Background checking is the process of authenticating the information supplied to a potential employer by a job applicant in his or her resume, application, interviews, and references. In most application processes, lying about their background and credentials will keep the employer from hiring the applicant.
An employee background verification process is a thorough screening of a candidate's work history, college degrees, academic certificates, legal records, and sometimes credit scores. 
Social media is a becoming a key social media recruiting tool. HR teams, recruiters, and employers are using social networks to recruit candidates and to conduct background screening to confirm a candidate’s qualifications for a job. Using social media to support the recruitment process can provide valuable opportunities for both the candidate and the employer. A recent survey from The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) found “the number one reason employers engage in social media channels is to attract potential candidates not yet looking for a new job” (india's only hr jobs site 7hrjobs.com). Social networking is used by 82% of the organizations surveyed to recruit managers and other salaried employees (87%) and hourly employees (55%).
Social media screening humanizes the candidate and makes them more than just the words on their resume. Employers are also using Google, Yahoo and Bing to research potential candidates. More and more companies are adding social media screening as a part of their background screening process. In fact, 54% of hiring managers who screen candidates via social networks said they’d found information that causes them not to hire a candidate.
Background Screening Trends
SHRM included social media screening as one of the top human capital management trends of 2017 as well as ban-the-box and the prevalence of utilizing screening data for hiring purposes. What do HR professionals think are important topics in their industry? 7hrjobs.com for hr jobs surveyed around 100+ companies about their use of background screening (human resources job portal) to gain key insights into emerging trends, technology and how HR professionals think about components of the hiring process and how they relate to the background screening industry, how emerging technology is impacting the candidate experience and emerging trends in employment background screening.
When it comes to social media screening, compliance is critical. Often, candidates will put information online containing information that cannot be used to make a hiring decision, such as age, gender or religion. It is critical to work with legal counsel to outline a social media screening policy to help establish a social media screening process in your background screening policy.
Social Media Screening
Online profiles can be very revealing with both positive and negative content being shared in what is a very public domain. The content on social media profiles can share a lot of distracting information (human resource jobs in Mumbai), but it can also give a unique insight into a job candidate. Some information can be applied to a hiring decision, while other cannot. Employers must remain compliant and take great care when exposed to information about a candidate’s private life.
Using a Third-party Social Media Screening Solution
It is highly recommended to use a third-party screening company for social media searches. A third-party social screening solution will only focus on the relevant information that relates to the job and workplace safety. A hiring manager could look at a social media profile and unconsciously (or consciously) make a hiring decision based on looks or post types. A third-party provider will help a company mitigate their risks (business hr jobs in Mumbai). There is a fine line between being compliant and looking at information about a candidate’s personal life from their online profiles. “Protected characteristics” such as age, disability, gender identity, marital status, race, religious beliefs, sex or sexual orientation, which can be easily seen on online profiles, cannot be considered by employers during the hiring process.
Companies who have not implemented a social media search program as part of their background screening program should take an in-depth look at their business’ needs and determine the value they would receive from implementing it into their employment background screening program. From identifying the best candidates to maintaining compliance, it’s good to get a plan in place to understand the reasons screening matters to your organization.