Mediaboss Marketing

Q. Can I use social networking websites to screen potential job candidates?

Social networking websites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn provide a wealth of information to employers seeking to learn more about potential job candidates during the recruitment process. With that abundant amount of information, however, employers may gain knowledge that cannot be used in making employment determinations and could result in legal repercussions.

For example, an individual's online profile may show previous job experiences, educational background, or connections with other employees. On the other hand, such websites may reveal an individual's sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status and health issues. New Jersey's law against discrimination, as well as various federal statutes, prohibit employers from engaging in discrimination based on these and other characteristics when interviewing, recruiting, hiring, or promoting employees. Once the employer gains information about these traits while viewing an individual's social networking profile, it may prove impossible to separate that information from consideration during the hiring process.

How do employers take advantage of the vast amount of helpful information available through online social networking websites without transgressing the law and creating an opportunity for litigation? One potential solution is to implement a "screening" process to keep potentially problematic information from reaching those responsible for hiring decisions.

By designating one individual or a third party to conduct online searches of prospective employees, any "tainted" information can be removed from the search results. A separate individual or group could then interview candidates and make the ultimate hiring determination, thus insulating the process from the infected information. Employers should implement a company policy regarding how such information is gathered and reviewed during the employment process to avoid practices that could be viewed as discriminatory.

Because each business situation is unique, employers should consult with an attorney about drafting such a policy to meet the individual needs of his or her particular business.

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Careful Using Info on Social Media for Hiring

Credit: Tetra images/Getty Images

By MICHAEL FALCONE (@michaelpfalcone) and AMY WALTER (@amyewalter)

NOTABLES:

And another group, Crossroads GPS, announced this weekend they would be unveiling specific ads targeting House and Senate candidates on the health care issue. Heres one calling on North Dakota Senate candidate Heidi Heitkamp to support repeal of the law. The ad is titled Tax, and was updated to reflects the courts ruling. WATCH: http://bit.ly/LUFyaE

THE NOTE:

Its a bird, its a plane! Its a tax, its a penalty!

Ever since last Thursdays Supreme Court decision that ruled the Obama administrations signature health care reform law constitutional, both Democrats and Republicans laced up their running shoes for a sprint to the dictionary.

The keyword: tax.

Republicans want to bake the idea that the health care law imposes a tax into the cake. While Democrats, on the other hand, are loathe to refer to it in those terms.

White House Chief of Staff Jack Lew insisted, repeatedly, in interviews this weekend that under the law refusal to buy insurance would amount to a penalty and Obama campaign aides echoed the White House line, calling it a a free loader penalty.

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Health Care Ruling Turns 'Tax' Into A Four-Letter Word

Occasionally, players actually retire from the NFL of their own volition. More often than not, though, they are pointed toward the recliner by the job market, or the lack of one, nudged into civilian life on someone else's terms rather than their own. You think Hines Ward and LaDainian Tomlinson, arguably the two highest profile league veterans to announce their departures from the NFL in recent months, would have chosen wing-tips over football cleats if some franchise had offered either of them a legitimate opportunity to play in 2012, along with a contract worth more than the veteran minimum base salary? OK, maybe Ward and Tomlinson said all of the right things at their exit press conferences. It's hard to believe, though, the competitive fires just went out of either man, like some flickering pilot light. Instead, it was extinguished by the indifference demonstrated both of them. Ward and Tomlinson might walk into the Hall of Fame someday, but no NFL franchise was willing to grant them a chance to run out onto the field anymore. Guys like Matt Light, who'd essentially had enough after 11 seasons of pounding heads, much of the time spent quietly battling Crohn's Disease, are few and far between. Likewise, offensive lineman Jacob Bell, who walked away at just 31 years of age because of his fear of concussions, is a rare example. Injuries play some role in many retirement decisions, but inertia in the market is a much bigger reason. With roughly four weeks to go until training camps open at the end of the month, Tomlinson and Ward figure to be joined by several others in retirement. Some of them, for sure, are in their football dotage. Others are simply in decline. But the more appropriate "D"-word is disinterest. For the players with contracts, the anticipation has begun toward the start of the serious work for the 2012 season. For the guys without deals, the "60 Second"-style ticking in the background is likely the countdown to the end of their careers. And it is, some unemployed players and desperate agents have suggested in recent weeks, a faint but frightful noise. "A guy plays eight, nine, 10 years, whatever, it's hard to walk away," acknowledged one high profile agent who just recently located a one-year, minimum salary deal for a player, but who still has a few veterans hoping to catch on somewhere. "And it's almost as hard to tell them there's nothing out there. The toughest noise right now is the noise of the phone not ringing." Most league coaches and front office executives are on vacation, satisfied with their camp rosters, and unlikely to make changes. Unless they can be reached at the beach or on the golf course, they aren't thinking much about football. And thinking even less about the remnant subset of free agents. By unofficial count, there are still 136 of the original unrestricted free agents from the 2012 class still without contracts, and that's not counting the "vested" veterans who were released since the start of free agency. Given the volume of free agent deals in the spring, it's hard to believe there are that many idle players, but there are. Counting both groups, 26 former first-round draft picks are looking for work. Once coveted players such as Plaxico Burress, Cadillac Williams, Roy Williams and Jeremy Shockey don't have jobs. More than two dozen players who each started 10 or more games in 2011 remain unsigned. There are a few players whose agents suggest, as Pat Dye did last week when referencing linebacker Keith Brooking, are seeking the "right situation." That's typically code for a lack of action. But there are even more guys looking for any situation that might provide them one more year of a salary that, even at minimum standards, still outdistances what they are likely to earn in the real world. And which delays their retirements. "This is the time of year where, if you've still got a few players looking, you work as hard as at any time of the year," said agent Albert Elias, who is still attempting to find landing spots for a few clients. "You turn over every stone." Unfortunately, the NFL turns over bodies, too. So when the calendar flipped over to July on Sunday, it augured the start of the final weeks of vacation for a lot of players. And it likely signaled the beginning of the end for many others. Len Pasquarelli is a Senior NFL Writer for the Sports Xchange.

