What Is Social Media Screening?

Thomas Fine - April 19, 2024

Social media screening is a method of reviewing someone’s profile and social media activity to ensure that the individual in question is suited for a particular job or opportunity. Social media screening is becoming increasingly popular to conduct alongside background checks. Certain types of industries and career fields are more likely to require social media screening than others.

Our article gives you important details about social media screening and tells you all you need to know about this relatively new review process.

Social Media Screening: Understanding the Basics

As you apply for jobs or other opportunities that may require a background check, it’s important to be aware that you might also be asked to complete a social media screening.

A social media screening is basically what it sounds like. Your potential employer or another individual making hiring decisions will review your social media accounts and look for any activity that may disqualify you from a certain position.  Facebook, LinkedIn, and X (formerly known as Twitter) are the most commonly reviewed.

Social media screenings are a newer way to review employees and ensure they are well-suited for specific jobs and industries. However, these screenings may not be the most popular among job applicants, specifically those who feel a social media screening in addition to a background check is too invasive.

That being said, social media screenings are increasing among employers and those who need to review individuals for other opportunities. So, you should be prepared to have your social media browsed by potential employers.

Things That Might Be Reviewed in a Social Media Screening

Social media screenings can be nerve-wracking for some, but the key to avoiding too much stress with these reviews is being aware of what an employer might be looking for. In general, employers will only look for posts and activities that are considered dangerous or red flags that potentially interfere with your ability to contribute to a safe workplace.

Things that might be reviewed in a social media screening include:

• Sexually explicit material
• Illegal activities, including substance abuse
• Violent, racist, or hateful posts, pictures, and remarks
• Information that contradicts the information on your resume
• Information that should have been kept confidential

For the most part, employers will inform you that they are going to perform a quick check of your social media accounts in addition to telling you what they’ll be looking for. However, there are not too many regulations and laws surrounding what employers can look for and how they disclose their search to you, save for federal anti-discrimination laws.

This means that social media screenings are not quite standardized, which can lead to questions about their use in the workplace and as part of a hiring process.

Who Conducts a Social Media Screening?

In most cases, the person who conducts social media screening is a recruiter or hiring manager of a company. These social media screenings are typically conducted as part of a pre-employment verification process, and they may be performed as part of an overall background check for a potential employee.

Alternatively, if you are applying for volunteer opportunities or internships, the individual in charge of hiring and verifying candidate information may be the one to conduct this screening.

Will My Employers Always Perform a Social Media Screening?

Whether or not an employer performs a social media screening before hiring you or as part of routine employee verifications depends on company policies. There aren’t any specific laws currently that govern social media screenings specifically, though background checks do have state-level and federal disclosure laws attached to them.

If you are concerned about a social media screening policy, you should make an effort to read all the details given to you by an employer. You can also speak with HR staff and other individuals in charge of hiring decisions to learn more about the types of social media screenings they may conduct and what they may be looking for.

Is It Legal to Make Hiring Decisions Based on a Social Media Screening?

Social media screenings are somewhat controversial when used as part of the hiring process, as anti-discrimination laws may often come into play.

Along with posts that could indicate whether a potential employee is a good fit, individuals conducting social media screenings may also be able to review highly personal information. This may include their gender identity, sexual orientation, disability status, religion, and political beliefs.

Making a decision based on these items is a violation of federal equal opportunity hiring laws. Some individuals against social media screenings argue that reviewing them and letting them be a part of the hiring decision in any way may create unfair circumstances.

This is especially true when it may be difficult for an individual to prove that they were denied a job opportunity due to these factors after a social media screening is completed.

That being said, it is legal to make a hiring decision based on a social media screening. As long as that decision isn’t caused by one of the federal factors that may categorize the decision as discrimination, it’s totally legal.

For example, a social media screening that shows an individual is engaging in illegal drug use may result in a decision to not hire the individual, and this is legal. However, a social media screening that shows an individual using a wheelchair and no illegal or questionable activity but results in a decision not to hire could potentially be discrimination based.

Are Social Media Accounts Included in an Official Background Check?

Occasionally, social media accounts are included on an official background check report. This is because background checks can be fairly comprehensive, and any online accounts connected to your name and email address may be shown on a background check report.

Fortunately, if an employer is running a background check, they will be required to follow disclosure and result release regulations.

Under these regulations, you will typically be required to sign a form. This will detail what the employer is looking for in terms of criminal or educational background, whether or not they intend to review social media profiles, and other items.

It’s important to check with specific state background check laws to understand any additional regulations surrounding the background check process.

How Far Back Will a Social Media Screening Look?

How far back a social media screening may look depends on the employer or individual reviewing your pages and how many years of social media history you have publicly available.

In general, individuals conducting social media screenings won’t look back much earlier than eighteen years old, as only adult behavior is really counted towards a social media screening. Though, more thorough or in-depth social media screenings may look at your entire social media history.

If you have early posts from first creating your account or posts from when you were below the age of eighteen, you may want to double-check the privacy settings. Change them from public to viewable by only you and your direct friends on social media, just to make sure these are removed from any social media screening that may be conducted.

How Can I Make Sure My Social Media Accounts Are Appropriate?

In today’s world, social media screenings are becoming increasingly popular, and individuals are thinking more about what they post online for the world to see. Some individuals maintain that social media accounts should not be included in hiring processes, but the reality is employers do value the social media appearance of their employees.

You can make sure that your social media accounts are appropriate for viewing by any potential employers by doing the following:

• Think Before You Post: Make sure that your social media posts are conscientious. This means no long rants and angry lectures, no angry or violent behavior and posts, and no images or videos that are explicit, questionable, or illegal in nature.
• Avoid Online Arguments: Most people are aware that their comment history online is typically trackable, and your activity on your social media accounts can be viewable. You should avoid long arguments and petty or aggressive behavior online, as this can reflect poorly on you.
• Refrain From Workplace Complaints: Avoiding posting and commenting about past employers, companies, and employees online is essential to making sure your social media accounts are appropriate. No employer wants to be at risk of being posted online should you stop working for that employer.
• Keep Your Information Updated and Accurate: Many of us started social media accounts at a younger age and may have a number of fun and wild things on our profiles and in the personal detail sections. If you believe you might need to adhere to a social media screening, you should make sure that any incorrect information is removed. Keep your personal details and educational or employment history up to date and make sure you match your resume details.

Alternatively, you can ensure that all of your social media accounts except for employment-based ones like LinkedIn are set to private. This allows only moderate information about you to the world and limits your online presence to those whom you are not directly connected with online.

Many individuals choose to do this to keep the focus of a social media screening on the important social media accounts, and not accounts like Facebook or Instagram.

However, even if your social media accounts are set to private, you should still keep in mind that whatever you put online will be there forever. Always be careful and cautious, and never post anything that you wouldn’t want to be spread around or viewed by an employer, should that situation occur.

Social Media Screening in Today’s Modern World

While social media screening is a relatively new tactic for employers to vet potential employees, some individuals may not like the way this screening process is present in the workforce.

However, social media screenings do occur, and it is important to be aware of the details surrounding a social media screening. If you have any questions about a pre-employment social media screening, don’t hesitate to speak to the hiring manager or HR staff for the company you are applying for.

Additionally, take your time to clean up your social media and make sure it is presentable for one of the newest screening and verification methods in today’s social media-centric world.