Does Facebook screening by employers lead to workplace discrimination?

We're constantly told to beware of how we portray ourselves online. Social media is now a commonplace recruiting tool for employers, and one bad tweet or tagged photo from years ago could jeopardize your chances with a company. Several of my friends have gone so far as to change their Facebook names to a nickname or delete their accounts entirely to avoid scrutiny by potential employers.

The importance of monitoring our online presence is something we're all pretty much aware of. But a more interesting question: Is it fair that employers are using social media to screen candidates? Are they really ending up with better, more qualified employees by weeding out people based on their profiles?

Federal employment laws prohibit employers from discriminating from hiring people based on age, family medical history, religion or pregnancy status. However, a quick scan of a Facebook profile can often reveal several of those factors, depending on the person's privacy settings. Moreover, older people are less inclined to use computers, so screening based on social media presence could put these people at a disadvantage. Some of these issues were raised at an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission meeting last week.

Most of the hearing dealt with hiring practices and how employers use social media to screen candidates. The problem I find is that's difficult to monitor. Most sites don't allow users to track who has viewed their profile, except LinkedIn, which is inherently much more professional than personal. If an employer visited a candidate's Facebook page and saw that he/she was Muslim, or if a company like Chick-fil-A founded on Christian values saw that a potential new employee was gay and did not call him/her for an interview, how could the employer's bias be proven or disproven? It'd be pretty tough.

But aside from the risk of discrimination, employers may have another incentive to adopt strict guidelines for social media screening. A new study reveals that candidates who know they have been screened for professionalism on social media adopt a more negative perception of the company. This finding is consistent with rising concerns over invasion of privacy online. The most qualified candidates likely will choose between several job offers, so hearing that they've been snooped on may sway their decision and backfire on the company.

A few days ago, I got a friend request from a public relations company on Facebook and was very taken aback. My Facebook privacy settings are as private as they go, so I knew the company couldn't view any of my photos or personal information, but I found myself in a dilemma.... Do I accept the request and allow the firm to see everything (some of which they might deem unfit for their company culture) or do I deny it, which might seem offensive or suspicious and also jeopardize my prospects?

These are sticky questions that don't have a clear-cut answer. The landscape for job recruiting is constantly shifting because of social media and federal regulations haven't yet caught up. It will be interesting to see how the EEOC handles some of these issues about social media screening and how employers respond. But for now, it's better to play it safe by keeping a clean social media profile and letting our skills win us the job.