Posted: 05 Sep 2010 12:46 PM PDT

This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business.

Social media is becoming a great way for recruiters to announce job openings and find qualified candidates. The conversational nature of social media allows you to interact with potential applicants and learn more about their professional backgrounds, experiences, and goals. That being said, it also opens the door to learning a lot about applicants that you might not discover during a traditional interview.

Which begs the question: If a candidate applies and you don't know a lot about them, should you do a little detective work via social media?

We talked to recruiting and legal experts about when it is and is not appropriate to search social sites for job candidates. Here are some pointers on why and when to turn to social media for applicant information.

Understand the Purpose of Your Search

Daniel Schwartz, a partner at Pullman & Comley, LLC, a law firm which provides legal and labor law advice, suggests asking yourself a few questions to decide if using social media in the recruiting process makes sense for your organization. "I hate to use the lawyerly 'it depends,' but it's not a simple question to answer. If pressed, I would say 'yes but with real limits.'" Schwartz recommends answering three questions before you begin your search:

Why do you want to use social media?
What information are you hoping to find?
Is the fact that an employee uses social media a bonus or a demerit?

These three questions will help you understand the purpose of your search and perhaps shed a little bit of light on whether you should move forward. Schwartz noted, "I think too many employers think that adding social media to the hiring process will make their decision-making easier, but because of the volume and types of information available, it may only makes it more complicated."

Andrew J. Filipowski, executive chairman and CEO at SilkRoad technology, which provides talent management tools and solutions, is an advocate of using social media during candidate searches. "Companies should search for a candidate's info on social sites to see if the candidate is a 'real' person with an online presence. We all want to hire savvy employees and this is a great test to find out if they stay current and engaged."

But he also tosses out a word of caution:

"This doesn't mean companies should look up everything on the candidate and use those vacation pictures or personal tastes to judge if that person is a good candidate for the job. It's important to remember our private persona is very different from our professional one. If someone writes she likes wine, that doesn't mean she's going to drink wine at her desk."

Before you launch your new side job as a social media detective, make sure you are seeking candidate information on social sites for the right reasons. Otherwise, you might just be adding another complication to the process.

Focus on Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

"The only information companies should be researching is information that is pertinent to the position that the individual is or could be applying for," says Heather McGough, a staffing consultant for Microsoft. "This could include blog forums that are related to job expertise, FacebookFacebook fan pages that are devoted to one's applicable skills, and information regarding job history on networks such as LinkedIn." She continued:

"When researching a candidate's applicable skills in relation to a specific job it should not matter what they have been doing in their free time, on their vacations, or over holidays. What is important is their ability to perform the appropriate tasks in relation to the position."

Now you might be saying to yourself, I knew that. Stick to skills and abilities. The situation becomes a little trickier when you're not searching per se, but you happen upon some weird posts or tweets after the person applies for a job.

Schwartz reminds us to use that information in the same way that you would with other candidates. "Suppose you hear from an employee that a candidate likes to stay out late at nightclubs during the week — would you ignore that information or use it? But when you start using information that you would be prohibited from using anyways (things like race, gender, marital status, etc.), then you know you've crossed a line."

Filipowski also suggests it depends on how "weird" these postings are:

"If these things are something illegal or something that indicates an angry person, you most likely can find a better candidate. But if it's 'weird' in the way that they have eccentric tastes or dress-up as a superhero at conventions, that in no way means they might be a bad employee. By no longer considering them for the job, you could be losing an excellent candidate for your organization."

During the Interview

Ultimately, candidates should be reviewed based on their qualifications. If an individual possesses the skills relevant to the position in mind, then a recruiter must evaluate them appropriately. McGough points out the importance of being non-judgmental.

"Does one really understand the entire context behind a Facebook update or a mobile uploaded photo? I would think not. It is cliché, but don't judge a book by its cover. In my 10 years of corporate recruiting, I have been surprised more than once by what's behind the cover. Peel back the onion a bit and use the interview to dive into relevant questions that will highlight the individual's expertise. And finally, if the candidate is not a fit due to skills and experience, don't gossip about what you may have seen on their MySpaceMySpace site!"

If you do see something that bears some question, whatever you do, don't ask for access to an applicant's or employee's social networking sites or passwords. Schwartz concurs:

"Asking for someone's passwords seems to cross a line that most people are uncomfortable with. One way to circumvent that is to provide notice that you will conduct a background check that may include a review of any publicly-available social media sites. But we typically don't advise snooping into an account that has its privacy settings turned to Warp 10."

