In recent years, people have become increasingly aware of the pitfalls of social media. Post the wrong thing, and you could go viral, becoming an unwilling internet celebrity who’s subject to the world’s mockery. Post something that’s offensive, and it could even cost you your job, threatening your livelihood and professional credibility. This reality prompts the question — should employees be subject to social media screens, and if so, should that policy extend to public servants such as firefighters? This is a complex question, but the following considerations can help your department decide the answer.

Hiring Laws May Prohibit Screenings

The first consideration to take into account when you’re entertaining the prospect of a social media screen is the legality of such an action. As an employer, you are only allowed to base a hiring decision on a legally defined assessment of a candidate’s qualification. Social media screening does not typically fall within that umbrella, so it’s ill-advised to embark on such a search when you cannot legally use the results of your findings in a hiring decision anyways. Stick to information gleaned from an interview instead.

Screenings Compromise Objectivity

It’s important to note, too, that a pre-interview social media screening can open you up to legal liability if your actions are found out. Why? When you view a job candidate’s social media before an interview, you are likely to find information about that candidate such as their age, race, pregnancy status, or disability. Knowledge of this information compromises your objectivity in making a decision regarding that candidate’s application — even if you proceed with an interview — so you become liable for a potential claim of employment discrimination. This can be avoided by simply forgoing a social media screen.

A Third Party Can Provide Screening

Because firefighting is a public service position, it’s understandable that you’d want to know as much as possible about potential candidates before proceeding with an interview and ultimately extending a job offer. So, if you feel strongly that you must screen candidates’ social media prior to hiring them, enlisting help from a third party is the best way to do so. Several third-party social media screening providers can help you determine a candidate’s fitness for a position based on the findings of a screen. These companies are careful to report legally permissible information, so you can obtain the information you need without becoming legally liable.

Find Other Ways to Get to Know Candidates

The aforementioned third-party screening services are great, but they’re often quite costly, and you still may not get the information you need. What’s the solution? Even for a job like firefighting, it’s best to stick with information that you gather from an interview. Deviating from this information can be costly if it incurs liability for your department and results in legal action. Rather than run this risk, ask probing questions and make a decision based on the information that’s immediately available to you.

About Provident Fire Plus

At Provident Fire Plus, we offer custom tailored packages to best protect firefighters and volunteer firefighters. We understand the risks that emergency response teams are subjected to on a daily basis, and have worked to serve these dedicated professionals for over 87 years. For more information about our products and policies, we invite you to contact our experts today at (855) 201-8880.