screening job applicants

Interview in Process.jpgDavid K. Williams and Mary Michelle Scott are CEO and President, respectively, of Fishbowl. They recently offered the unique interview approach their company uses to hire job applicants, Seven “Non-Negotiables” to Prevent a Bad Hire.

The Non-Negotiables for New Hires

Mr. Williams and Ms. Scott explain that their company screens candidates using a list

Facebook 2.jpgIncreasingly, employers are asking prospective or current employees to turn over their Facebook passwords in order to review their profiles.  

In response to this increase some states, including California, Illinois, and Maryland, have proposed legislation to ban such conduct. 

Facebook recently interjected its position on this topic when its Chief Privacy Officer, Erin Egan,

Dilbert.com

Certainly social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, blogs, and Twitter provide employers with opportunities to obtain useful, legitimate, and relevant information about a job applicant. But the above Dilbert comic by Scott Adams underscores that there are also risks in using such social media outlets to screen job applicants.  

Specifically, if employers use social media

Nuts & Bolts.jpegEmployers, HR professionals, and job applicants generally understand that there are questions that can be asked during the interview process and there are questions that cannot be asked because they violate state and federal employment statutes.

For example, under Michigan law, an employer may not “use a written or oral inquiry or form of application