What Would You Do?
The interviewer looks up from her desk, "What's your Facebook login? I can't view your page it's on private and we screen each applicant's social media."
Do you give her your login or not?
That's the dilemma Justin Bassett faced when he recently went to a job interview. What did Justin do? According to The Telegraph, "Mr Bassett refused and withdrew his application, saying he did not want to work for a company that would seek such personal information."
But what if you really, really, really needed that job? What if your family was counting on you getting that job? What if it meant the difference between paying your rent and living in your car?
No way, you say, that's gotta be illegal. It definitely is an invasion of privacy, but illegal? Not yet.
Some companies also ask you to "friend" a human resource manager, so they can gain access to your social networking sites. This isn't a new practice. Some companies even make you sign an agreement saying you will not disparage the company on social media.
So what would you do?
Today it is common for employers at bigger companies to ask permission to view an employees social networking site. To many people this seems like it is an outrageous thing to ask. But in reality it makes complete sense. If you are going to be working for a big company or one with a well known name, you need to be representing that company with a professional and classy view of yourself. Chances are if you are old enough to be working at a company that asks you for your social networking information, then you should be smart enough to only have mature content on all of your online pages. It is just common courtesy to make sure that there is nothing offensive on any pages you go on that will make your company in any way shape or form look bad. In my opinion I think that it is understandable for a company to want to look at the information of an employee on a social networking site to make sure that he or she is still respectful to themselves and others even in their personal lives. In a situation where my employer would be asking for me to friend another resource manager I would do it, because money is money, and a social networking site is not worth losing a job over that could end up saving you from living on the streets.
ReplyDeleteI would give them my facebook login if I really needed the job. As much as I would feel that it is an invasion of privacy, facebook is a public website. Many people can see it anyways. I always think that people shouldn't post things on facebook that they would not want their bosses or parents to see. I have even heard that colleges check out some peoples' facebooks. Even though you think important people aren't going to be looking at it, you can never be sure. You don't want to give anyone the wrong impression of you just because you have some party pictures on your profile. I also don't post anything on a status that might be offensive toward anyone. In general when dealing with social websites it is better to play it safe than be sorry.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that when a company asked someone to see your Facebook page let alone make you login to your account in front of them, that it is a violation of your privacy. There's laws out there that prevent an interviewer from a company to even ask you about your martial status, or how many kids you may have; so for them to ask for you to login to your Facebook page, i think is an invasion of your privacy. But at the same time, i feel, that you shouldnt even post things on your Facebook page that you may be hesitent for people to see. If I were being interviewed and they asked to see my Facebook page and I really needed the job, I would be hesistent at first, but I would most likely eventually show them because I havbe nothing embarrassing or anything I need to "hide".
ReplyDeleteKyle
I think that a comapny asking for your facebook password is crosssing the line dividing public and private information. I have no problem with companies looking at my account but, if they have acsess to all of my personal information messages, posts, and photos I think thats an invasion of privacy. In my opinion compaines shouldnt ask for social media passwords because its an invasion of personal privacy. If i was asked to give my facebook password or my twitter account password to a potential employer I would respectfully decline and withdrawl my application like Mr.Bassett. For me it is just unethical for private information to be shared with a company.
ReplyDeleteCurrently this is a huge dilemma in the world. It seems as though everyone has a Facebook these days. However for some reason, some believe that everything they do in their daily lives should be shared and announced to the public, at an hourly rate. In fact, my recently pregnant cousin thought it would be fun to announce her pregnancy to her father via Facebook. My personal pet peeve with Facebook are those who constantly update their status with announcements I really couldn’t care less about. Regardless, the point is, if you’re willing to share your information with everyone on your “friend’s list” why are you worried about telling your potential boss? If it’s something your mother wouldn’t want to see, why announce it to the world? Although this completely seems like invasion of privacy, you should know better than to share that photo of yourself streaking through campus.
ReplyDeleteI would never give anyone the password to a private account for them to wantonly log onto and use but allowing an interviewer onto my account while I supervised is fine. In truth there’s should be nothing on anyones facebook besides random chatter and pictures, so unless a mistake was made and an incriminating photo was uploaded then it shouldn’t matter much if they look at the statuses that pass through my feed.
