Facebook Can Tell Employers If You're Hirable

"Information readily available on social networking sites might not be legal to ascertain or could increase the liability of an organization because of the potential for adverse impact," the researchers note in the paper. For example, hiring managers are not supposed to ask candidates questions about race or religion, but this information is often easy to find on Facebook, whether employers are explicitly looking for it or not. "Although some employers might attempt to focus on job-related social networking information, there is also nonjob-relevant information that could be used inappropriately for evaluating applicants ... resulting in biased hiring decisions."

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