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Pasquarelli: "D" word pushing veterans toward retirement

By Janese Silvey

Monday, July 2, 2012

University of Missouri Press employees reported to work as usual this morning, even though the phase-out of the university system's publishing house officially started yesterday.

It's unclear when the press office will actually close. UM System spokeswoman Jennifer Hollingshead said there is no timeline, even though the system 2013 budget, which no longer includes a $400,000 subsidy for the press, went into effect yesterday.

There were no signs of the office closing shop this morning at the building off LeMone Industrial Boulevard. The titles still in print were on display on a front office bookshelf, and copies of the current catalog were up for grabs at the reception desk. Also on display was a copy of the press's history by former interim UM President Melvin George, written to mark its 50th anniversary four years ago.

Employees declined to come out of their offices to speak with a Tribune reporter. No press employee has left since May, when UM President Tim Wolfe made the announcement that the press would close, interim director Dwight Browne said last week, clarifying misinformation the MU Faculty Council had received.

Reached by phone, Editor-in-Chief Clair Willcox said he and another acquisitions manager at the UM Press expect to be the first to go, although they have not yet received a layoff date. Some employees could remain on the payroll through late fall, he said, because the UM Press is contractually committed to a fall list of books that still must be edited, designed, produced, distributed and marketed.

"We have not been given a timeline in terms of when we will be laid off as individuals or an exact timeline for when the press itself will end," publicity manager Jennifer Gravley said in a phone conversation.

Wolfe has said the Columbia campus is exploring ideas for a new type of press that would be self-supporting. Those involved in the discussions on campus said it is too early to announce details, although the system has suggested student interns would be used.

Ned Stuckey-French is in the English department at Florida State University and is helping to lead efforts to protest the closure. He fears a new model will ignore the need for a professional editorial staff and a marketing department. He also worries any new press would live off proceeds from the existing back list of 2,000 titles the UM Press created over its 54-year history.

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UM Press employees await word on layoffs

Listen to our ten favourite new tracks this week, including Alicia Keys, Lady GaGa and Muse.

Alicia Keys: 'New Day' Following up 2009's The Element of Freedom is going to be no mean feat for Alicia Keys, but judging by this new track she released online last week, she's taking it all in her stride. Better yet, she's steered clear of the current dance trend in favour of classic R&B beats. RC

The Bullitts: 'World Inside Your Rainbow' (out now) UK band The Bullitts are quickly rising through the ranks of the music biz, which has so far led to three of their songs being labelled 'The Hottest Record in the World' by Radio 1's Zane Lowe. With their own brand of evocative, summery and reggae-flecked sound , it's not difficult to see why. RC

Little Mix: 'Wings' (released August 19) Before the last piece of confetti has even hit the arena floor during the X Factor finale result, the public speculate over what the winning act's first single proper will be like. For 2011 winners Little Mix, the answer is a blooming good pop tune complete with clap-happy beats, sassy brass and harmonies tighter than the government's budget. LC

Lady GaGa: 'Princess Die' According to GaGa herself, this track that she debuted at a concert last week "may or may not" be on her next album. As the title suggests it's not the most upbeat of numbers, but given she insists that it's in "no way reflective of the rest of the sound of the album", we'll enjoy it while we can. RC

Muse: 'Survival' (out now) Nobody expected Muse's comeback track to be the official soundtrack to the London 2012 Olympics. However, with their traditional blend of British alternative rock and a chorus bigger than the Olympic Stadium, it's a decision well judged. LC

George Michael: 'White Light' (released August 12) Truth be told, we're still not 100% convinced on George Michael's latest effort, but we're pleased to have him back all the same. While the lyrics leave little to the imagination ("I'm back, prouder than ever baby"), his voice remains as striking as ever. RC

Lupe Fiasco: 'Around My Way (Freedom Ain't Free)' (release date tbc) The frustratingly under-appreciated rapper finally found US success with last year's Lasers, though he is yet to fully establish himself in British waters. 'Around My Way' is the lead track from his upcoming two-part album called Food & Liquor II and sees him blending vintage soul with his sharp and intriguing rhymes. RC

Aiden Grimshaw: 'Curtain Call' (released August 12) It's rare that a contestant from The X Factor who finished in ninth place gets a fully-fledged shot at stardom, but an undeniable talent like Aiden Grimshaw is far from the traditional talent show mould. 'Curtain Call' reinforces the star's alternative approach to life after The X Factor with a burly but soulful '90s-sounding ballad. LC

Bastille: 'Bad Blood' (released August 20) Dan Smith-fronted band Bastille have quickly cemented themselves as the UK's most exciting new alternative act. After releasing debut single 'Overjoyed', performing shows across the country and recording a sublime cover of Corona's 'Rhythm of the Night', new cut 'Bad Blood' will only continue to increase their ever-growing fanbase. LC

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Playlist: 10 tracks you need to hear