How To Conduct An Online Background Search For Prospective Employees
The purpose of the new format in conducting online employee background searches is to create a uniform model that will help the PetroChem University Recruiting Team fairly and completely assess our potential new hire and intern candidates. Please closely follow these instructions while completing all future online assessments, as your findings will play a major role in the hiring process.
Step One: Understand The Grading Criteria
The grading criteria consists of three open-ended categories: professionalism, leadership/involvement, and ethics. These criteria lend themselves to the open-ended approach of the assessment, while compressing all findings into understandable conclusions that will be ultimately used by the HR director to make the decision of whether or not to extend an offer to a candidate.
The grading criteria are explained as follows:
Professionalism is the ability for a person to conduct himself in a working environment, maintain positive business relationships with clients and co-workers, and conduct his business in an efficient, collaborative, and pleasant manner. When assessing a person's professionalism online look for well-maintained online profiles on social networking sites and proof of the experience that is listed on his resume.
Leadership/involvement is the ability of a person to manage his life within and without the workforce. It is also the ability to make a positive impact on a group of people in any area of involvement. Diverse involvement is important for a candidate because it shows interpersonal skills that cannot always be challenged in strictly academic environments. Look for proof of the candidate's organizations and extracurricular activities when grading this criteria. Your goal is to decide whether the candidate's involvement will help or hinder him at PetroChem, and if his experiences outside of the workplace show potential as future leader at PetroChem.
Ethics is the ability to make moral and lawful decisions in the workplace and in a person's daily life. A candidate's ethics may not be displayed on a resume as clearly as the first two categories, so instead of finding corroboration of information that the candidate has provided, it is necessary to infer from any and all online sources what the character of this potential employee is. When searching through online profiles and other findings, determine whether this person will likely make wise decisions while at PetroChem. How would he represent PetroChem while at work and even in his daily life?
The grading criteria are explained as follows:
Professionalism is the ability for a person to conduct himself in a working environment, maintain positive business relationships with clients and co-workers, and conduct his business in an efficient, collaborative, and pleasant manner. When assessing a person's professionalism online look for well-maintained online profiles on social networking sites and proof of the experience that is listed on his resume.
Leadership/involvement is the ability of a person to manage his life within and without the workforce. It is also the ability to make a positive impact on a group of people in any area of involvement. Diverse involvement is important for a candidate because it shows interpersonal skills that cannot always be challenged in strictly academic environments. Look for proof of the candidate's organizations and extracurricular activities when grading this criteria. Your goal is to decide whether the candidate's involvement will help or hinder him at PetroChem, and if his experiences outside of the workplace show potential as future leader at PetroChem.
Ethics is the ability to make moral and lawful decisions in the workplace and in a person's daily life. A candidate's ethics may not be displayed on a resume as clearly as the first two categories, so instead of finding corroboration of information that the candidate has provided, it is necessary to infer from any and all online sources what the character of this potential employee is. When searching through online profiles and other findings, determine whether this person will likely make wise decisions while at PetroChem. How would he represent PetroChem while at work and even in his daily life?
Step Two: Understand the Scoring System
Each candidate will receive a numerical grade of 1-10 on each category. The score is given at the discretion of the one conducting the assessment, but the results will be finally interpreted by the HR director.
A total grade of 21 (from a combination of all three categories) will convey a mostly positive review. Scores above 21 are exceptional, while scores below may be more closely reviewed by the director, or may be used as cause for removal of the applicant from the candidate pool. However, no score will automatically guarantee that the candidate will be hired, and no score will automatically remove the candidate from consideration.
A total grade of 21 (from a combination of all three categories) will convey a mostly positive review. Scores above 21 are exceptional, while scores below may be more closely reviewed by the director, or may be used as cause for removal of the applicant from the candidate pool. However, no score will automatically guarantee that the candidate will be hired, and no score will automatically remove the candidate from consideration.
Step Three: Begin the Search
Begin your search by entering the candidate's name in a variety of social media sites. Sites to be considered include but are not limited to: Linkedin.com, Facebook.com, Twitter.com, Instagram.com, Weebly.com, Wordpress.com. etc. Sometimes finding the profiles can be a time-consuming process. Use first and last names when searching, and if necessary, first, middle and last names. You may also simply type the candidate's name into a search engine, such as google.com or bing.com.
Once you find at least a few sources of information on your candidate, write down your sources and proceed to the next step.
