Almost every aspect of modern work is performed online these days, and using technology is part of making sure your company stays connected with potential applicants. However, without the proper security and privacy protocols, the executive recruitment process can end up being far less effective than it should be.
This is something that attorney Lester Rosen touches on in a recent piece for RecruitingTrends. He questions whether recruiting a candidate online might bring privacy issues, especially when it comes to social media.
Rosen specifically talks about the dangers that recruiters can find themselves in by assuming that anything a candidate posts on social media is fair game for consideration.
"As a general rule, a consumer cannot consent to discrimination, and an employer accused of using social media information in a discriminatory fashion could not argue there was implied applicant consent," he writes.
The Wall Street Journal recently reported on Zappos' reliance on its own internal social media network, called Zappos Insiders, which is replacing most typical means of discovering potential hires online.
The article says that this method protects the applicants' privacy, as well as allows for a more direct interaction with the company. Once recruits are in the system, then managers can start administering special tests and gamified initiatives to control the recruiting process their own way. While this does avoid the use of more common social media services, it does also run the risk of going too far in the direction of informality.
Consulting an executive search firm is an efficient way of avoiding the pitfalls of social media recruiting altogether. Trained professionals can help you identify the best candidates and provide relevant information, so you don't have to scour their digital profiles for clues and depend on vague information.
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