IT departments in all industries are concerned about hackers dialing into company records and targeting employees, driving new pushes to secure data. Recruiters may be particularly vulnerable. It makes sense for cybercriminals to target businesses that rely on their cloud-based systems, which means protecting recruiters is more important than ever.

Who Is Most Targeted by Cyberattacks? 

A recent Cisco study found that 86% of companies had at least one user attempt to connect to a phishing site and 48% found information-stealing malware on their systems. It makes sense that industries that store a lot of sensitive information for their users are highly coveted by cybercriminals. 

If you want people to entrust you with their personal details, they must believe you’ll protect their sensitive data. Knowing what the common threats are can help you avoid an incident and subsequent crisis control measures.

1. Phishing

Phishing is one of the most common ways companies get hacked — an employee clicks on a link and is sent to a site with keystroke tracking or downloads malware. Train your workers to never click on links in emails, even if the message looks official. They should always go directly to the website address. 

If an employee is uncertain, they should contact the person who supposedly sent the email via another form of communication, such as a phone call or text message. While some links are okay and sent by legitimate contacts, many are unsafe — especially those sent to recruiters, who often work with new or unfamiliar people. 

2. Connected Devices

The world is more connected than ever before, with billions of devices tapping into the Internet of Things (IoT). Every device connected to a network via IoT creates another potential vulnerability. 

Ask workers to download the latest virus protection and put security policies in place to avoid opening your data up to hackers. Even simple apps that workers may have downloaded on work devices can create havoc. One example is WhatsApp, which compromised the information of 1.5 billion users when hackers installed software and accessed personal data. 

Be aware of how your staff taps into the IoT and how it might impact your network if they access your databases on the same device. 

3. Surroundings

A lack of awareness can create a situation where passwords and other sensitive data fall into the wrong hands. For example, imagine a remote employee goes to a nearby coffee shop and logs into the system. If they aren’t careful to protect their login credentials, someone could learn how to easily hack into the system. 

By the same token, users should only access the system on secure networks. Accessing sensitive information on a public network at a hotel or public library Wi-Fi will require more safeguards than the average person utilizes.  

4. Camera Hacking

With more people working from home, virtual meetings have become more commonplace. Unfortunately, a new threat to security is camera hacking. 

The hacker gets access to the computer’s camera when the user downloads a virus via phishing or unsecured networks. The cybercriminal now can listen in on video conferencing, learn insider secrets and gain valuable data. Users may not even realize they’re being spied on.

The best way to protect yourself from this threat is to ensure antivirus software is kept updated and run regular scans on the system. 

5. Ransomware

You’ve likely heard of ransomware and big corporations paying millions of dollars to stop the attack and get back to business. The issue with paying cyberterrorists a ransom is that it breeds more of them and encourages criminals to attack other brands — big and small. 

The number of cyberattacks has increased since the pandemic. It’s tempting to just pay the ransom to regain access to your network, but there’s no guarantee you’ll actually get your data back. Hackers can also keep customers’ private data or dox them. 

Before you face a situation where hackers demand payment, establish a policy for how you’ll handle ransomware. If you’re regularly backing up your site, you might choose to shut things down and restore it back to normal. The best policy is to prevent the attack in the first place, so spend time shoring up your firewalls and security policies. 

6. Disgruntled Employees

Unfortunately, you might run into a situation where a former employee put in backdoor access to your system or still has login credentials. If they were fired or left on bad terms, they might want to do maximum damage to your company’s reputation.

They might sell the login information to hackers or steal information and form their own recruiting agency. Make it a policy to shut down access before letting an employee go. If they give notice, immediately turn off their access to databases and other sensitive details. Regularly change passwords for systems. Review who accesses your systems each day. 

Create a Cybersecurity Policy

The threat of hackers grows every year as more people work remotely and companies do business increasingly online. Your first step to ensuring you keep user data safe is to create a cybersecurity policy.

When your employees understand the best way to protect sensitive information, it’s much less likely data will fall into the wrong hands. Protect your customers and employees from cybercriminals by shoring up your policies before cyberthieves slip through any holes in your security.

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The Pros of Screening Applicants on Social Media

Below are the benefits of screening applicants on social media.

Provides You With a Direct Link to Contact Candidates

Hiring isn’t always easy. You have to sift through hundreds of applications, and sometimes it can seem like there are too many qualified candidates.

