Social Media Best Practices

for Law Schools

• introduction
• students
• staff
• employers
• conclusion
• join the conversation

Employers

What they’re saying

The website Careerbuilder.com reported that in a survey of nationwide employers 20% use social networks like Facebook to check up on job applicants. Of these employers, one third said they had decided not to interview or hire particular candidates based on what they found online. This backs up the horror stories we all have heard about jobs and offers lost based on employer revelations of Facebook photos, group affiliations, or careless status updates. But stories like this persist because employers are using social media to learn more about applicants. What we don’t hear as much about are growing number of savvy employers that connect with potential employees via social networking and see it as a great opportunity to learn more about them as people. One employer, after hiring someone who he had met on Twitter, characterized it well. “We were able to get a good idea of Kevin's skills and interests just by conversing over Twitter. While it doesn't remove the need for interviews, it makes the interview process more like hiring a friend than hiring a stranger."

Advice for employers

Everyone involved in the hiring decision has the opportunity to benefit from the information gleaned from social networking. Employers shouldn’t see this as a process of “checking up on” applicants, but rather one of getting to know them. Determinations of a good personality fit can often be made from interacting with candidates online.

1. Keep looking. Start with the ubiquitous Google search, but don’t stop at the top hit. Be willing to spend a few extra seconds scrolling down or even paging through results to find what is relevant. Use online research to learn about applicants or about the types of people you would like to recruit. Focus on geographic areas, interests, education and skill sets. For you just as for the candidate, finding a few relevant connections is much more important than many irrelevant ones. Know that time spent on this research is likely at least as valuable as time spent on other hiring-related tasks. Use to your advantage the fact that information found online is available any time of day or night, from anywhere in the world, and can easily be shared with any interested.
2. Understand the context of what you’re seeing. Employers who limit their queries to Facebook will likely be disappointed with what they find. The overwhelming majority of student Facebook users find it to be a haven where they can be open with their peers about school, work, family and each other. The majority of students surveyed at Iowa indicated they had edited their online identity for the sake of potential employers, most by limiting their Facebook privacy settings. Information posted on LinkedIn or an individual’s professional blog will be most relevant. Employers should imagine themselves in the applicants’ shoes. Remember that posting something personal, such as photos of evenings out with friends, where it can be found is not the same as broadcasting such information. Facebook should not be equated to a public bulletin board or soapbox, since the audience is limited to people who have chosen to interact as “friends” in this forum. Finally, recognize effort when you see it. Give applicants credit if their online identity shows a concerted effort to give you – and your competition – relevant information for the recruitment and hiring process. Knowing that good online connections can be just as valuable as in-person connections, don’t be put off by an applicant who emails you a résumé or points you to her LinkedIn profile. Recognize that such efforts to tell you more can be just as useful as a few pieces of heavy-bond paper you receive in the mail.
3. Engage online. Reach out to applicants and let them know you are looking. From posting routine openings to putting out feelers for new positions, social networks are great places to get constructive feedback and find employees. Recent research indicates that employers may be more satisfied with employees who were recruited through social media than those recruited using more traditional job posting methods. All members of a hiring team and all members of a firm for that matter, can be involved in continuous and somewhat passive recruiting by building meaningful online relationships with other professionals. Recommendations for new hires that once came on the golf course can and will easily come from colleagues online. Also be willing to use your interns and summer associates' online skills to learn more about interacting online.

Social networking requires a lot of trust on part of employers. "People who waste time will always find a way to waste time."
Sarah Glassmeyer, reporting from SLA annual conference

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While specific social networks and products are mentioned on this site, the author has no affiliation with these networks other than membership or holding an account. Although certain networks are recommended for use due to their utility and/or ubiquity as judged by the author's personal experience, the author makes no claims as to the security, reliablity, usefulness or functionality of any network, service or website. Nor does the author make any claims regarding outcomes of use of these or any other social networks. Using social media is an individual choice and participation is at the user's own risk.

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