# Checked and Approved? Human Resources Managers' Uses of Social Media for Cybervetting
## 4 Results
### Why Some HR Professionals Refuse to Use SNS  
Not all respondents scrutinize candidates online. In total, ten out of the twenty-four respondents indicate that they generally do not use social media to collect information about job candidates. The most cited reason is that they do not want to judge a candidate based on online information. Another reason is the division between private life and work. A lot of information that can be found online has nothing to do with one's professional life. Therefore, some HR professionals do not want to form an opinion about a candidate based on information that has nothing to do with one's professional qualities. \"If someone has a drunk picture on Facebook, it does not mean that he will not perform well in his job\" (R6P, female, age: 37, experience: 15). While respondents think that some pictures posted on SNS are part of one's private life, they think it is not clever to make them publicly accessible, \"You have to be aware of what you're posting on Facebook. You don't want a recruiter of a company to see you in a bikini or have a look at your pictures of a party in Ibiza. If you're looking for a job, hide some of your pictures. However, I also think that one has the right to have a private life, I don't dig into it\" (R5P, female, age: 27, experience: 3). Some HR professionals give also other reasons for not screening the SNS information of candidates. They indicate that they do not want to prejudge a candidate. \"I am afraid I would attach importance to what he's doing in his spare time, therefore I don't look at that information (on Facebook)\" (R7 NP, female, age: 31, experience: 1). When making rapid decisions, it can be tempting to base them on online information. However, it can also inspire a wrong decision about a candidate when it is based on erroneous or incomplete information. Some HR professionals criticize the fact that opinions would be formed about a candidate without meeting that individual in person, or as one respondent states: \"I don't want to make a judgement about someone, based on a party picture\" (R5P, female, age: 27, experience: 3). Some HR professionals are aware that images found online may lead to rapid conclusions about someone: \"If I find a lot of pictures of someone at parties, with a lot of alcohol, I think: will he be fit on Saturday morning to work in the shop?\" (R3P, female, age: 38, experience: 1).  
Another risk linked to online screening of candidates is that you have to be sure you're looking at online information about that specific person and not individuals with the same or a similar name. Some HR managers only check a candidate online, if they have questionsor doubts based on the interview, \"I would do it, when I have doubts. If you have an interview with someone and some crazy stuff is coming out of the interview or I have doubts, then I would do some further investigation\" (R1P, female, age: 40, experience: 8).  
Notwithstanding the abovementioned risks of information posted online, SNS offer individuals also opportunities to get noticed in a positive way. The presence of references, trainings, engagements, may offer a broader picture of a candidate, \"if you see that someone is active on different fronts, you see someone does things with passion, this radiates from the information found online\" (R14 NP, male, age: 36, experience: 10).