Susie Thomson (00:00)

So some folks are saying, you know, 70% of employers are actually deploying social media checks as part of their front-end checks, as part of their pre-employment checks. Glassdoor, for example, states that 91% of UK employers are using social media checks. And I, I know from personal experience, having talked to my children and grandchildren, they don't realise the impact of this. They, they think it's a temporary activity. There is a growing awareness, but it isn't consistent.

So you've got pockets of individuals aware, others completely unaware. In fact, they're probably completely unaware of the background screening process as a precursor for them entering employment. And that's a broader discussion generally, that I think there needs to be education for young people that this is a stage in the onboarding process that's not gonna go away. If, if anything, it's, it's likely to increase. And for a generation, for, for children who have not been asked those kind of questions about their backgrounds or about their, their social profiles, that can be very daunting.

Siân Harrington (01:10)

Hey everyone, welcome to Work's Not Working, a show about forward-thinking people leaders, innovators and academics, and how they think we can fix work to make it more meaningful, healthy, inclusive and sustainable. Brought to you by The People Space.

Hi, I'm Siân Harrington, and today we're asking what happens when young people are being judged by rules nobody has explained to them. Most young people know they need a CV. Fewer realise they may already have another one: their digital identity. The posts, profiles, comments, photographs and likes that together create an impression before they even walk into an interview. Even having very little presence online can shape what an employer sees.

And this matters because getting that first step into work is becoming so much harder. Across the world, employers are slowing their recruitment of young people. Artificial intelligence is beginning to affect some of the entry-level roles that have traditionally helped people build experience, while sectors including retail and hospitality are also facing significant change. Competition is intense, and many students, school leavers and graduates have little idea that their social media presence may be examined as part of an employer's background screening process. They may understand that companies collect and use their data. They are often far less aware that an employer could be looking at their online behaviour, communication and reputation when deciding whether to hire them.

So, how common is social media screening? What are employers actually searching for? Could an old post cost somebody a job? And how can a young person build an online presence that helps them stand out without becoming corporate, bland or inauthentic?

In this episode, you'll learn what social media screening involves and why employers use it; the online behaviour that can genuinely raise concerns; why employers should consider context rather than judging one isolated post; how LinkedIn can help young people demonstrate their interests, communication skills and curiosity; and the practical steps every student, graduate and school leaver can take now to strengthen their digital employability.

First, let me tell you something about my guest today, Susie Thomson. Susie has extensive experience of the background screening industry. She was formerly co-founder of Security Watchdog and chair-elect of the Professional Background Screening Association, the PBSA. With a background in risk management spanning more than 30 years, Susie has earned a well-deserved reputation as an influential figure in the area of employment screening. Her contributions played a pivotal role in transforming the British Standard in security screening, shaping it into the effective and purposeful code of practice it is today. Her expertise extends to various domains, making her an eloquent authority in security, compliance and recruitment screening. She is also passionate, like me, about improving young people's understanding of the checks they may encounter as they enter employment.

So you may have a child, grandchild, student or young person in your life who needs to hear this conversation.

Thank you, Susie, for joining me today. We're going to be talking about a subject that I think quite a lot of young people in particular don't really know about. So when we talk about social media screening, what, what do we mean? What are - what are employers looking for?

Susie Thomson (05:16)

Siân, first and foremost, thank you so much for inviting me today to talk about a subject that I am massively passionate about. Social media screening, in essence, is checking out the reputational risk to an organisation via an online footprint of an individual. So, what is an organisation looking for in undertaking a social media check? They're looking for potential risks to themselves, their customers, their colleagues. And it's all about looking at context. That's hugely important.

It's not about looking at lifestyle choices or personal opinions but it's very much a rising check in the background screening world. And what we're looking for, essentially, in undertaking those checks as screening practitioners is evidence of illegal, discriminatory or abusive behaviour which conflicts with professional standards.

So, that's it in a nutshell. That's what employers are actually looking for. And it's on the rise.

Siân Harrington (06:22)

Yes, that's interesting. I was at the PBSA annual conference you had fairly recently and there was a bit of a discussion around this. So how common is it now? And are we talking about something very formal, or is this informal? How does it work?

Susie Thomson (06:39)

That’s an interesting question. You've got various statistics across the industry about how, how much it's being utilised. So some folks are saying, you know, 70% of employers are actually deploying social media checks as part of their front-end checks, as part of their pre-employment checks. Glassdoor, for example, states that 91% of UK employers are using social media checks. There are no obvious statistics out there in the industry, but we believe that this is the case because we're seeing the growth of that particular check amongst our check scopes in the background screening industry.

So if we look at the growth of this particular check, there are certain industries where it's become formal. Keeping children safe in education guidance requests that a social media check is undertaken when teachers are, for example, background checked. It's also the case of formal recognition of this particular check in healthcare, for example. So we're seeing far more formal, regulated sectors using this particular check. And we're seeing also that organisations outside of the regulated arena are looking at a sort of formal, structured process around a social media check.

