Employers who scan social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook to screen potential employees could be at risk of legal action, according to research published by psychology consultancy OPP.

The company says that a candidate rejected for a role may be entitled to claim the decision had been made on ‘subjective biases’ instead of through ‘work related criteria’ if it can be established that their social media feeds have been read prior to their interview.

The consultancy surveyed 1,000 people, and found that two-thirds of employers checked social networking sites to gauge candidates.

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