5.9 Use of the Internet and Social Media in the Screening and Selection of University Employees

Conducting internet research on applicants for employment by entering their names in search engines such as Google or Bing can result in the discovery of information about applicants not otherwise available to a search committee; however, much of what would be found would be unverifiable, anonymous, or untrue. That is particularly true of information that would be found on blogs, social networks, and websites such as Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, Second Life, and YouTube. Moreover, some of the information would be protected under the university’s nondiscrimination policy, such as race, age, disability, religious preference, and political affiliation. Finally, some of the information would not accurately predict how well an applicant would perform in the job. As a result, the university has adopted the following internet search rules for search committees and hiring administrators:

  1. No Internet search of any applicant shall be performed until after applicants have been selected for telephone interviews.
  2. No reference to anything found through an Internet search shall be made in a search committee meeting unless it is verifiable and job-related.
  3. Protected information shall never be referenced in any search committee meeting or considered by a hiring administrator.
  4. An applicant shall be allowed to respond to any information found on an Internet search that will be considered by the search committee or hiring administrator.
  5. If Internet searches are to be done of any finalist for a position, they shall be performed on all finalists. Internet search results shall be retained in the search committee file.
  6. Search committees or hiring administrators shall never use fake identities to gain access to information on social networks.

This policy does not prohibit verifying an applicant’s current employment by accessing an official website of the applicant’s employer, or verifying an applicant’s listed publications by directly checking websites which list publications.

Failure to follow these search rules may result in closure of a search, removal of a search committee member who failed to follow the search rules, or other action necessary to correct the situation.