MySpace, Facebook, and Other Social Networking Sites: Friend of Foe To Employers
By webmaster at 7 March, 2007, 2:27 am
Facebook, MySpace, and other social networking sites among the most popular Internet sites. They are mostly frequented by college students and other Generation Y candidates. There is no mistaking that these sites are great at finding some great candidates. However, there are risks and opportunities to employers who use social networking sites in their hiring process.
The first social networking website was Classmates.com, which began in 1995. Other sites followed, including SixDegrees.com, which began in 1997. It was not until 2001 that websites using the Circle of Friends online social networks started appearing. This form of social networking, widely used in virtual communities, became particularly popular in 2002 and flourished with the advent of a website called Friendster. There are over 200 social networking sites. The popularity of these sites rapidly grew, and by 2005 MySpace was getting more page views than Google. Google has a social network called orkut, launched in 2004. Social networking began to be seen as a component of internet strategy at around the same time: in March 2005 Yahoo launched Yahoo! 360°, their entry into the field.
In these communities, an initial set of founders sends out messages inviting members of their own personal networks to join the site. New members repeat the process, growing the total number of members and links in the network. Sites then offer features such as automatic address book updates, viewable profiles, the ability to form new links through “introduction services,†and other forms of online social connections. Social networks can also be organized around business connections, as in the case of LinkedIn.
The problem with these social networking sites is the tons of spam that exists. While on Ryze, I was introduced to DirectMatches.com. I registered on that site and everyday there are about 15 to 20 new requests asking me to join their network. I tried to be friendly and strike up a conversation with one of them, but all I get is the same message back to join their network. Then I found out that members on DirectMatches can earn money by the number of people that they refer. It sounds more like an MLM type of set up then a true social networking site.
Using Social Networking Sites in the Hiring Process
75% of employers say that the use social networking sites as part of their background checks, and as a result, 35% of qualified candidates have been rejected because of the racey or other inappropriate material on these sites. CollegeRecruiter.com Steven Rothberg, who conducted a presentation at OnRec, strongly advises employers not to use these sites for making employment decisions.
There is still a fine line between an individual’s right to do what they want on their own “personal†time and what employers can control on their time. Too often we are seeing employers firing people for having racey photos on their MySpace pages, having a drink with their buddies while holding up a competitors beer, or smoking while in their own home. To the people that post that stuff, they have the right to do so. Employers somehow are getting the ludicrous notion that they have the right to control their employee off-duty behavior. That fine line is being crossed.
Employers need to be educated employment decisions must be based on job related criteria. This is nothing new. It is just common sense. It is something that you are taught in your very first course in human resources. Employment decisions MUST be JOB RELATED.
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