Because previously, when we in the background screening industry approached employers about this check, let's say 10 years ago, the, the question was always: what do I do with the results? How do I inform my employees or, or, or candidates about this? And it was regarded with a, a little bit of fear because there wasn't a, a proper sort of framework to be built around it.

Now social media screening organisations are able to offer employers all the tools in order to handle those results. How do they deal with those results? So yes, Google searches are still being undertaken by managers in advance of an interview. That's a given. But formal screening is most definitely more consistent and fair and auditable. And that is what is essential in this particular process.

So, yeah, back to your question, it is becoming increasingly more common and it's - there is a formality around it, but still informal social screening is going on in the background.

Siân Harrington (09:08)

It's clear there are areas where we'd want to make sure people were protected. But what other kinds of content are generally raising sort of the red flags? And are, are employers mostly looking for that risk? Or do they actually also look for positives?

Susie Thomson (09:26)

So it's a bit of both. But if we start with what this check is all about, it's a risk assessment, essentially. The sort of red flags that are being raised are items such as hate speech, discrimination, antisocial behaviour and harassment. Those are the sort of red flags. And there are keywords that are used as part of the social media check, which would then identify whether that behaviour was a red flag for an employer.

They're looking for threats of violence or any form of criminality that's, that's perhaps shown in an online presence, and also serious breaches of confidentiality. You know, if you're talking about your previous employer, for example, in, in derogatory terms, or a product that the employer had, that would be seen as a, as a breach of confidentiality. And that's clearly not a behaviour that, that organisations wish to have in their, in their business.

Content that directly conflicts with the values of the employer is also really, really critical. So very much values-driven - values, values-driven - organisations will seek individuals who share the same values or similar values and also are a really good cultural fit for that organisation. So if an individual is showing the opposite of that online, that would be a cause of concern for that particular organisation, obviously.

So they're looking more for patterns of behaviour rather than isolated instances. You know, is this recurring, repeated dialogue that we're seeing online? And is this something to be concerned about as a future employer?

So, yeah, you know, I think when you're looking at the, the positives, Siân, clearly we, we don't wish to just look at the negatives. And there are really some good things that can be drawn out of, of this. But remembering that it is a risk assessment, you know, positive indicators can build a fuller picture of the individual. I think that's really, really important.

So, so articles, items, posts around engagement, professional engagement, anything to do with volunteering, for example, is absolutely fantastic. Any thought leadership, a real-world positive. And what it does do also is it shows the sort of communication skills of an individual. You know, how are they communicating to the world? And do they show any interest in the industry perhaps that they wish to enter? I think that's really critical.

But it isn't a popularity contest, as we know, and there is a balance, clearly. But the tool is essentially used to highlight any risks to the reputation of that organisation. And that's important to remember.

Siân Harrington (12:29)

There's a couple of things there. On the value side, I think the positive there is they may be looking for people that are conflicting with values, but on the other side they're also seeing those who aren't when they're looking at it. So they're seeing those that are showing those values. So that's good.

But let's bring it then down to young people and to entry-level jobs, because I know I saw that something like 90% of all workers are on social media every day. But we know young people are living by social media. And one of the things you said there was about talking badly about a previous employer, when there's whole TikToks like WorkTok, which is all about that. People are just not thinking, I think, about what the implications are there.

So do you think young people understand that their digital footprint could be part of the hiring process, and increasingly is?

Susie Thomson (13:24)

I think we know the answer to that. And I know from personal experience, having talked to my children and grandchildren, no, they don't. They don't realise the impact of this. They, they think it's a temporary activity. There is a growing awareness, but it, it, it isn't consistent. This education of this whole piece isn't consistent. So you've got pockets of individuals aware, others completely unaware.

In fact, they're probably completely unaware of the background screening process as a precursor for them entering employment. And that's a broader discussion generally, that I think there needs to be education for young people that this is a, a stage in the onboarding process that's not going to go away. If, if anything, it's, it's likely to increase. And for a generation, for, for children who have not been asked those kind of questions about their backgrounds or about their, their social profiles, that can be very daunting.

And I think there is a real - and I'm very passionate about it - there's a real obligation. It's incumbent upon employers and the screening profession to educate children in education so that they are aware of that as they go through. And they don't see it as something to be fearful of. And they are prepared for that. That is the most important piece.

So they don't know that employers are increasingly considering online presences. That cannot be allowed to continue. Yeah.

Siân Harrington (14:58)

I think at your event again there was an interesting discussion about young people understanding data sovereignty. They understand that data may be used. Yes. And they're interested in how their data's being used, but they don't understand the digital identity that we're talking about and how that can be used.