ReplyDeleteWhat would really bother me though is letting that information escape from my control, in that way it would give the interviewer the ability to spy on me in someway. I’m not doing anything interesting or spy-worthy mind you, but I don’t want my boss keeping tabs on me while I’m outside the building. It’s a job, not an authoritarian government; so keep the thought police away.
As I was employed into a clothing store, I was asked to sign an agreement to not put any information on my personal facebook page that would hurt the companies creditbilty. At the time I did not look further into this, but I am soon realizing how profound social media has become and even harming your chances of success. As the lines of personal and private relations are becoming more blurred, where will it stop? As if a website prodcasting pictures and status updates is a true job of character, instead of work ethics, credibilty, and experience. In a job interview your personal and private life should be a small factor in your ability to succeed in a work setting, and not be involved in the interview process. As colleges even begin to consider your facebook page for chances of acceptance, social media has become more determental than true crediable sources
ReplyDeleteI think that when a company asks for access to your facebook page, they are simply showing the control they have over you. It is the same thing as forcing you to take a drug test or forcing you to take the hour long survey that only has 2 different questions reworded 500 times.
ReplyDeleteCompanies have the right to judge you based on your behavior outside of work because we DO judge a company based on their employees. If you feel the need to hide your facebook from a company, maybe you are doing something wrong.
My solution to the problem is this, don't use facebook. I strongly believe that facebook is a roadblock to the productivity of society and is hurting the individuals who use it. Facebook has become so big that it is a second reality for many people. It seems that people only live in this world to support the facebook world. So many people talk about and take pictures of the events in this world on facebook, so for those people, living in this world is only to support the facebook world. Facebook has become their primary reality. It's also the biggest gossip tool ever invented since the invention of language itself. And the form of communication used on facebook is unhealthy as well. Just saying stuff out loud and expecting responses is not the same as talking directly to someone.
ReplyDeleteInvasion of Facebook
ReplyDeleteWhen I applied for colleges during my senior year of high school, I was told that colleges would check our Facebook and Myspace login to determine whether we are "fit for their school." Even if we had excellent grades and are outstanding students, we would get rejected from the school if our Facebook comments are inappropriate.
However, I did not know that people are forced to show their Facebook profile during job interviews until I read this blog. Personally, the interviewer asks me to show him or her my Facebook profile, I would not hesitate to show it. I do not have anything inappropriate on to hide. However, I do not think that it is right for them to do that. The stuff we comment and write on Facebook does not interfere with our work abilities. Everybody should be able to work hard during the weekdays and play hard during the weekend. A person that goes to parties and drink does not mean they are sloppy workers and would interfere with their job. I do not understand why companies need to find out about an applicant's personal lifestyle. A simple background check on the applicant's identity should be enough.
Moreover, if I was in Mr. Bassett's position, I would have given the interviewer my password to my Facebook. I would not turn down a job for such a simple request. However, I think that companies should not invade in people's privacy, but maybe they have their own reasons. Hence, I do not object nor agree to this situation.
Regardless of the circumstances I would refuse to work at a company that utilizes a social media in that fashion. I regard Facebook as a frivolous social site that allows people to complain about their problems globally. The thought of a private organization using Facebook to keep tabs on its employees seems ridiculous. The fact that they even demand access to your private life is something that is even more unforgivable when you like to think that your rights as a private citizen matter. Best case scenario, I would file a lawsuit against the company and hopefully set a standard for the malpractice of demanding private information when interviewing for a job, unless it is a job that requires a legal background check like law enforcement. The bottom line is that it’s not so much worry about hiding secrets from your overly paranoid employer; it’s just that you don’t think it’s necessary for your employer to eavesdrop on conversations between you and your immediate family whenever they feel like it just so they can justify the action by saying it was a matter of company security.