"There's more than a little talk about privacy settings in the news," explains McGough. "Candidates ought to be very aware of the consequences when they post information about their likes and dislikes or their abilities and inabilities. It's only a matter of time before those comments will be common knowledge."

After a Candidate is Hired

Even when, as a recruiter, you take all the correct steps during the interview process, unexpected things can arise after a candidate is hired. If you make a strange discovery via social media after a candidate is on board, keep calm and try not to overreact. Treat the information as you would any other type of information. Schwartz remembers, "Just like we went through an adjustment period to employee misuse of e-mail, we seem to be going through an adjustment period on social media. It may be new, but the types of issues that are being raised aren't." He recommends imagining how you might react if the information was surfaced in another manner, say via e-mail or during conversation with co-workers. "That will take some of the mystique away from social media," Schwartz noted.

McGough agrees that it is important to handle unexpected and possibly harmful information about employees or candidates in the proper way:

"I often tell my clients and candidates that I am a vault. I take in a lot of interesting candidate and client information, information that is not appropriate to share with colleagues, other clients, other candidates, or anyone for that matter. If the 'questionable' material is not related to job performance then you need to leave it alone and lock it in the vault. However, if the information is related to lack of performance or negatively impacting the company, it is your responsibility to let your HR representative know of the situation. I would recommend feeding the information without bias or opinion and leaving it to human resources to determine appropriate action."

Social media is an excellent way to spread the word about your company, announce job openings, and connect with potential future employees. Use it that way, not to spy on or eliminate candidates. Review a candidate's resume and/or application for job history, qualifications, accomplishments and skills — that's how you will find the best candidate.

Search to confirm they do, in fact, work where they claim that they work and to confirm they have experience in the fields they list as having experience in. But, as Filipowski says, "be wary of dismissing a candidate over pictures with a group of friends at a concert, because having personality and interests is what makes your employees more well-rounded individuals."

As a recruiter, have you ever used social media to search for information about a job candidate or employee? If so, let us know why you turned to social media and how it worked out in the comments below.

More Business Resources from Mashable:

- HOW TO: Respond when Social Media Attacks Your Brand
- HOW TO: Handle an Employee's Controversial Online Behavior
- 8 Funding Contests to Kick Start Your Big Idea
- 4 Tips for Writing SEO-Friendly Blog Posts
- How CEOs Will Use Social Media in the Future

Image courtesy of iStockphotoiStockphoto, alexsl

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Bernards Township discussion to focus on library as next chapter in job search

Posted: 05 Sep 2010 10:02 AM PDT

BERNARDS TWP. – Ruth Lufkin, supervising reference librarian at the Bernards Township Library, will discuss using the library as a job search tool from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 14, in the library's Program Room.

During "The Library: Your Job Search Research Center," Lufkin will introduce useful library resources and showcase tools that make career exploration and transition easier as well as materials of special interest to job seekers.

She will also describe ways to search for information on particular industries, pinpoint potential employers and find nuggets of company data.

Online resources that are available remotely to every library card holder in the state, as well as those specifically available at Bernards Township Library, will be highlighted.

Members of the Career Forum, Career Networking Group (CNG) and other support groups are especially invited to attend this free meeting.

The Career Forum meets from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Tuesdays at the Somerset Hills YMCA, 140 Mount Airy Road in Basking Ridge. The CNG meets on the first and third Thursday evenings of each month at the library, 32 S. Maple Ave. in Basking Ridge.

Both of these local support groups offer programs of interest to those looking for work or contemplating transition and opportunities to network with other members of the group.

Pre-registration for Lufkin's presentation is suggested but not required; those who register in advance using the Program Calendar at www.BernardsLibrary.org will receive an email reminder before the event.

For more information, call the library at (908) 204.3031, ext. 4, or email rlufkin@bernards.org.

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Must-have mobile apps for job seekers

Posted: 04 Sep 2010 09:00 PM PDT

What are the must-have mobile apps for job seekers? Consider these, in addition to LinkedIn, Twitter and Craigslist:

-- iJob delivers "millions of jobs to your iPhone" and allows keyword searches.

-- BeamMe is a free universal business card exchange on your BlackBerry or iPhone.

-- LinkUp allows you to search company Web sites for jobs by keyword, location and category and apply from your iPhone.

-- Real-Time Jobs analyzes, indexes and makes searchable Twitter status updates so you can identify job openings.

