Should companies routinely Google applicants or look at their Facebook Essay

Should companies routinely Google applicants or look at their Facebook pages as part of a reference check before hiring - Essay Example III. Using Google Search and Facebook, employees are able to assess applicant’s talents. IV. Counter Arguments and Responses a. Opponents argue that the practice leads to invasion of privacy. Refutation: Only employees with questionable behaviors would feel this. b. Opponents claim that the practice is that it drives away talented applicants Refutation: It appropriate when done as the last step in the assessment. V. Conclusion Use of Google and Facebook to assess applicants ensures employers hire suitable employees. Companies Should Google Applicants and Look at Their Facebook Pages as Part of a Reference Check Before Hiring Name Course Tutor’s Name Date Companies Should Google Applicants and Look at Their Facebook Pages as Part of a Reference Check Before Hiring Introduction Although most people consider social networks to be sites for their personal life, the sites are increasingly becoming important in increasing or decreasing the chances of acquiring a job. Most peo ple use social networks in informal settings and tend to share information that could be detrimental to their career life. This is because some employers are increasingly using search engines such as Google and social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube to screen applicants. The kind of information that people share on the social networks depicts the kind of people they are. It is thus important that employers check on such information to discern if the prospective employees have underlying interest in the field, they have applied the job. Some employees also use social networks when they have too many applicants and want to narrow down the list. By using social networks, they are able to find reason not to hire some candidates. Additionally, the kind of information people post on social network sites can demonstrate their capability to deal with other people. This essay argues that companies should Google applicants and look at their Facebook pages as part of a reference check before hiring. The employers, particularly the human resource managers spend plenty of time dealing with employee problems. By conducting checks on the prospective employees, the employer can be able to discern the probability of an interviewee being problematic after employment. Using Google, employers are able to find out information regarding previous employment. This helps determine if the candidates present themselves professionally. Additionally this can help the employer understand the kind of a person the applicant is and their capability of coping with the company’s culture. By doing background checks using the social networks and Goggle, employees are able to detect and eliminate candidates with tainted records or a vague past. Some managers argue that they have been able to find reasons not to hire applicants by using social networks. In most cases, the managers felt that the applicant postings such as those against former employer were red flags. A dditionally, some people lie about their qualification on Facebook, which depicts their deceitfulness. This saves the company the large amount of time spent dealing with problems that such employees bring into the company (DiSilvestro, 2012). Another reason why employees should carry out background checks is to determine the capability of the candidates to