Should Social Media Checks Be Included in Screenings?

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Social media offers an accessible, easy-to-navigate database to see someone’s interests, education, employment and personality. These days, it feels almost natural to peruse someone’s social media for an update on their life if you haven’t heard from them in a while. While social media is useful for connecting with those we know personally, the ethics of using it to evaluate potential employees can be murky.

A job candidate’s social media accounts can provide the clearest picture of their true behaviors and personality—and social media screenings can absolutely have a place in the hiring process. However, that screening should not be as simple as letting your hiring manager quickly scroll through a candidate’s profile(s). Social media screenings must be integrated into your hiring process carefully, and we’re here to answer any questions and help you formulate the right policy for your company.

In what situations does social media screening make sense?

Not every job description would necessitate a social media search—for the majority of jobs a pre-employment background check will be sufficient. However, if you’re looking to hire a public relations manager, social media strategist or any other consumer-facing position, taking a peek at their profile(s) would make sense.

Essentially, you don’t need to look into a candidate’s social media if it is not related to the job they applied for. While social media allows for a candid look into the lives of others, it is not always an accurate depiction of their true self. Screen social media profiles only if your team deems it ethical for the vacant position.

Who should conduct my social media screenings?

You hire background check agencies because they can access records that would be difficult for you to find. But with social media, the internet is right in front of you and it isn’t hard to find your candidate’s profiles. However, just because it’s easy for your hiring team to access social media doesn’t mean they should be the ones conducting the screenings.

For compliance reasons, it would be a good idea to outsource your social media screening. Another agency can provide you with an overview of a candidate’s social media that only contains information you can legally consider in your employment decision. If your team comes across personal information like religious beliefs or sexual orientation on a candidate’s profiles, you can claim that information didn’t play into your decisions but you can’t prove it. To avoid any potential discrimination accusations, it might be best to have your background check agency look at social media.

Can I take adverse action based on a candidate’s social media posts?

The short answer is yes. But as with everything about social media, it’s more complex than that. Your organization should already have set guidelines about what would move you to reject an applicant. If a candidate posted something that falls within those guidelines, you may then remove them from consideration and explain why you made that choice.

You can’t take adverse action just because you disagree with something an applicant said online. That could get you into a world of compliance troubles. Treat a social media screening like any other screening and you’ll be able to make compliant decisions.

To learn more about how One Source can help you find the best background check solutions for your organization, contact our Client Relations Team.

One Source Resource Review: January–March 2020

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At One Source, we are dedicated to providing comprehensive, transparent and useful background check education and resources. We are screening industry experts, and we believe everyone should have access to a review of One Source’s resources to determine their security needs.

We will continue to curate blog posts and include them in this review of our website’s resources. We’ll categorize the blogs by topic and we hope these review posts will make it easier to find the information you need and utilize our knowledge when you need it. With that said, let’s dive into the One Source Resource Review.

General Background Check Information

5 Things You May Not Know About Background Checks

Ever wonder how background check agencies pull together a comprehensive criminal record? Or how to create a truly effective screening process? This blog delves into all the little details and questions you might have about the complicated world of pre-employment screening.

Employers’ Crash Course: The Fair Credit Reporting Act

Designed to protect the rights and information of job applicants, the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) carries immense influence. When followed properly, the FCRA can help you make informed hiring choices while protecting your candidates. If the FCRA is broken, however, it has the power to bring plenty of legal troubles to an organization. Stay aware of the FCRA’s guidelines with our handy guide.

How to manage 5 background check red flags

If you’re looking for a job right now, it’s totally understandable how the screening process could be confusing. Every different business may respond differently to the same background report. To stay prepared for any potential question about your background, it helps to understand how most organizations process screenings and what sticks out to them.

A guide to screening contractors and contingent workers

Contractors work on a temporary basis, so it can be unclear whether they should be screened like full-time employees. Contracting agencies do run background checks on individuals before they can join the agency, but it’s still impossible to know if those checks match your organization’s screening standards. In this blog, we discuss some rules about screening contractors and contingent workers to ensure you can hire provisional help with confidence.

Employers and Hiring Departments

9 Websites Your HR Team Needs to Bookmark

These nine websites for your HR team provide excellent resources to get quick updates on their field. Some analyze HR news, some break down ethical hiring practices and others have unique thought leadership to move your team forward. So, bookmark your favorites and help your team stay sharp!