TIPS
1) Friend, connect, and/or follow the candidate. This does not violate any privacy protocols and will allow for a more thorough investigation
2) A picture is worth a thousand words- do not spend hours reading blog posts, instead look for insightful pictures
1) Friend, connect, and/or follow the candidate. This does not violate any privacy protocols and will allow for a more thorough investigation
2) A picture is worth a thousand words- do not spend hours reading blog posts, instead look for insightful pictures
Step Four: Match Resume Information to Online Information
When you find a few sources (preferably at least 3) begin to search through each source one by one. Let's use facebook as an example, since it is often the easiest way to find a person online. First, verify that the person is indeed the same as the candidate. Try to match the basic information on the profile to the information provided on his resume.
![Picture](/uploads/2/3/5/7/23574270/6406946.png)
The information on facebook corroborates the experiences listed on this candidate's resume. Clear and easily verifiable information shows a high level of professionalism. On the other hand, if it is difficult to verify the person's identity based on his profile, you may find reason to downgrade his professionalism score. This is an example of clear information that quickly confirms to the reader if they have found the right profile.
Step Five: Search the Source
Once you are confident that you the profile does belong to your candidate, browse through all the major areas of the website, and take notes of any findings. Recall the three categories: professionalism, leadership/involvement, and ethics. Make a note any time you see something that can be related to those categories. When you write the report, your notes will serve as an outline. An example of a note could come from something as simple as the front page of a facebook profile.
From the photos on the front page of this candidate's facebook page, you can verify that he went on the study abroad trip listed on his resume. You can also see that the trip was a positive experience for him as he decided to make those pictures his foremost in his profile. From other pictures it is apparent that he also traveled and probably learned a lot about a new culture while he was there. These would all be positive attributes in the leadership/involvement categories. Browse through the rest of the site and continue to make notes of findings. This will look different when dealing with different websites, but the purpose will always be the same.
TIPS
1) Search for proof of the candidate's most prevalent extracurricular activity. If it's at the top of his resume, it should be easy to find online. Search for the organization's official website in additions to the candidate's personal pages.
2) Spend more time looking for positive information than negative; we are not trying to find dirt on the candidates, just learn more about them.
1) Search for proof of the candidate's most prevalent extracurricular activity. If it's at the top of his resume, it should be easy to find online. Search for the organization's official website in additions to the candidate's personal pages.
2) Spend more time looking for positive information than negative; we are not trying to find dirt on the candidates, just learn more about them.
Step Six: Compile Notes For Each Source
The social media sites all will lend themselves to sharing information about the candidate in the same way that the facebook example did. However, when simply searching for a candidate's name in a search engine, the findings might not lend themselves to such obvious conclusions. You may find listings in a local paper from high school sports. You may find a personal blog. You may even find arrest records. Take notes on anything you find, and mark those notes with which categories they apply. When you finish your initial assessment of all your sources, your notes may look something like this.
![Picture](/uploads/2/3/5/7/23574270/5631076.png?388)
In this example (done in OneNote) P, LI, and E represent the categories and the color coded arrows represent positive and negative findings. In your notes, the findings will be grouped by source, but in the report, they will be grouped by category.
TIPS
1) Keep your notes in a file in case any questions arise
2) Make sure to compile notes that cover all three categories, so that you can write a balanced report
1) Keep your notes in a file in case any questions arise
2) Make sure to compile notes that cover all three categories, so that you can write a balanced report
Step Seven: Format Your Report
Every online background search report will be written in formal memorandum format. You may use the Word template below:
Step Eight: Write the Body of Your Report
The first step to writing the report, once you have the proper format, is to write the body. The body of every report should include three paragraphs. Each paragraph should discuss findings the relate to each of the three grading criteria. Display the overall grade of each category in the title of the section, and then discuss the findings in paragraph form.
![Picture](/uploads/2/3/5/7/23574270/1033987.png?409)
Every section includes a heading (where the score is displayed,) a subheading that sums up the findings, and then a detailed paragraph or two below describing the findings.
Step Nine: Write the Conclusion of Your Report
The conclusion tells the HR director the judgments you have made based on all the findings. Be clear to recommend or not recommend the candidate for further consideration. It is even good to bold those words "recommend" or "do not recommend" since that is the purpose of your search. Even though the final call to hire or not hire rests with the director, you must still give a clear opinion. If the director disagrees with your recommendation, you will have the support for your conclusion in the paragraphs above.
Step Ten: Write the Summary of Your Report
The summary is meant to quickly discuss your findings, not the method with which you found them. In your summary, list your sources and the candidate's name. Most importantly, clearly state your recommendation, and just like the conclusion, bold the sentence including your official recommendation. Explain your reasoning behind your recommendation in less than a paragraph, and move on to the body of the report.
Step Eleven: Send Report to HR Director
Please direct all questions regarding online background searches to:
Luke Smith
PetroChem Corporation
Lead University Recruiter
(713) 137-7137 ext. 1737
[email protected]
Luke Smith
PetroChem Corporation
Lead University Recruiter
(713) 137-7137 ext. 1737
[email protected]