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71 Drake L. Rev. Discourse 101 (2021)

handle is hein.journals/dralours71 and id is 1 raw text is: SHOULD EMPLOYERS LIKE SOCIAL MEDIA SCREENINGS? THE PROS AND CONS OF SOCIAL MEDIA SCREENINGS IN HIRING ABSTRACT Social media is a dominating pervasive force in our society. Various platform profiles contain a wide variety of information about users' personalities, hobbies, and interests. Thus, people can learn a lot about each other through social media. Employers, in particular, can learn much about job applicants by screening their social media profiles to determine if they have the requisite professional skills for the open position. Employers can also protect themselves from potential liability by making sure their future hires do not pose a risk of harming others. But failing to do so may subject employers to a negligent hiring claim and civil damages. This Note explores how employers can use social media screenings to vet job applicants and insulate themselves from civil liability. It also discusses best practices employers should use when screening applicants' social media profiles to avoid potential privacy and discrimination claims. TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Introduction...........................................................................................102 II. Prevalence of Social Media Checks in Hiring Decisions..................102 A. Prevalence of Employers Using Social Media to Screen Applicants.......................................................................................103 B. How Employers Use Social Media to Screen Applicants.........105 III. Negligent Hiring....................................................................................106 A. Foreseeability of the Risk .............................................................108 B. Using Background Checks to Screen Applicants.......................109 C. Is Social Media Screening More Reliable than Background Checks?...........................................................................................111 IV. Dangers of Using Social Media for Applicant Screening.................112 A. Discrimination and Failure to Hire Claims.................................113 B. Policies Employers Should Follow When Screening Applicants' Social Media Accounts.............................................114 V. Conclusion..............................................................................................115 101

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