3 Background Check Budgeting Tips

Even organizations that don’t typically set aside funds for screenings can make a habit of budgeting for compliant background checks. In this blog, we discuss how the cost of making an uninformed hiring choice can exceed the cost of screening an excellent hiring choice. Our background check budgeting tips will help you build a hiring budget that prioritizes screenings so your organization can keep security and quality hiring at the top of your mind.

Eight Key Considerations for Hiring a Background Check Agency

Not all background checks are created equal—and really, a background check is only as good as the company that provides it. However, you can minimize your organization’s risk by working with the right screening company for your particular business or industry. So, keep these eight questions in mind as you choose a screening agency to hire.

3 Ways Background Checks Improve Your Hiring Process

Want the best chance at making the best hire? Pre-employment background checks are the key to a successful, sustainable hiring process that will identify the ideal candidates for your organization’s future. And the pros of background checks go beyond hiring too—read on to discover three unique ways screenings could help your business.

What to Do Before You Run an Employee Background Check

Established companies and new businesses alike manage workplace safety and avoid risk to stay secure. Background checks are an excellent way to maintain that security. However, developing an effective screening system to run an employee background check is sometimes easier said than done. Regardless of where your organization is in its development, this blog can help you reflect on and hone your background screening practices.

How can I expedite my background check process?

One Source completes most background checks in 48 hours or less. You can count on us to do our part to keep your hiring process on track, but there are other variables that can be tougher to control. With these tips, you can effectively manage every part of the screening process so you can stay in your timelines.

5 vital insights from (pre) employment background checks

One Source’s team helps you decipher comprehensive reports, but there are a few indicators you can look for right away on any report. Therefore, you can immediately get a high-level understanding of an applicant’s history with five vital insights from our (pre) employment background checks.

Volunteer Organizations

Three essential background check tips for nonprofits

Often, nonprofits complete day-to-day work and fulfill their mission through the dedication of volunteers. When volunteers are so essential to your organization, they should be screened just like any paid employee would. You can make sure the people volunteering for you are representing your mission well by background checking them—and we can show you how to make the most of your screenings.

4 questions to ask about your volunteer background check policy

Before your organization starts recruiting volunteers, ask yourself how background checks fit into your recruitment process. You can ensure security for your organization and build a reliable volunteer base all while ethically screening your applicants. Find the best volunteers by considering these four questions about your volunteer background check policy.

That was just a review of One Source’s resources to determine their security needs. So, if you have any questions about background screening or how One Source can assist you, contact our Client Relations team.

5 Vital Insights From (Pre) Employment Background Checks

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Background checks and references are some of the only insights employers have into who their applicants are. You can learn a lot about an applicant’s attitude and personality from an interview, but a background check offers an unfiltered report providing a clearer picture of an applicant’s past.

Screening reports contain a lot of information, so it can be tricky to determine what actually matters. One Source’s team helps you decipher reports, but there are a few indicators you can look for right away on any report. You can immediately get a high-level understanding of an applicant’s history with these 5 vital insights from (pre) employment background checks.

Employment Verification

An applicant’s resume will show you where they’ve gained experience over the years, but there’s no way to verify the authenticity of their resume without references. An employment verification will clearly show your applicant’s work history so you can be certain of their qualifications. You can establish right away whether their experience truly matches what you’re looking for.

Criminal Records

Every organization has different guidelines about hiring people with criminal records—be sure to make your expectations clear and stick to them. While not all screening agencies offer state and federal criminal checks, One Source’s TotalCheck packages screen county, state and federal court records plus sex offender registries and global watchlists. In a report, you’ll see an applicant’s full criminal record so you can easily determine whether their convictions are acceptable within your policies.

Education Background

Some positions require formal education or training, and you need to prove that your applicants meet the requirements. One Source can report what degrees an applicant earned, when they graduated, their GPA and whether the degree came from a degree mill. Degree mills are websites where people can buy degrees rather than complete coursework for them. Your candidates should have genuine degrees they studied for—a background report can tell you whether their education is valid.

Licenses and Certifications

There are hundreds of classes of professional licenses for a wide variety of industries. If your employees require any kind of professional certification, it’s up to you to ensure your team is completely licensed. A report from One Source will tell you what licenses a candidate has, when they will expire, any denied or revoked licenses and any disciplinary actions on licenses.

Driver’s History

A background report will help you determine whether a candidate is a good fit for a position that requires driving. One Source can tell you whether an applicant’s driver’s license is valid and if they’re certified to drive semi-trucks or vans. If an applicant has any tickets or driving infractions, that information will be provided as well. That was 5 vital insights from (pre) employment background checks that you can learn from. 