However, social media gives HR reps a way to find out more about applicants. Once you’ve found someone who looks like a good fit, you can reach out to them directly on social media. This works best since it allows both parties to get to know each other better before making any commitments.

Identifies Qualified Candidates

If you’re only looking at resumes from people with a certain level of education or experience, it’s easy to miss out on someone who doesn’t fit that profile but could still be an excellent fit. By including social media as part of your screening process, you can cast a wider net and potentially find better candidates than would have been available otherwise.

Saves Time and Money

When deciding if an applicant is right for your business, social media can help you quickly get a sense of who they are, what they’re about and how well they will fit in with your team. It can also save you money by preventing errors in recruitment. When using traditional methods like resumes and interviews, you have to pay for each step of the process. With social media screening, it’s all done online — providing you with more freedom and flexibility at no cost to you.

The Cons of Screening Applicants on Social Media

Here are the drawbacks to consider when screening candidates on social media.

Unreliable Source of Information

Screening applicants’ profiles can be risky as it can be challenging to determine whether they are qualified for the role. Though social media gives you some insight into their personality and character, some people post about themselves in a way that can be deceiving. Even if they’re being honest, there’s always a possibility they’ve chosen to share something that doesn’t represent their overall personality or work ethic.

It Can Be Unethical

Screening applicants on social media can be unethical in various ways. For one, it may violate their privacy rights, especially if employers ask candidates for login credentials. This is against the law in over 20 states today.

Secondly, it can lead to the risk of discrimination. Any applicant can claim you saw information that shows their ethnicity, religion and private information — and they can claim you used that to make a final decision and launch a lawsuit.

May Increase Bias

Bias can occur when an employer screens an applicant for specific qualities, but their social media profile misrepresents their personality and information. During the screening process, this may lead the employer to make a swift decision about the applicant.

For example, an employer might look at a candidate’s Instagram profile and see they have posted pictures of themselves drinking alcohol or partying with friends. The employer may think this person would not fit in with their company culture or disrupt office harmony. If this kind of screening occurs regularly in an organization, it can tread the thin line between protecting company culture on the one hand and bias against people who are not like-minded or those with different lifestyles on the other.

What to Look for on Potential Candidates’ Social Media Profiles

If you are interested in screening applicants’ social media profiles correctly, consider implementing these tips below.

1. A Strong Network of Connections and Followers

Looking for applicants on social media with a strong network of connections is crucial because they are likelier to be honest, hard-working and trustworthy. When looking at the people in an applicant’s network, you can see the type of person they are, their interests and how they live. If you check their network, you can tell if they may be the right fit for the organization because it gives you an idea of who they like to interact with online.

2. An Active and Professional Presence

Suppose a candidate has a professional presence on social media. This will tell you much about who they are and how they fit into your company culture.

Having an active and professional presence on social media shows the person regularly engages with their community, which means they’re likely to be involved at your business. A lively social media presence can also mean they’re conscientious of their online reputation. This is important when looking for new hires who represent your organization well in public spaces like social media.

3. Questionable Content

A company’s reputation is a considerable part of its success and hiring the wrong people can have serious consequences. If you have an employee with questionable content, it can be a big mistake for your business. Even if the applicant may be good at their job, they might not be the best person to represent your organization if they’re posting inappropriate things on social media.

4. Inconsistencies Across Profiles

When looking for your next hire, looking for applicants on social media with inconsistencies across profiles is essential. These inconsistencies can help you weed out applicants with fake accounts or applicants who may try to lie about their experience. For instance, if they claim they graduated from MIT, but their LinkedIn profile says they went to a different school, this could be a red flag.

5. Evaluate the Person’s Tone and Attitude Toward Others

Evaluating an applicant’s tone is a way to assess their ability to communicate effectively, which is vital in any job. It can also reveal how well they fit in with their current team, how willing they are to take criticism, and whether or not they have an appropriate sense of humor.

If you have a candidate who seems perfect on paper but has an unprofessional attitude toward others — even if it’s over text — it may be best to pass them up. Not only will this person likely have trouble fitting in with your team, but they’ll also be hard to work with in general.

Using Social Media as a Hiring Tool

Many employers use social media to screen applicants because it can help them make better hiring decisions. Yet, while there are some ethical and legal concerns, screening social media profiles has become an accepted practice in most industries.

