Why transition from manual to automated social media screening?

Why transition from manual to automated social media screening.

More and more employers are going online to learn more about their job applicants. Indeed, over 90%₁ of hiring managers check out an applicant’s social media history as part of the hiring process. Why because social media profiles offer valuable insights into job applicants’ character, behaviour, and values.

However, most manual screening is ineffective with the risk of missing critical detail, in addition to possibly exposing the company to legal risks and reputational damage. Despite this, and the often overlooked cost of internally checking candidates, many companies are still relying on DIY, manual social media screening as part of their vetting process.

The obvious starting point has been to undertake a search using a recognised search engine, such as Google, using the applicant’s name. The majority of searches will relate to posts on the major social media sites. However, manual searches are fraught with dangers:

Have you?

Ensured you’re checking the right individual?
Same name but wrong profile. Where a number of individuals appear in a name search, this may result in multiple searches being carried out particularly for common names. Other search criteria will often need to be added, making it a tedious, time consuming and, more importantly, an ineffective search compared to a technology solution.
Mistakenly identified protected characteristics not relevant to a hire?
This refers to a personal trait that cannot be used as a reason to discriminate against someone and would include age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. A google search undertaken by a human is not only risky but also can be unlawful and costly. Although a search might seem easy, risks relating to discrimination and processing of personal data are less straightforward as highlighted in a recent tribunal case by Lewis Silkin₂.
Avoided unconscious bias and subjectivity?
This inevitably happens when there is human intervention in the search process. Unconscious bias is when an individual unknowingly makes decisions or judgements on the basis of assumptions, prior experience, prejudice or stereotype that may be held about a particular group of people. This bias can often relate to protected characteristics or even personal traits.
Gained consent of the individual?
Information posted on social media is considered to be in the public domain. Indeed, there is no law prohibiting or restricting employers from checking candidates’ or employees’ social media and permission to do so isn’t required but it must be conducted in compliance with relevant laws, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Equality Act 2010. However, to ensure effectiveness and compliance, it is considered best practice for employers to obtain consent by seeking the candidate’s permission and informing them about the nature and purpose of the checks to avoid discrimination and ensure fairness in the recruitment process.
Maintained a consistent approach to your search
Clearly defined parameters are necessary to ensure a consistent approach including which sites to search, how far back to go and how to identify what constitutes a risk. However, manual checks, by their very nature, can be inconsistent, prone to error and critical information can be missed due to the high volume of posts that can be found across several social media platforms, notwithstanding the issue of finding protected characteristics.
Calculated the true cost of the time taken?
Deploying existing staff to undertake a manual search may seem a cheaper option. However, to conduct a thorough search across multiple platforms is time consuming and very often inefficient, and inconsistent. Collating and recording the information so that it can be accessible to others adds considerably to the man hours and the true cost. In addition, organisations should consider the cost of a bad hire in terms of recruitment costs and possible reputational damage from media exposure that can take years to repair.
Created an auditable report?
In some sectors, such as education, Ofsted and ISI will expect to see concise documentation of how a search has been conducted to meet safeguarding requirements.
The smarter approach to this issue is using automated social media screening technology from SMC.₃
The transition from manual to automated social media screening technology carries enormous potential benefits for employers and job seekers alike. Automating the process not only saves resources but also addresses critical challenges like bias, misidentification, and legal risks that manual screening can often exacerbate.

SMC uses AI-driven algorithms to identify potential red flags against a number of risk characteristics, generating reports within sixty minutes that give hiring managers a clear picture of a candidate’s social media behaviour, without the issues associated with manual screening. Automated social media screening from SMC not only speeds up the process but leads to smarter, fairer decisions that are clearly beneficial for HR teams. Indeed an increasing number of forward-thinking companies now use these checks to continuously monitor employees’ social media activities to ensure alignment with company values.

So, if you’re looking to make better hiring decisions, protect your brand, and reduce your risk of legal complications, it’s time to move to automated social media screening for your hiring process. It’s time to switch to SMC.