20 types of red flag behavior found on social media background checks

Several months ago, we published a blog post featuring twenty different types of red flag social media behavior. We conduct thousands of social media reports a month, and during the process we discover a great deal of content that is sexually explicit, violent, illegal, and racist or intolerant. In fact, approximately 10% of our reports come back with flagged behavior.

The following content consists of twenty more examples of real content that we have found while completing our reports, often at the stage in the hiring process where a job offer has been contingent on passing a background check. Names and usernames have been redacted to protect the privacy of these individuals.

*Warning: The following content is graphic in nature and suitable for mature eyes only*

Potentially Unlawful Activity

"Thanks for the stolen goods."

"How unprofessional would it be of me to use my fake id at a happy hour on the company's dollar in front of the VP? Don't care. #corporateswag."

"Turns out siphoning gas IS as easy as it looks on TV, I was just doing it wrong."

Potentially Violent Behavior

"Its unbelievable how many people at this school don't watch football #deservetobeshot."

"Violence is not the answer. It is the question. The answer is yes."

"I'm not in the mood today. Screw with me and I will cut you like bad bangs."

Racism or Demonstrations of Intolerance

"Girls are such sluts."

"Arubians just don't understand when to shutup do they?"

"Don't be a p**** that movies not scary #notparalyzed."

Sexually Explicit Material

"Do prostitutes give birthday discounts? Asking for a friend."

"Even the monkeys have gotten more a** than I have this year."

"Watching stoolsnaps right now is essentially watching softcore porn, very edgy."

Are you concerned that your employees or candidates might be posting this type of content on their social media accounts and profiles? Reach out to one of our sales reps to learn more about how social media hiring reports can help you make legally compliant hiring decisions.

Contributing author: Caitlin Rogers