OPPOSITION: HIRING BASED ON

SOCIAL MEDIA

Addie Crossen, Madison Brunner,

Meghan Fedor, Darian Bodnar
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA RELEVANT TO RECRUITERS
Is it Ethical?
LEGALITY: FAIRNESS AND JUSTICE

Article: Why You Should NOT Use Social Media to Make

Hiring Decisions
Scenario: Manager finds photos of potential employee
drinking alcohol on social media

If inferences were made by the manager based on

the photo, the EEOC could criticize the deduction
made
In result, it would be a violation of the ADA.
Other personal information may also reveal itself;
race, religion, gender, age, etc.
These demographics are not relevant and do not
show a persons ability to perform tasks
Thus, fines or penalties will be given by the
government.
Base decisions off professional merit and overall
specific qualifications
 UNCONSCIOUS BIAS: IMPLICIT
PREJUDICE

Social Media sites provide employers with a variety of

personal information that can encourage discrimination from
employers, especially in the hiring process.

The personal information can include: Age, Health Issues,

Religious Orientation, and Social Characteristics.

These additional details obtained by the employers from

social media sites, negatively affect their judgment of the
candidate while it provides no information on characteristics
required for the position.

In 2012, CareerBuilder conducted a study that concluded

35% of employers used social media as a tool to identify
reasons not to hire an applicant due to subjective judgment
made on someones character.
 RIGHTS: To Free Speech

Right to express themselves however they would like on social media, as long as they comply with the
law
Legal obligation- no threats or harmful posts
Social media image will differ from their work image
Intent behind posts cannot be clearly conveyed and understood
Employers are not the targeted audience when deciding what to post on social media
Not a fair representation of work ethic or knowledge
The rights reasoner is not concerned with consequences (content they would find); they are concerned
with protecting the individual's rights.
 Rights: To Fair Treatment

EEOC guidelines say that in order to use a tool

for a hiring process it must be reliable and
valid.
Inconsistency throughout applicants social
media usage.
Ex: 3 candidates with varying social media
usage.
Anti-Discrimination Laws
Ex: Gender difference across social media
usage.
So Is it Ethical?
No, based on the evidence found, social media is not
an ethical tool to use in the hiring process.
References

Lawrence, Ph.D. Amie. Why You Should NOT Use Social Media to Make
Hiring Decisions. Why You Should NOT Use Social Media to Make Hiring
Decisions. N,p., n.d. Web. 02 Oct. 2016

Market Smith. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2016.

Unconscious Bias. Judicial Recusal : Principles, Process and Problems (n.d): n.

Pag. Web