Looking Up Candidates on Social Media

A promising candidate applies to your camp. You are hopeful they have the credentials to join your summer staff. You send an email to set up an interview. While you await a response you type their name into Facebook and look them up on Instagram. Sound familiar?  

As COVID-19 has driven the world indoors, more people are turning to social media for news, entertainment, and human connection. More than ever, candidates are documenting their lives on social media and exploring new platforms like TikTok and Twitch as outlets to express themselves. As the social media ecosystem grows, there are more places to view candidates online, but also more risks. 

Social media can be a helpful tool for evaluating candidates. However, it must be used with specific intention and discipline. If misused, it can quickly add bias and discrimination to the hiring process. In this blog, we’ll share tips for recognizing and avoiding these harmful practices.

At CampHire, we use social media as a tool to gain a complete picture of a candidate we are putting forward. We use it thoughtfully, strategically, and with strict governance. We use social media to rule candidates out, not rule them in. 

There are three “rule out” areas we look for when doing a social check.

1. Violence or hate speech

2. Drug use 

3. Excessive drinking 

This exclusion criteria keeps us focused on evaluating one critical attribute required to work at camp -- the ability to serve as a positive role model. We are not looking to see how sporty the candidate is, what their political views are, how they style their hair, what their relationship status is, who they are friends with, or what they look like. 

We are not trying to trap a candidate in a “gotcha” moment either. Should you rule out a candidate because they’re holding a red solo cup in one picture from 2 years ago? Likely not. It is important to remember that Generation Z conducts their lives on social media in a way no previous generation has before. What we’re really evaluating here is their judgement and how they choose to represent themselves online. 

As a Hiring Leader, it’s easy to fall into a pattern of using social media as a means to determine if a candidate is a good “cultural fit”. However, this is not a recommended hiring practice and inherently introduces bias into the recruiting process. While there is nothing inherently illegal about looking candidates up on social media, judging candidates on attributes other than skills and experience could be considered discrimination, and in many instances may be illegal. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) states that if any of the elements below are considered in the hiring decision, you are breaking the law.

• Race, Skin Color, Gender, National Origin, Religion, Disability, Citizenship, Pregnancy, Age, Sexual Orientation, Weight, Marital Status.

The “watch out” with social media is that you are going to learn some of these attributes about candidates. Becuase bias can be both conscious and unconscious it’s best to set yourself up for success by establishing parameters for social media checks. 

🔥CampHire Pro-Tip: Here’s what we do to hold ourselves accountable to ensure a bias-free social media check. 

1. Establish a standard evaluation criteria. Our criteria is based on evidence of violence or hate speech, drug use, and excessive drinking.

2. Designate one person on our team to conduct all social media checks. By design, this person is removed from day-to-day recruitment. They are an independent evaluator. They don’t interview candidates or have prior knowledge of their background. They may not even know the position the candidate applied for. This helps to keep the check fair and subjective. A safe alternative is to use a third-party service accredited by the FCRA.

3. Use a pass/fail system based on the evaluation criteria outlined above. Feedback from the independent “social checker” is concise and reads something like this :

   “No violence or hate speech, drug use, or excessive drinking. PASS”

   or

   “Excessively drinking alcohol in multiple pictures. FAIL”

4. Conduct checks as the final stage of the process. The candidate must pass interviews and meet all qualifications before we look them up online. 

If you can follow the “rule out, not rule in” tips we’ve outlined, social media can be a helpful tool to eliminate unqualified candidates. If you are using it to evaluate elements other than violence or hate speech, drug use, or excessive drinking, remove it from your process entirely.

FAQs

Is it legal to look up camp staff candidates on social media? 

Reviewing public social media is generally legal but risky — you may encounter protected-class information (age, religion, disability) that can bias a decision and create legal exposure. Using a neutral third party to run the check helps reduce bias. CampHire isn't a law firm, so consult an attorney or your state's laws to confirm compliance.

When should camps review candidate social media? 

Camps should limit social media review to late-stage finalists for roles involving direct camper contact. Review should focus on safety concerns — not lifestyle judgments. A designated non-decision-maker (HR or a third party) often conducts the review to insulate hiring managers.

What should camps look for in candidate social media? 

Focus on job-relevant concerns: evidence of violence, substance abuse, harmful attitudes toward children, or public conduct inconsistent with camp values. Do not evaluate political views, personal relationships, or off-duty behavior that doesn't affect job performance.

Are background checks better than social media review? 

Yes. Background checks (criminal, employment, education, reference) are more reliable, legally defensible, and less bias-prone than social media review. Use background checks as the primary vetting tool, with social media as a supplementary, narrow-scope check.