But I guess they would, you know, they've grown up with this and they probably think, you know, well, it's unfair, or why should we? Maybe we just got into a spat with somebody and it made it look a bit bad or we've got a picture of us on Facebook from - well, it won't be Facebook today, will it? It'll probably be TikTok or something like that - from a night out.

When does that legitimate due diligence become unfair judgement? Or would you say it doesn't? I mean, everything's fair game, really?

Susie Thomson (15:27)

It's a really good question about when legitimate due diligence becomes unfair judgement. I think it's when context isn't taken into account, when context is ignored. I think that's hugely dangerous. You've got to look at everything contextually. And when screening lacks transparency or consistency, I think that is a, is a worry as well. You know, let's make people absolutely aware.

I think the check needs to be relevant to the role. It always has been in the development of background screening practices. You know, the scope of checks is always relevant to the role. So that is crucially important. And I think when decisions are made on protected characteristics, and if you're looking at protected characteristics such as race, sex, religion, all of those items, that is absolutely a no-no.

So we, we've got to have a fair playing ground here, and we've got to take into account all those points in order to make this a fair process. Context, I think, above everything, is, is hugely important. You can have a comment that, taken out of context, can seem alarming, yet actually, if one were to look at the full scope of, of, of all the posts, is, is actually a, a fair response to, to a, a subject matter. So I think context is key for, for me.

Siân Harrington (17:26)

And do you think that, like LinkedIn? So of course LinkedIn is part of this conversation, and we, we often think about the media - the social media that we might use more in our personal life, if I can call it that - whereas we see LinkedIn more as professional. Is LinkedIn becoming essential for everybody who's trying to get work? Or is it just still for the professionals? Or the corporate world? How do you see LinkedIn playing out now?

Susie Thomson (17:50)

That's a very interesting question with regards to how LinkedIn plays out. So I have two relatives who have just recently left university. And my assumption was that they would have been informed about LinkedIn, the benefits of LinkedIn in creating a network. Not one little bit.

And actually, their first entry - and, and, you know, these are, these are bright individuals from top universities - their first entry on LinkedIn didn't do them any justice because they really didn't know how to present themselves. Or I've seen cases where people have felt that they'd need to aggrandise their LinkedIn profile so much so that you'd look at it and think you've got a genius on your hands here, because they simply have not been advised that actually moderation is - and a bit of humility is - attractive to employers, rather than pumping yourself full of good news all the time.

So I think that kind of assistance from universities would be great. LinkedIn is hugely useful. It's useful for networking, as we all know. And it's useful if you're curious about connecting with people who may be able to help you with your career. So I think young people need to be informed about LinkedIn and, and the value of LinkedIn.

And we're seeing it grow very quickly but we're also seeing young people coming out of university, perhaps not, not putting their best foot forward, or putting a foot that's so brilliant forward that people think this can't be true. So I think it has a very important role, and that there needs to be further guidance for young people on LinkedIn.

Siân Harrington (19:38)

And, of course, being on LinkedIn, also you can see and read and hear and discover how other people show themselves authentically. So it's really good in its own right as a learning place for helping you with communication generally.

Susie Thomson (19:53)

Yeah, I totally agree. And, that said, with regards to these two relatives, they have improved their LinkedIn profile and, and, and nurtured it to the point that it now looks professional and allows them to put their best foot forward without appearing too, too kind of verbose and great about themselves. So I, I definitely do agree with you there.

Siân Harrington (20:17)

Yeah. But talking about things like LinkedIn and the use of social media screening on LinkedIn, on other social media, does this give a disadvantage to people maybe from less privileged backgrounds? Because, we're having this conversation. You're talking about your children and how you can advise them. I'm talking about a family member that I talk to. We have more knowledge about this. So perhaps that knowledge isn't as ubiquitous as we'd like. So are we in danger here of, of not helping people who may need help?

Susie Thomson (20:54)

I think that's a very interesting question. You know, does it disadvantage young people from less privileged backgrounds? I think it can do if, if it's not conducted carefully. I think cultural biases can creep in, socioeconomic biases can creep in. I think we need to be very careful of that. We need to make sure that fairness remains at the centre of, of everything that we do.

And I've - I, I'm, I'm adamant that that is the, the whole kind of core to social media checking. I think when I talked previously about structured assessments, evidence-based assessments, that is absolutely key. But to - in answer to your question - it could do. But we as an industry have to make sure that we've got the right guardrails there and the right processes to avoid any biases creeping in.

And the background screening industry is very conscious of that, which is why they build their portals and their decision-making risk matrices all on a fair premise.

Siân Harrington (22:07)

The fact that nobody knows about this, I just wonder how transparent it is out there. What responsibility do employers have here to make it transparent that they are doing this type of screening?

