Companies checking Facebook prior to hiring

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MedicCallie

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A lot of ambulance companies and police departments have started implanting the practice of checking your Facebook account prior to hiring.

Has your company started this? What do you think about it?
 
I must be one of the few people on the planet that don't have to worry about it. No Facebook, MySpace (for you internet old timers), Google+, or Twitter accounts to worry about.
 
They aren't going to be able to see anything. I lock my account down to anyone who is not a friend. You can't google my name and find my facebook profile, nor can you gain any access by being a "friend of a friend." I don't have much to hide, but no reason to allow your bosses access as far as I am concerned. The ambulance company facebook page has been given a limited profile view as well.

Now as for companies asking for your FB password, I think that is complete crap and would not do so.
 
If you have something on your facebook that would prevent you from being hired then it is entirely your fault. However I do not use my last name on facebook so it would be harder for a company to find me but not impossible. Also my legal name is not the name I go by. You control the information you put out there so don't be surprised or angry when someone finds it and uses it to judge your character.

If you have pictures of you doing something illegal, with drugs, or doing something vulgar then you are dumb. Yes its your personal life but you just made it public knowledge.

I was in college so I have a lot of drunk / stupid pictures of me on my facebook that I will be deleting when I am applying for RN jobs. Better safe than sorry.
 
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ffemt8978 said:
I must be one of the few people on the planet that don't have to worry about it. No Facebook, MySpace (for you internet old timers), Google+, or Twitter accounts to worry about.
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I remember seeing a news article recently that some companies actually hold that against you. Their rationale is if you do not have a facebook then a) you are trying to hide something or b) you are at a disadvantage with socializing or networking. For many companies facebook is a major tool and almost a requirement for working.

This was more in reference to younger, new college graduates.
 
ChaseZ33 said:
I remember seeing a news article recently that some companies actually hold that against you. Their rationale is if you do not have a facebook then a) you are trying to hide something or b) you are at a disadvantage with socializing or networking. For many companies facebook is a major tool and almost a requirement for working.

This was more in reference to younger, new college graduates.
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Hmm...considering I work for an ISP you think that would be the case, but it's not.
 
It's the same scare tactics that people instill into people entering college soon....how they can look at your profile. As long as your profile is set to private they can't view it. Theres no backdoor access.
 
rwik123 said:
It's the same scare tactics that people instill into people entering college soon....how they can look at your profile. As long as your profile is set to private they can't view it. Theres no backdoor access.
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Other than the complete lack of security on FB, and it's willingness to sell the data to others.
 
I believe past entries on social media should be protected speech and not useable for hiring purposes UNLESS it reveals a likelihood that the applicant is lying (say, a Neo-Nazi trying for a job at the Museum of Tolerance), or engaging and publishing photos/discourse which would reflect embarassment or shame upon the prospective employer; or, after the hire, material defaming the employer, its clients or its employees.

I do not think applicants should be required to furnish URL's to their social media, but if am employer finds it on their own, it is in the public domain.
 
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if you want a job, don't post embarrassing or pictures that might not paint you in the best light on facebook. ANYWHERE on FB! also, google spiders a lot of stuff, even stuff that is set to private. it's incredibly annoying and an you can be surprised what google can find and with share without your knowledge

if you don't want to give a prospective employer your FB password, don't expect to get the job.

best advice: don't put any pictures that a potential employer may see that will result in them thinking of you in a negative3 way.

not really rocket science if you ask me.....
 
I don't have a FB or Twitter. So I don't really care.
 
Tigger said:
They aren't going to be able to see anything. I lock my account down to anyone who is not a friend. You can't google my name and find my facebook profile, nor can you gain any access by being a "friend of a friend." I don't have much to hide, but no reason to allow your bosses access as far as I am concerned. The ambulance company facebook page has been given a limited profile view as well.

Now as for companies asking for your FB password, I think that is complete crap and would not do so.
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How would one go about doing this?
 
