ESR provides white paper on internet background checks

Employment Screening Resources, a national background screening service, announced the release of a new white paper titled Managing the Risks of Using the Internet for Employment Screening Background Checks, which provides detailed information and suggestions when using search engines and social networks for recruitment and employment decision making.

 On the organization's website, ESR founder and CEO Lester Rosen said the information on the internet has a major impact on background screenings and employers would be remiss to overlook it. "While employers and recruiters have discovered a treasure trove of information on potential job applicants by using social networking sites such as Facebook and search engines like Google, the unrestricted use of social media background checks can land them in hot water since just because certain information is online does not mean that it is risk free or even true," Rosen said in a statement. Rosen goes on to mention that employers should proceed with caution when using the internet for pre-employment screenings and identity verifications. Currently, there is no clear law regarding the acquisition of online information when making a decision on an applicant, according to the news source.