IHR Online Staffing and Sourcing Conference - Recruiting and Social Media

Avoiding (Un)Intentional Discrimination When Recruiting Via Social Media

(presentation at January 2012 IHR Online Staffing and Sourcing Virtual Conference)

Social media is a great tool for attracting and recruiting top talent to your organization. Using social media for recruiting can have a very high return on investment, lead to improved communication responsiveness and reduced vacancy days, and help to identify “hidden” candidates.

Like any tool, there are some risks if not used properly. There is a wealth of personal information available in a social media profile. Much of this information is the same kind of information that would be requested on a traditional job application: contact information, education, employment history, licenses and certifications, and technical skills and abilities. But social media profiles often contain information about protected class status; gender, race and age may be inferred from photographs, dates of birth may be displayed, and information about family members, relationship status and religious beliefs may be present. Having access to this kind of information can create the potential for intentional discrimination.

Additionally, relying exclusively on social media for recruiting may lead to unintentional discrimination. There are significant differences in the demographic characteristics of the typical social media user and the typical individual in the civilian labor force. These demographic differences can lead to certain groups being excluded from the recruiting process, thereby creating unintentional discrimination.

The good news is that a few simple tips - along with some common sense - can help you avoid intentional or unintentional discrimination. Social media is a very powerful tool in the recruiting arsenal, and can be used safely and effectively. In this presentation, we discuss how to avoid these kinds of pitfalls and ease the fears associated with recruiting via social media.

*The use of this seal is not an endorsement by HR Certification Institute of the quality of the program. It means that this program has met HR Certification Institute's criteria to be pre-approved for recertification credit.

Presenter: Stephanie R. Thomas, Ph.D.

Length: 00:56:43

View the archive of the presentation here