5 considerations for social media recruiting

Recruiting is one area that easily comes to mind when employers are considering how to best use social media in the workplace. Social media sites like LinkedIn even have job-hunting components built right in. More and more companies are diving right in and using social media as the primary source for their recruiting efforts.

“It’s clear that social media is rising as a method of recruiting and some employers are enjoying great success.” Steve Bruce confirmed in a recent CER webinar. However, before you decide to take the leap into using social media as your sole avenue for recruiting, consider these 5 elements.

Social media in the workplace: 5 considerations for social media recruiting

1. Discrimination. “When you use only one source for finding candidates, there’s always a danger of discrimination charges—especially if that source isn’t well-represented by protected groups.” Bruce noted.
2. Diversity. “In general, experts recommend using more than one source, not only for compliance, but also to be sure that you’re identifying all of the best candidates. Most organizations want to attract a diversity of candidates these days.” Bruce continued.
3. Lawsuits. “You might well win one of these discrimination suits, but winning in court still means time and money expended in defending the suit.” Bruce warned.
4. Consistency. “Whatever method you use for sourcing, you must be consistent in how you treat applicants, how you deal with resumes, application forms, and interviews.” Bruce explained. “Any inconsistency – for example, asking only women about childcare responsibilities – will set the stage for a claim.”
5. Recordkeeping for each applicant. “In addition to the discrimination concerns, there are recordkeeping issues that you may need to nail down before you start recruiting” Bruce explained. “For example, if you’re a federal contractor, when you are recruiting online you need to pin down how you’re going to define an applicant for EEO purposes.
   
   “The law requires all covered federal government contractors to establish the organization’s definition of applicant in the affirmative action plan and to maintain records on all applicants concerning their race, gender, and ethnicity. Contractors must attach their applicant log and the company’s definition of applicant to the written affirmative action plan.”

Employers should be sure they know their legal requirements before using social media in the workplace—especially if social media will be used as the primary recruiting tool.

The above information is excerpted from the webinar “Managing the Social Media Octopus: The Eight Tentacles Every HR Manager Must Master.” For more information on social media in the workplace or to register for another future webinar, visit CER webinars.

Steve Bruce is the writer of the HR Daily Advisor, the most-read HR publication in the US. He has also published many books (Seven Secrets of Managers Who Avoid Employee Lawsuits, Face to Face: Every Manager’s Guide to Better Interviewing, Best Practices for HR Managers), newsletters (“HR Manager’s Legal Reporter”), and training materials (the best-selling “Stop Sexual Harassment”), plus videos, CDs, and many more.