To start your hiring process with an experienced, helpful background screening partner, contact One Source Client Relations today.

4 Questions To Ask About Your Volunteer Background Check Policy

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Nonprofits, schools and plenty of other organizations rely on the services of volunteers to function. A strong volunteer base can be an organization’s greatest resource to help achieve its goals.

Before your organization recruits any volunteers, however, consider how background checks fit into your recruitment process. Screening volunteers ensures security for your organization and helps you build a reliable volunteer base. Find the best volunteers with these four questions to ask about your volunteer background check policy.

What screenings should we run on volunteers?

At a minimum, your organization should run a standard background check on every potential volunteer. One Source’s TotalCheck service includes checks of county, state and federal criminal records, the national sex offender registry, global watchlists and a verification of personal information.

Some volunteer positions may require screening beyond a standard background check. Take inventory of the roles and expectations for all of your volunteer positions to determine if you will need additional screening: Will volunteers need to operate a vehicle? Screen their driving record. Do your volunteers need any kind of professional training? Verify their education credentials.

Every volunteer opportunity is unique, so work with your background check agency to tailor screenings to each position’s requirements.

How often should we screen volunteers?

Dedicated, consistent volunteers are certainly an asset to any volunteer organization. However, periodically rescreening every long-term volunteer safeguards your organization and customers/clientele. It may seem tedious or intrusive to rescreen volunteers, but it’s the only way to ensure continued safety within your organization.

You do not have control over what your volunteers do outside your view, and the risk of misplaced trust could be detrimental to your organization. It’s always better safe than sorry, so try to rescreen your volunteers once a year.

How can we keep our volunteers’ reports secure?

Background checks can contain Personal Identifiable Information (PII), so it’s important to make sure that information is stored securely. One Source provides a secure portal for you to store, search and view completed reports.

Reports can’t be exported to your volunteer management system software, but One Source’s secure portal can work in tandem with your system to keep your volunteers’ information safe and organized.

What offenses would prohibit someone from volunteering?

Before you can decide whether to accept a potential volunteer, you need to develop consistent guidelines about how you handle volunteer rejections. Think about what infractions on a background report would be deal breakers for you. If your organization works with children, you may not be allowed to hire volunteers with any kind of criminal record. If your organization aims to help former convicts, your guidelines could be less strict.

No matter where you draw the line with volunteers’ backgrounds, just make sure your policy is relevant to the work the volunteers will do and never waver from it. Because of that, tart with those four questions to improve your volunteer background check policy. To find the best screening plan for your organization and to learn more about our offerings for nonprofits, contact One Source Client Relations.

One Source Celebrates National Consumer Protection Week

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One Source The Background Check Company is celebrating National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW) March 2nd-6th, alongside government agencies and organizations nationwide. During this week, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)  focuses on helping individuals understand their consumer rights and protect their personal information. One Source is joining in to help employers and applicants understand what information a screening agency collects and how it’s used and secured.


What information is collected?

Two types of information is collected: Personally identifiable information and non-personally identifiable information. Personally identifiable information (PII) is just what it seems, any information that can identify you (such as your name, address, and IP address). It does not include statistical information. Based on your relationship with the screening agency, you may be asked to provide certain PII. Non-personally identifiable information (non-PII) cannot be used to trace the identity of an individual. It’s simply data that is anonymous.  Non-PII is usually collected by businesses to track and understand the digital behavior of their consumers.


Why information is collected and with whom it is shared?

Most information collected by a screening agency is for the purpose of screening an individual consumer. The background check is only done upon the request of a user who has a permissible purpose under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) to request information on that consumer. In cases of employment as a permissible purpose, the FCRA requires a user to certify to the screening agency that it has obtained the written consent of the consumer to request information before the requested screening information can be supplied.


How is the collected information used?

Our primary purpose in collecting personal information is to provide you with a safe, smooth, efficient, and customized experience. Personal information, such as date of birth and social security number, is never shared unless required to verify a record and then is only shared once the vendor has been fully vetted.

Learn about One Source’s Privacy Policy, including how information is secured and data retention here.

As a Consumer Reporting Agency (CRA), One Source and our clients must be aware of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). Check out for more tips for Employers’ on the Fair Credit Reporting Act here. More information is also available at http://www.ftc.gov/ncpw.

To learn more, contact One Source Client Relations.