Later is Better?
When conducting Social Media Background Checks internally, in general, it’s better to wait until later in the hiring process before conducting these searches. This will preclude claims that the information found was used in a discriminatory manner. The most conservative approach here is to not consider Social Media Background Checks until after there has been a conditional job offer. But this can be an expensive and time-consuming route.
If third-parties are used for these online investigations, however, Social Media Background Checks can be used as one of the first steps, thereby saving much time and money by eliminating bad-apples early on in the recruiting process.