To review the potential dangers employers face using so-called “social media background checks,” Attorney Lester Rosen, Founder and CEO of Employment Screening Resources (ESR), will participate in a live 90 minute audio conference ‘Screening Applicants Using Social Networking Sites: Legal or Liability?’ on Tuesday, January 29, 2013 from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM EST. To register for the event presented with education services provider Lorman, visit http://www.lorman.com/audio-conference/390956.
“While job applicants have long used the Internet to research employers, employers and recruiters are now using search engines and examining popular social networking sites to find information on applicants,” says Rosen, author of ‘The Safe Hiring Manual,’ a comprehensive guide to employment screening. “The audio conference will review this emerging area of employment law and examine the legal implications such as problems with employers obtaining information they should not have, privacy issues, and approaches employers, recruiters, and applicants may consider to avoid liability.”
Topics covered in ‘Screening Applicants Using Social Networking Sites: Legal or Liability?’ include:
- Why the Sudden Interest by Recruiters and Employers in Using Social Networking Sites?
- Potential Online Tools for Employers – Search Engines, Social Network Sites, Blogs and Chat Rooms
- What Employers May Find Online and How
- Why Recruiters Also Need to Be Concerned About the Legal Landmines of Using Social Media to Source Candidates
- Why Court Cases Have Not Yet Clarified What Employers and Recruiters Can and Cannot Do When Using Social Media for Hiring Decisions
- The Key Differences Between a Social Media Policy for Hiring, and a Policy for Current Employees
- The Use of Private Behavior for Employment Decisions
- The TMI Problem – Too Much Information?
- Privacy in the Brave New Online World – Is Everything on the Web Fair Game?
- What Is Real? Issues Concerning Identity and Authenticity
- What Happened to Free Speech?
- The Use of Third-Party Firm and the Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act
- New State Laws Prohibiting Employers From Obtaining an Applicant’s Online Passwords
Rosen is a nationally recognized safe hiring expert who was the chairperson of the steering committee that founded the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS) and served as the first co-chairman. He is a frequent presenter nationwide and his speaking appearances have included numerous national and statewide conferences for “ESR Speaks.” To learn more, visit http://www.esrcheck.com/Newsletter/ESR-Speaks/.
To minimize the risks of using the Internet for background checks, Rosen authored a white paper in 2012 titled ‘Managing the Risks of Using the Internet for Employment Screening Background Checks’ that provided an introduction to the risks and roadblocks employers and recruiters face using Internet search engines like Google and social network sites such as Facebook for recruitment and employment screening. The complimentary white paper, which also offers potential solutions to avoid legal issues, is available for download at: http://www.esrcheck.com/Download/.
“The bottom line when using the Internet for employment screening background checks is that employers should proceed with caution,” Rosen warns. “Using the Internet to background check job candidates is not risk-free, especially since there has yet to be clear law or court cases that show how to proceed in this area. In the meantime, employers should not assume that everything is fair game online in the pursuit of social media information about job applicants.”
Employment Screening Resources (ESR) – ‘The Background Check Authority’ – is a nationwide background screening provider accredited by The National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS®). For more information, visit http://www.esrcheck.com/ or call Toll Free 888.999.4474.
Source: http://www.lorman.com/audio-conference/390956
About Employment Screening Resources (ESR):
Founded by safe hiring expert Attorney Les Rosen in 1997, Employment Screening Resources (ESR) – ‘The Background Check AuthoritySM’– provides accurate and actionable information that empowers employers to make informed hiring decisions for the benefit of their organizations, employees, and the public. CEO Rosen literally wrote the book on background checks with “The Safe Hiring Manual” and ESR is accredited by The National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS), a distinction held by a small percent of screening firms. Employers choosing ESR know they have selected an agency meeting the highest industry standards. To learn more about ESR, visit http://www.esrcheck.com or call toll free 888.999.4474.
About ESR News:
The Employment Screening Resources (ESR) News blog – ESR News – provides employment screening information for employers, recruiters, and jobseekers on a variety of topics including credit reports, criminal records, data privacy, discrimination, E-Verify, jobs reports, legal updates, negligent hiring, workplace violence, and use of search engines and social network sites for background checks. For more information about ESR News or to send comments or questions, please email ESR News Editor Thomas Ahearn at tahearn@esrcheck.com. To subscribe to the ESR News Blog Feed, visit http://www.esrcheck.com/wordpress/feed/. To subscribe to the complimentary ESRcheck Report monthly newsletter, please visit http://www.esrcheck.com/Newsletter/.