Cybervetting

Raelynn Randall, MHR, MBA

What Is Cybervetting?

Should HR Engage in Cybervetting?

The Benefits of Cybervetting

• Analyze “authentic” behavior. Many employers argue that researching applicants through social media helps them discover the potential employee’s authentic self. The idea is that people hold themselves to higher standards in professional environments but are more willing to let loose online. Employers often use cybervetting to get a glimpse at an applicant’s real personality. While this notion may be only partially accurate, employers still value the insights they gain into applicant behavior.
• Predict future actions. Recruiters who use cybervetting assume that understanding an individual’s authentic self will help them predict how they will behave in the future. One method for predicting future actions is related to personal branding. Social media and online searches are indicative of an employee or applicant’s personal brand. This in turn helps employers understand how individuals will act at work. For example, let’s say a manager is considering two applicants for a role and both candidates acted professionally during their interview. After a short online search, the manager finds that the first candidate regularly posts complaints about their last job on social media while the second maintains a professional attitude on social media. The manager may therefore be more inclined toward the second candidate. Additionally, many employers argue that how applicants represent themselves on social media directly correlates to how they will represent the company once hired.
• Confirm qualifications. Employers use cybervetting to complete additional background research on potential applicants’ qualifications through references in social networks. LinkedIn is often the primary source for recruiters looking to confirm applicant qualifications online. Additionally, LinkedIn allows for recommendations to be viewed publicly on a profile. For example, if a job role requires customer service experience and a candidate has indirectly related experience, a LinkedIn recommendation may be able to convey the candidate’s customer service competencies to a recruiter. Many recruiters utilize social media recommendations and profiles to confirm the qualifications of potential applicants.
• Identify “culture fit.” Many organizations search for candidates who will fit in with the organization or be a “culture fit.” Cybervetting allows recruiters to identify aspects of potential employees that will fit in with the organization’s culture. For example, if an organization values community service, they may appreciate it when their employees participate in volunteer work. In this case, candidates who share on social media that they are passionate about community service may be seen favorably by recruiters looking for “culture fit”.

The Downsides of Cybervetting

• Bias. There are many types of workplace bias that cybervetting is incredibly susceptible to. Confirmation bias and affinity bias leave cybervetters incredibly vulnerable. Consider a situation where a manager loves basketball and as they cybervet job candidates, they feel a sense of connection to the applicant who also loves basketball. The manager is more likely to overlook some of the applicant’s weaknesses because they share something in common. This is referred to as affinity bias. On the other hand, confirmation bias occurs when a manager has an assumption about an applicant and uses information found on social media to confirm those assumptions. For example, if an applicant appears to be a people-oriented person during an interview, while cybervetting, the manager may seek out information to confirm this assumption rather than taking in information found online in an unbiased way.
• Misinterpretation. It is becoming increasingly common for information to be misinterpreted on social media, and cybervetting is incredibly subject to interpretation. For example, an applicant may rarely post on social media except to highlight their yearly vacation to exotic places. A cybervetter may interpret that the individual is often on exciting vacations because that is all they find on social media. There are many other ways information can be misinterpreted on social media. People often put their best image forward on social media and their accounts often do not reflect their real-life situations. This begs the question, how reliable is cybervetting as a research tool?
• Limited context. Contrary to popular belief, the internet is not all-knowing. Searching social media for answers will often result in disappointment. There is a myriad of challenges that cybervetters face when researching applicants online, including a lack of information on an individual and commonality of names so that it is nearly impossible to identify the right individual. Additionally, not everyone has social media accounts. It can be challenging to find complete information on anyone in the cybervetting process.
• Invasion of privacy. Many applicants and employees feel that when organizations utilize cybervetting, they invade privacy. Although companies usually focus on publicly available information, employees still may feel that cybervetting violates social privacy norms. Many applicants may not even be aware that employers cybervet their candidates, so it may come as a surprise when their online information is used to determine whether or not they get a job.

How to Cybervet Potential Candidates

Step 1: Conduct a Google Search

Step 2: Research the Candidates

Step 3: Spend 10-15 minutes per Candidate

Raelynn Randall, MHR, MBA

Rae has acquired HR experience in team leadership, research, training, recruiting, project management, and mentoring upcoming HR professionals. She is fascinated by workplace culture and the many implications it has on the world of business, especially HR. When possible, she seeks out opportunities to expand her knowledge and give back to her community.

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