With Talent Acquisition and HR teams on the front line of addressing ongoing talent challenges within organisations, the focus is very much on finding the people they need who have the right blend of skills and capabilities. However engagement and retention are also high on the corporate agenda, meaning that the people we hire need to also be able to embrace and embody our business culture and values. Finding the right talent isn’t just about reviewing CVs and conducting interview s and assessments — it’s also about uncovering deeper insights into candidates’ backgrounds and behaviours.
I recently had an interesting podcast conversation with Ben Mones, CEO of online screening platform Fama Technologies, about the significance of digital screening – and particularly social media screening – as a crucial element of modern hiring practices. I think the topic is particularly prominent in light of current global and political instabilities, and the unusually large number of elections taking place globally this year.
Ben’s journey into social media screening began with a stark realisation: traditional hiring processes, no matter how rigorous, sometimes fall short of revealing critical information about candidates. He shared an anecdote about hiring a seemingly promising candidate who turned out to be a liability due to inappropriate behaviour – something that they discovered post-hire. This experience served as a catalyst for Ben to research more into the world of online screening, ultimately leading to the creation of Fama Technologies.
The core of Fama’s approach lies in fusing advanced AI technology with comprehensive data analysis. AI algorithms extract valuable insights from the vast sea of social media content. By leveraging techniques such as sentiment analysis and concept clustering, hiring teams can gain a deeper understanding of candidates’ behaviour and character traits, enabling better informed hiring decisions.
Of paramount importance though is balancing the benefits of digital screening with respect for candidates’ privacy rights. Evolving legislative frameworks, particularly in regions like the EU, mean compliance with data protection regulations such as GDPR is crucial when hiring teams are accessing and analysing relevant data. They need to be able to balance privacy concerns with the need for comprehensive screening.
For organisations adopting digital screening, all practices need to be aligned with core company values and business objectives, and clear screening criteria also need to be defined and tailored to each organisation’s unique culture and risk factors. And their values – whether looking for fraud, ensuring employee and customer safety, or identifying any potential intolerant behaviour or attitudes.
And transparency in how decisions are made, processes audited to eliminate bias, and conclusions arrived at, are key.
However whilst I believe AI-powered screening tools can provide valuable insights, they should only – and with caution – complement the expertise and intuition of hiring managers and leaders, not overshadow them. With the increasing prevalence of AI the hiring landscape is evolving fast, and will continue to evolve, so embracing a more analytical and innovative approach to screening will ultimately become essential for building creative, diverse and inclusive high-performing teams.
It may be early days for this type of background screening but with an increasing focus on culture fit – and the need for employees to reflect and embody organisational culture – I suspect it will become increasingly prevalent over the next few years.
You can listen to my full conversation with Ben Mones in this episode of HR Means Business.
(This post originally was originally posted on my weekly HR Means Business newsletter – subscribe today and get weekly updates on my research, thinking and podcast chats)
Talent Trends & Insights 