-- Indeed.com lets you take the job search engine with you, including recent searches and jobs added since your last search.

-- TwitterFon keeps up to date with Twitter so you can send or reply to tweets.

-- Hire*A*Droid, a job-search app for Android users, supports LinkUp, Indeed and SimplyHired, allowing users to find job listings fast.

-- 148apps.com reviews iPhone apps in business, productivity and many other subjects.

-- Makeuseof.com offers Web sites, apps and tips for productivity.

-- CNET has a mobile download section with reviews, lists and news at download.cnet.com.

Remember discretion during job search

Posted: 05 Sep 2010 11:09 AM PDT

Published: Sunday, September 05, 2010, 2:00 PM

When I was head of human resources at TV Guide, I frequently met with candidates I was recruiting over breakfast at a restaurant near my office. One morning while I was having breakfast with a prospective candidate, in walks one of our employees and he sits down at a table with a recruiter I knew.

Up until that moment I had no idea he was looking at other opportunities. Moments like that are jokingly referred to as "career limiting moves." Now that I knew this employee was actively job hunting, I had to begin considering how I would fill his position if he left. Raises, promotional opportunities are off the table, reserved for employees expected to stay around for a while.

Even if you are unhappy in your job and are seeking a new one, it pays not to advertise that fact indiscriminately. How can you look for a new job without broadcasting the fact to your current employer? Here are some tips that might help you avoid the fate of that unlucky employee who I happened to run into that morning at breakfast.

Most of the experts I spoke with emphasized the importance of conducting your job search away from the office and not on work time. In that regard, the advice of Lavie Margolin, author of "Lion Cub Job Search: Practical Job Search Assistance for Practical Job Seekers," was representative:

"Designate certain non-working hours during the day to source for jobs on the internet. This can be early morning or evening hours. Use the weekends to do your networking. Follow up with phone calls and in-person meetings during this time. Respond to employer messages during your lunch hour. Find a quiet place away from work to make calls and have your schedule handy. Try to set up interviews before working hours begin, during lunch hours and just after traditional work hours."

Do not use company e-mail addresses or phone numbers on your résumés. Nor should you use your office computer or a company-provided PDA. Your employer can track e-mail you are sending from their computer and can determine what phone numbers you are calling from work and who is calling you. If you are doing your job search on company time, not only do you risk getting fired but, as professional résumé writer Kathy Sweeney notes, "potential employers will wonder if you will be searching for work on their dime someday down the road."

While you can use the internet to further your job search, do so carefully. Use job boards to identify possible opportunities but avoid posting your résumé. It is not uncommon for companies to search job boards to see which of their employees have active résumés posted.

Krista Canfield of LinkedIn offers the following advice as to how you can use their website to conduct a "stealth job search." She advises you start by controlling your privacy settings. Most job seekers who are quietly looking will choose the "No" option to "Publishing profile updates, recommendations and companies you follow" and "Notifying your connections of status updates."

LinkedIn also has a feature that enables you to "follow" companies you're interested in. This allows you to get updates on new hires, promotions, changes and even job opportunities at the companies you are interested in, so you can pursue opportunities as they arise. While you're viewing the company's profile, you can also see if anyone in your network either works at the company or knows someone who works there.

Most important, conducting a stealth job search requires that you be proactive and increase your visibility. Join discussion groups online, volunteer through professional associations and charitable organizations, assume leadership roles and seek out opportunities to speak and write in areas where you have expertise. This will not only facilitate building connections but will demonstrate your competence. By becoming more visible, job opportunities will come to you.

While you need to inform individuals in your network that you would be interested in other job opportunities, limit the people you tell to those you trust. Be especially cautious about talking to co-workers. Even your friends at work may feel they have a duty to the company to tell someone you are looking for a new job. That also goes for suppliers and clients.

Your trusted contacts, however, can act as additional eyes and ears, informing you of opportunities that come to their attention. Stay in touch with them directly through targeted e-mail messages and phone calls. Avoid using "blast" e-mail or postings on your LinkedIn profile that may end up in the hands of someone who you do not want to find out that you are looking for a new position.

A veteran human resources executive, Lee E. Miller is the author of "UP: Influence Power and the U Perspective — The Art of Getting What You Want." E-mail questions to Lee@YourCareerDoctors.com.

Job Search

Sunday, September 5, 2010

“Should You Search Social Media Sites for Job Candidate Information?” plus 3 more