My most recent employer asked employees (during there interview) to log in and show them your Facebook. They wanted to see your pictures and what types of posts were put on your page. I was perfectly ok with this because I had nothing to hide. Yes we all drink/party/smoke at times and have a little too much fun, but we never really know who's watching. Nothing online is entirely safe. The reasoning behind this is that employees (i.e. AMR) are posting that they currently are employed by AMR. Well if you are an employee of AMR and posting crazy pictures of you passed out drunk or doing anything illegal, then it makes AMR look bad as a company because of what there employees are doing. The HR manager said that she had a young guy log into his Facebook a few weeks ago and all his pictures were of him drinking, smoking hooka and very derogatory posts between him and his friends. He was not hired because AMR doesn't want someone that portrays themselves in that manner to thousands of people online. Just my two sense :)
 
Are you cool with unwarranted wiretaps too? No need to help them do their snooping - an employer demanding personal info like that cannot be trusted in my eyes. If they want it bad enough they can google me like the rest of the world. I have nothing to hide yet I am not willing to give my employer that kind of control over me.

And I also would not place anything on the Internet about me that I would not be willing to see on a billboard downtown.
 
Managers stuck on investigating Facebook ought to be spending their time establishing a training program and tracking, looking for better ways to provide service, actually getting to know the employees, inspecting facility and vehicle cleanliness and readiness, making a disaster plan, etc etc.

If I owned a company and a manager got Facebook-fixated, I'd have to consider whether they should lead or manage anyone.
 
DrParasite said:
best advice: don't put any pictures that a potential employer may see that will result in them thinking of you in a negative3 way.
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hey, if they want to think of me in a three way, that's their own fault.


In other news, if an employer asked to look at my Facebook page, they would be told one of three things:
a) when I joined Facebook I agreed to protect my password and not give it out to others, as such I am bound not to show others my login info.
B) could I please have it in writing from the HR department that this is company approved policy that will have no bearing on my employment, as otherwise it could be construed as discrimination based upon personal choice (substitute drinking/partying with being gay/cross dressing/Pygmy hippo love, you might see my point)
And/or C) No. You may not access my personal life as you are my employer, not my parent. If I do something which you feel is inappropriate in my own time, unless it affects the company, then it is irrelevant.
 
McGoo said:
hey, if they want to think of me in a three way, that's their own fault.
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damn typos, got me again......
McGoo said:
In other news, if an employer asked to look at my Facebook page, they would be told one of three things:
a) when I joined Facebook I agreed to protect my password and not give it out to others, as such I am bound not to show others my login info.
B) could I please have it in writing from the HR department that this is company approved policy that will have no bearing on my employment, as otherwise it could be construed as discrimination based upon personal choice (substitute drinking/partying with being gay/cross dressing/Pygmy hippo love, you might see my point)
And/or C) No. You may not access my personal life as you are my employer, not my parent. If I do something which you feel is inappropriate in my own time, unless it affects the company, then it is irrelevant.
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quite a few places now have social media policies, approved by HR.

but you can refuse to show them your FB page, but don't be surprised if they refuse to offer you a job with their agency (since the topic was "Companies checking Facebook prior to hiring". Just how badly do you want that job?
 
I don't give my Facebook passwords to my best friend. Why on earth would I give potential employers my password?

I can see looking at it with them, but private message access, private groups, etc. is taking it too far.

I have nothing to hide from my employers on my Facebook wall. There is very little that's even interesting on there beyond my kids. But personal communication with friends is, well, personal.
 
If an employer wants to try and check my facebook, go ahead. If you're not my friend you'll be locked out of pretty much everything (and I log off and check for myself).

You will not have access to see what you are locked out of unless I give you permission (by accepting your friend request).
 
DrParasite said:
damn typos, got me again......quite a few places now have social media policies, approved by HR.

but you can refuse to show them your FB page, but don't be surprised if they refuse to offer you a job with their agency (since the topic was "Companies checking Facebook prior to hiring". Just how badly do you want that job?
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Unless the agency I want to work for is offering champagne showers from the hands of beautiful girls, or they are the only agency in the state, then I would say no thanks. At this stage at least, I'm not that desperate.
 
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