Cyber Vetting!
So, what does all this mean for Cyber Vetting, (e.g. where employers access candidate’s on-line profiles to check up on their background and suitability?) It means that, since a significant proportion of the work-force have visible on-line personal profiles/activity, employers can carry out candidate Cyber Vetting on an almost industrial scale, should they so wish. The question is should employers carry out Cyber Vetting, and, if they do choose to do this, what controls should be in place?
Should Employers Conduct Cyber Vetting on Candidates?
In terms of whether they can do this legally, the information that is provided on these accounts is made publicly available within the rules and conditions of each social network. Therefore, if recruiters follow the guidelines of each social network when using and accessing profiles, then there are no privacy rules/laws preventing them from doing so, (at least that is my understanding).
I am of the view that if the candidate has made their information publicly available on the web then as long as the information is processed in a moral, legal and fair way then it is perfectly ethical for employers to access it, (within limits that I will talk about in a moment).
However, if that recruiter uses information to support a job selection decision without checking its authenticity or properly discussing it with the candidates, then I believe the recruiter is at fault.
Also, if the recruiter makes judgements on the suitability of a potential employee based on information on their online profile, I also think this is risky. This issue was highlighted in a recent high profile law suit where a university academic won a religious discrimination case settlement against the University of Kentucky after he was turned down for a research position ‘after having been found to have expressed creationist views on-line ‘.
Ethical Cyber Vetting
If you do plan to use Cyber Vetting on candidates, then I believe there are common sense steps to to help ensure it is done ethically and fairly, and I have listed these below.
1. Ask for candidate’s permission to access their on-line profile or at least inform the candidates that you will be viewing their online profiles. Be open about your practices and don’t snoop.
2. If you find any discrepancies in an on-line profile, for example, say that you found a discrepancy between an employment entry in the LinkedIn profile and in their resume, do not immediately brand the employee a liar, do ask the candidate to clarify the position and then base your decision on that.
3. If you find that there is information within a candidate’s online profile which makes you question their suitability for the role or company, do contact the candidate and try and establish the authenticity and accuracy of the information and establish the surrounding context before making a judgement.
4. Understand that you may be subject to biases and subjective judgments of people. Are you judging the person solely on objective, professional criteria? Or are you letting your personal beliefs or tastes color your opinion?
However, there are still inherent risks with Cyber Vetting. Currently, there are not many guidelines available on how to do it, and it can be quite an informal process which operates outside the organisation’s normal recruitment guidelines, policies, and procedures. This means that there could be an increased chance of unlawful discrimination occurring, if the usual controls are not in place. This makes informal Cyber Vetting a very risky process.
If it is done at all, it should be a well thought out process according to best practices. Any access/use of online profile data should be documented and done in a transparent manner.