Job Candidates Online Has Become

¶ … job candidates online has become increasingly common in recent years. It offers a number of benefits to employers, but the practice also comes with a number of attendant problems. One of the main benefits for employers is that they are better able to match employees for cultural fit with the organization. For many organizations, this fit is critical for developing a consistency of buy-in throughout the organization.

For example, Zeidner (2007) outlines the case of a charity that disqualified a candidate because of information about his lifestyle and attitudes gleaned from his MySpace page. Another benefit for employers is that they can help to vet the claims made by candidates. There have been a number of instances where candidates have made false claims that could have been repudiated with an online search.

Additionally, using the Internet to vet candidates can help employers to reduce their legal risk -- by understanding candidates as well as possible the company can reduce the likelihood that they will hire someone who will commit an offense or behave in an unacceptable manner while on the job. For example, background checks revealed false claims on the part of Radio Shack's ex-CEO David Edmundson, who could have used his position to do harm to the company, given his falsified background.

However, there are difficulties associated with using such online searches. Zeidner (2007) points out that in many jurisdictions, such searches may not be legal. In addition, employers are limited in terms of the reasons they can use to rule out a candidate. A candidate could be deemed distasteful in some aspects of his or her personality, but this may not be legally used to disqualify the candidate from employment. Evidence that such information was used to disqualify the candidate could result in a lawsuit.

For example, if a candidate was disqualified because of a social networking page that hinted at the candidate being homosexual, this could subject the company to a discrimination lawsuit. In addition, some such information may not be accurate. Data aggregators frequently make errors and information contained on the Internet could be either fabricated or entirely fictional. A photograph could be photoshopped or a statement taken out of context. There are also significant ethical concerns with the use of the Internet to gather information about potential candidates.

Zeidner (2007) points out that personal privacy rights may be violated if such searches are used without consent of both the candidates and the Internet service. Information that was intended to be private may be desired by the company, but the use of such information may constitute a violation of the candidate's rights.

In addition, the right to privacy is considered to be sacrosanct by many Americans, so firms engaging in the practice of online screening of candidates may be avoided by top candidates on the basis of their desire to protect their privacy. Nord, McCubbins and Nord (2006) outlined some of the critical issues with respect to employee privacy including the limitations of existing legislation and the constraints put upon employers by the employees' expectations of privacy. Companies that cross the established legal lines on monitoring.