose of a Social Media Background Check?
We know the answer to “Do employers look at social media?” is “Yes” in most cases, and now it’s time to explain the main reasons why. Employers conduct social media checks not just to find potential red flags but also to ensure that a candidate’s personal brand aligns with the company’s values. These checks can reveal insights into a person’s professionalism, how they might fit into the corporate culture, and their potential to impact the workplace positively or negatively.
Why and How Do Employers Conduct Social Media Background Checks?
Typically, employers look at platforms where professional and personal content intersect, such as X and Facebook. They might glance at Instagram, TikTok, or other smaller and niche social media, depending on the nature of the job and industry.
If well-executed, the process involves more than just a cursory glance at your profile. It can include a deep dive into comments, likes, and shared posts. Social media screening for employment can be conducted by either in-house HR teams or through third-party services specializing in digital background checks.
How Deep and Far Back Does a Social Media Background Check Go?
The depth of a social media screening for employment can vary widely. Some employers might only look at publicly accessible content, while others could use more advanced tools that aggregate data from various online sources, piecing together a comprehensive digital profile.
As for how far these checks go, it generally depends on the platform and the availability of the posts. Older posts can sometimes be harder to access due to privacy settings or the transient nature of some content (like Instagram stories or Snapchat posts).
Can Background Checks See Private Social Media?
Regarding private accounts, ethical and legal standards generally prevent employers from trying to access them. In most jurisdictions, it's illegal or against platform policies to circumvent privacy settings (like creating fake profiles to friend someone). Employers must respect privacy laws, which vary by country and sometimes even by state or province.
For instance, California's "Social Media Privacy Act" (California Labor Code Section 980) prohibits employers from asking job applicants or employees for their social media passwords or accessing their accounts indirectly. Similar laws exist in states like Illinois, Michigan, and Maryland, which all aim to protect the privacy of individuals' social media accounts from employer scrutiny.
Social Media Missteps: Red Flags Employers Watch For
When scrolling through a potential candidate's social media, employers are on the lookout for certain "red flags" that could indicate problematic behaviors or poor fit with company culture. Here are the most common social media pitfalls that employers look for when performing a social media background check – avoid them at all cost:
- Inappropriate content. This includes posts that are sexually explicit, excessively vulgar, or involve illegal activities. Such content can suggest a lack of professionalism or poor judgment.
- Discriminatory comments. Posts that exhibit racism, sexism, hom*ophobia, or other forms of discrimination are serious red flags. These behaviors not only reflect poorly on the individual but also pose a risk to the harmony and legality of workplace interactions.
- Bad-mouthing previous employers or colleagues. Venting frustration about previous jobs or coworkers can indicate a lack of discretion or loyalty, traits that are undesirable in any professional setting.
- Excessive complaining. A pattern of negative posts may suggest a generally unhappy or discontented personality, which could be a concern for employers looking for team members who contribute positively to workplace morale.
- Poor communication skills. Spelling and grammar mistakes might seem minor, but they can reflect poorly on a candidate’s attention to detail, especially in roles where communication is key.
While certain content may traditionally be viewed as inappropriate in professional contexts, it's essential to recognize the diversity of personal and professional expression. For instance, individuals involved in artistic fields such as nude photography, or those who write adult novels, might share content that is integral to their professional identity and creativity.
When "Red Flags" Might Not Be Red Flags
It's also worth noting that what might be deemed inappropriate in one context could be perfectly acceptable or even valued in another. For example, while posts showcasing participation in cannabis-related events or sharing knowledge about cannabis products might be seen as inappropriate in many sectors, they are considered valuable assets in industries related to legal marijuana. So, for someone wanting to work as a budtender or writer for a cannabis-focused blog, demonstrating expertise and enthusiasm for cannabis can be a significant advantage, not a red flag.
If your social media profiles reflect aspects of your personality or personal life that are important to you, such as activism, it might be beneficial to maintain this authenticity. By doing so, you are more likely to attract employers who appreciate these qualities and will value your unique contributions to their team. It’s about finding the right fit for both you and your future employer. This approach not only ensures that you'll be happier in your job but also that you're likely to perform better in a supportive environment.
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
While employers can glean a lot from a social media background check, certain types of information cannot legally influence their hiring decisions. According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), employers must avoid discrimination based on:
- race
- color
- religion
- sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy)
- national origin
- age
- disability
- genetic information
This means that even if such information is inadvertently discovered on social media, it cannot be used as a factor in employment decisions. Employers must tread carefully to ensure that their social media screenings comply with these regulations, avoiding any bias that could lead to discrimination lawsuits.
