Perceived discrimination is the third rail for HR managers, and there are protections in place for job seekers that limit questions hiring managers can ask. They are largely things that would have nothing to do with the candidates’ ability to perform the job, and are considered discriminatory.
“How old you are, your marital status, or your race or gender identity,” said career coach Stacie Haller at ResumeBuilder.com. Politics, disability status, sexual orientation and religion are other off-limit topics.
But, chances are, answers to those questions and others are out there — and they’re easy for HR managers to find.
A ResumeBuilder survey of almost 2,300 hiring managers found 74% say they use social media to screen candidates. Of that group, 55% say they look at social media to ensure the candidate is a good cultural fit.
But a surprising 68% of hiring managers overall say they use social media to find answers to illegal interview questions. It is illegal to use anything related to those questions they find in making a decision about the job candidate. But, technically, it is not illegal to look.
“Well, we all know if you’re looking, you’re considering it, right?” Haller said.
Facebook is the most commonly-viewed social media platform among hiring managers, followed by Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.
Looking up social media profiles of friends, colleagues, dates or past acquaintances is quite common, but Haller says it has no place in a company’s HR department.
“I’ve been a hiring manager for many years myself, and I never did this. But this is very disturbing, because nobody should be using age, religion, marital status as any consideration if you’re appropriate for a position within a company,” she said.
Haller, who devotes efforts to fighting ageism in the hiring process, says age was the No. 1 factor hiring managers were looking at. She calls it sad that in this day and age, people are still looking to hunt down information that has nothing to do with the position.
“Maybe it is part of our society getting skeptical of people lying on resumes, but we are getting into a territory here that really works against candidates and is going to end up eliminating some great people from some great positions because managers are bringing in discrimination in the process,” Haller said.
Those social media searches aren’t just to find answers to questions not applicable to the job, but also evidence of unprofessional behavior, illegal activity or signs the candidate would not be a good cultural fit. Overall, eight in 10 hiring managers surveyed said they decided not to hire someone based on social media findings.
ResumeBuilder’s full survey results are posted online.