Of course, you’ll have to be aware that some social media profiles don’t accurately reflect the person applying for the job. Therefore, that is something to be mindful of when screening applicants’ social media profiles. Incorporate these tips into your screening strategy to make the most of recruiting people who fit within your company’s team and culture.

The post Should You Screen Applicant Social Media Profiles? appeared first on RecruitingDaily.

Most hiring starts online, where it’s easy to impersonate someone else or create an entirely fake profile. While it’s common to see fake profiles on social media platforms like Facebook or dating apps like Tinder, it’s now becoming a serious issue for HR professionals.

Why Fake Job Applicant Scams are on the Rise

One reason why fake applicant scams are becoming more common is because of the remote work environment many companies have in the post-pandemic era. Hiring managers and other HR experts prioritize remote interviews and phone calls, allowing flexibility for job applicants. Scam artists are essentially exploiting the remote work trend by applying to jobs with ill intentions. 

When a scammer is hired, they can wreak havoc on the company they’re “working” for. They can launch cyber attacks or steal sensitive data, such as personally identifiable information (PII). 

Research suggests that breaches caused by remote workers averaged $1.07 million higher than those that did not occur on remote devices.

The number of fake job applicants is increasing, making your recruiting efforts much more labor-intensive than they already are. In addition to sifting through hundreds or thousands of candidates for open roles, you now have to beware of fake profiles applying to those jobs.

How to Spot a Fake Job Applicant

The scams are increasing so much that the FBI released a public service announcement with information and tips on spotting these fake applicants. Scammers are going as far as using deepfake technology. 

The FBI’s PSA defines deepfakes as any altered video, image or recording manipulated to misrepresent someone saying or doing something they don’t actually say or do. A popular example of deepfake technology is the viral videos of “fake” Tom Cruise acting silly on the widely used app TikTok.

As a professional in the HR and recruitment industry, you must be aware of the rise in fake job applicants and how to identify them. This way, you can save your company time, effort and money by preventing potential cyber-attacks. 

1. Resume Reads Like a Manual

If a candidate’s resume reads more like a manual or states the job description word for word, it could be a scammer. While many candidates, including those who are who they say they are, understand that resumes must pass through new applicant tracking systems (ATSs), scammers will try to oversell themselves on their resumes. 

Having a few buzzwords or keywords in a resume is never bad, but having too many could be a sign that the candidate is fake. Be sure to check resumes thoroughly and trust your gut.

2. LinkedIn Profile is Empty or Says “Self-Employed” Without Details

If there’s little to no information on the candidate’s LinkedIn profile, it could be a scammer. Most real, true candidates looking for open roles will fill in their LinkedIn profiles to ensure they include all of their educational achievements and professional experience. 

Additionally, if a profile says the individual is “self-employed,” with no other context, they could be fake. Freelancing is common, so it’s fair to say freelancers could be applying to your jobs. However, take some time to dig a bit deeper — see if the individual has their own company, has any prior experience or if they have connections on their LinkedIn profile.

3. Sends Long Emails or Messages with Errors

Another sign that an applicant is a scammer is if they send long emails or messages with grammatical or spelling errors. If you have an email, you’ve probably received a spam email telling you you’ve won a prize or need to send money to a specific address. 

These fake emails are similar to the messages you receive on LinkedIn or other online job boards. Give all correspondence a spelling and grammar check before replying, as this is a clear sign that the applicant is fake. One or two typos might not seem like a big deal, but most qualified candidates will check their spelling and grammar before sending messages to a hiring manager or recruiter.

4. Incorrect Dates for Graduation or Work History

Fake candidates may put in years of education or professional experience that never really happened to try and trick recruiters. They may claim to have a university degree or have worked for a company for years. While double-checking the dates and years on someone’s resume might take a long time, it’s crucial to spot a fake applicant. 

Consider checking the dates of employment or time spent at a university to see if the candidate is telling the truth. You can also try contacting the college or university your candidate claims to have earned a degree from with a quick phone call. 

Protect Your Company From Potential Scams

There is no question that recruiting high-performing candidates is a struggle in today’s labor market. In addition to finding the perfect candidate for your open roles, you now have to be vigilant and protect your company’s integrity by weeding out fake job applicants. Consider the tips above to identify phony job candidates so you can keep your recruiting efforts focused on real individuals.

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