In today’s internet-driven world, employers have never had more options from which to recruit new hires. Sites like Zip Recruiter, Monster.com, and Career Builder specialize in talent acquisition, serving as stand-alone classified pages of sorts. Employers also can utilize ever-present social media channels, like Facebook and LinkedIn, to find the best candidate for a position. The old rules of hiring, however, still apply even to these modern recruiting avenues.

Recently, the Communications Workers of America (“CWA”) filed a class action lawsuit against Amazon, T-Mobile, Cox Communications, and Cox Media group alleging age discrimination in their Facebook ads. Specifically, the complaint alleges these employers, and many others, have adjusted the settings on their job advertisements to target potential employees under 40. Furthermore, Facebook has a feature that allows the advertiser to see why an individual saw the specific add (i.e., did he or she meet the targeting criteria for the ad).

This suit poses many interesting questions. First, does advertising on Facebook and other social media sites alone mean the pool from which employers are pulling candidates skews younger, or is social media so ubiquitous that it does not make a difference?  If the ubiquity of social media means it does not create discrimination issues, then can employers engage in targeted advertising?  In other words, are there non-discriminatory criteria employers can use to take advantage of social media’s wealth of built-in information?  Can they create ads that will reach those best qualified to apply versus creating a general ad that may flood their HR team with wholly unqualified applicants?

Another interesting question will be how social media differs from traditional advertising. In an earlier era, employers could similarly target younger applicants by selecting when and where they advertise. For example, an employer could take out an ad in a magazine it knows is popular among the age 18-35 demographic. Or a company could advertise a job opening during a television show popular with the same section of the population. Is advertising through targeted Facebook ads truly different simply because there is written proof the employer selected an age range?

These are all very complex questions that do not have an immediate answer. Employers, however, always need to be cognizant of how and to whom they focus their job-opening advertisements so as not to run afoul of the various anti-discrimination laws – or even draw unwanted attention from plaintiff’s lawyers or labor unions. We are happy to advise and assist in creating hiring processes and policies that will both protect your business and help you find the best candidates for your positions.