Susie Thomson (22:18)

Yeah, I think it all starts with employers being given the tools if they are working with a, a social media checking company. The employer being given the tools in order to inform the candidates or applicants well in advance of the process. It's absolutely critical that everything is transparent, that the individual being screened knows what the process is where data is drawn from or looked at, so that they feel comfortable that they are still in control, but that this check is necessary for them to be engaged with that particular organisation.

So I think it's all about the responsibility of the background screening industry to educate the employers, the employers to educate the individuals. That said if we can speed up and, and give access to the background checking industry to help educate students - and certainly we're working with organisations such as Jisc and Prospects to do that - that will be, well, that will be essential. Because therein we're helping the employer right at the start to educate young people who will go through the process informed before they reach the employment stage. So it won't come as a surprise.

So, yes, employers need to do a lot to inform their candidates, but it's also incumbent upon our industry to support that. Just as, you know, it's incumbent upon our industry to support credit checks, the education around credit checks. You know, what does it mean if you've got a CCJ? How can you satisfy that particular county court judgement? All those pieces of information that take away the angst in a process and enable a, a fair chance for all individuals going through that process.

Siân Harrington (24:19)

So, AI's everywhere at the moment and no doubt is having an impact in the background screening industry. How does AI change this? Are we moving towards automated digital reputation checks? Are people already doing that? Where do we sit on that one at the moment?

Susie Thomson (24:40)

Yeah, you'll recall, Siân, AI was a massive topic at the PBSA's conference in London this year, and it is now very, very visible in our industry. And it's interesting that clients are asking what part of the process is AI-driven. They're far more comfortable if some of the back-end processes within a screening organisation are AI-driven to push for efficiency, speed, et cetera, to gather large volumes of information and to, to digest that.

But they're not so keen on the front-end piece. And that's where human judgement is absolutely critical in this process. So if AI can work comfortably with human judgement and human intervention, then I think we've got a really good product. AI cannot be allowed to take over that human judgement thing, nor do I think it will be allowed.

I mean, we've got a lawsuit at the moment in the States with regards to the way that AI has created some bias in the pre-screening of candidate CVs. And that's a really interesting case because I think that will define a lot of the rules going forward about how far AI can go in, in the whole onboarding process.

So yes, AI has a role in gathering data, large volumes of data, and helping humans digest that. But the judgement needs to be human judgement so that we can give some real context to the results that we're offered.

Siân Harrington (26:18)

As we come to the end, let's bring it back round to young people. So, here's some sage advice from you. So, what three things should every student, graduate, school leaver - what should they do this week to improve their digital employability?

Susie Thomson (26:36)

Yeah, absolutely. So be curious. Google yourself and find out what is publicly available about yourself, on your profile. Create a LinkedIn profile or update your LinkedIn profile. Make it professional, look at what others are writing and work on that, and put your best foot forward.

Remove any content that you think is unsatisfactory or that could cause alarm from your digital profile, from your social media. Remove it. I think that is the best advice.

And I think, you know, start engaging with your chosen industry and use LinkedIn to do that. There are some really great employers looking for really great people. And with the right profile and with the right energy, the right curiosity, you will get that.

Siân Harrington (27:29)

Well, that's something I know we both feel very passionate about, and particularly at the moment where throughout the world actually, let alone the, the UK, where we've got one million young people not in employment, education or training. But, you know, throughout the world we're seeing AI impacting entry-level jobs, and it's becoming harder and harder to stand out.

So I think that's really great advice. So thank you so much for sharing your expertise and knowledge today, and I'm sure it will be very well received by a lot of young people out there.

Susie Thomson (28:04)

Thank you, Siân. Thank you for having me.

Siân Harrington (28:06)

That was Susie Thomson explaining why every young person entering work needs to understand their digital identity. What I'm taking away from this is that employability is about far more than avoiding embarrassing photographs or deleting an ill-judged post. A young person's online presence can also show curiosity, communication skills, voluntary work, interests, projects and engagement with the industry they hope to enter. It can help an employer see the person behind a relatively short CV.

Susie's advice is practical. Google yourself and see what's publicly visible. Review anything that could be misunderstood or raise legitimate concerns. Create or improve your LinkedIn profile. And begin engaging with the organisations, subjects and people connected to the work you would like to do.

The aim is not to construct a polished, artificial version of yourself. Personality and individuality still matter. The aim is to understand the impression your digital activity creates and to take some ownership of it.

There is also a wider lesson here. Schools, universities, careers services, employers and the screening industry all have a responsibility to explain these processes. Access to work should not depend on whether a young person happens to have a parent, lecturer or well-connected relative who understands these unwritten rules.

Thanks for listening to Work's Not Working... Let's Fix It! I'm Siân Harrington. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and follow me on LinkedIn. For more bold ideas and practical insight into the future of work, head to www.thepeoplespace.com.

This episode was produced by Nigel Pritchard. Until next time, stay bold, stay curious and let's redesign work for everyone. Goodbye.