ReplyDeleteIf I were to hire someone, then I would most definitley look at their facebook and/or any other social networking site they are involved with. Talking to someone in person is a great way to get to know someone, but if you really want to find out who someone is, a social networking site is the place do it. you can see the drunk pictures they posted from that party they went to , all of their innapropriate status updates, and what kind of people they hang out with. They may seem like a perfect candidate for the job face to face, but they could be the world's most annoying person who cant handle working 40 hours a week. But If I had to befriend a human resource manager for a job then I would not do it. Thats getting a little too personal. Theres a thin line between "ok" and being creepy. And Being forced to "Add" a manager draws the line. Not that I have anything to hide on my facebook, but because I like my privacy.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I would give the interviewer my account information if that was required to continue the interview. Especially when it’s hard to find jobs nowadays. I’m pretty sure there would be people in the world that would be desperate enough to provide their account information just to the interview and possibly get the job so that he/she could support his/her family. To me, it’s just facebook. I have nothing to hide on there. Yeah, they’ve invaded my privacy but I have nothing confidential to reveal. What goes around on a social website is just your social life and your friends. Interviewer’s asking for their facebook account information on the people they’re interviewing may be going too far but hey, if you really needed a job, do it. If you’re aware that this will start happening, take action and delete confidential pictures/posts beforehand so that the interviewer will not have a bad impression on you. That’d be the best compromise.
ReplyDeleteA company being able to force you into logging into your Facebook does sound like it should be illegal, however it is not and when you're at the interview you can't really do anything about it. If I was in that situation I would tell them that I could change my settings for a little bit so they could view my Facebook but I would not give them my log in information. For many years now all of our parents and teachers have been telling us that we shouldn't post stuff on Facebook that we wouldn't want our employers to see, so why are so many people surprised this happened? Facebook is a social site that could tell an employer a lot about a potential employee. People just need to learn to post only the things they are comfortable with everyone seeing.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who was exposed to social networking at a young age I was always taught to be careful of what I put online. When I was 12 I had my first Myspace account and my mom was always on my case about making sure I didn't post my address, because kids got kidnapped that way, or post any pictures I wouldn't want everyone to see. So now that I'm older my golden rule has always applied, if I wouldn't want my mom to see it, I probably shouldn't post it on my Facebook. Although my mom isn't actually my friend on Facebook a lot of my co-workers are and some of my other friends parents and I don't want to give them the wrong impression either. I feel that my Facebook account may have a few risky comments from other people but I wouldn't have a problem showing that HR manager at my work. I understand that some people think it is an invasion of privacy but that’s really their own fault for posting drunken pictures and inappropriate comments. You should always be careful what you post on the internet because it all public domain.
ReplyDeleteI do not understand why the company that you work for has to know your personal information, like what you have on your Facebook account. If I was in this situation, I would not give them my password for my Facebook account, but I would not mind being friends with them on it. As friends, i could control what i want them to see and not see. I would not give them my password, not because I would have something that would embarrass me, but because I believe people should have that privacy. If I was in the situation where my family was depending on that job, I would probably think twice before not giving them my password, but I would try to convince them that I would feel uncomfortable. I believe it should be illegal, I think everyone should have the right to not share personal information. This also makes me think that if the boss asks you for your Facebook password, you should get his Facebook password as well.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, everybody have right to make comments about their life or job. If people make too much rules to limit people’s comments, and when any person that who don’t want to under control by the rules, this person could be kick out of the society, this is not fair and how could we living with freedom as the country promised. When I was 16, I was started with some social media like Blog in China. In the first year, I have a lot of comments about the teachers, my school, and the beauty girls. But in the second year, my parents learned how to using searching tool like Google, and they searching everybody’s name for fun. After they found my Blog and watch it; they were yelling to me: “Are you stupid? Do you know these comments can make other people identify you as a bad boy? If the university enrollment department saw that, they could block you outside the school and you will never have a chance to get college education.” I just wonder that I was just speaking out my feelings in my Blog. Should I thinking under a rule? Thinking as what other people want me to think? Should I have any opinion about my life? Is that illegal for me to living in this society? Both questions make me nervous to use social media, and make me deleted all of my comments. For now, I won’t post any comments of my real feeling in my Blog, because my parents will go to visit it sometime. For now, I only post I have study for 3 or 4 hours long something like that, because this comment can makes me looks like a good person. I am wonder that is ourselves got improved to be better and better or the society makes us looks to be better and better.
ReplyDeleteIf I was looking for a job and I had a Facebook with things that would make me look bad, the first thing I would do is clean up my whole profile and I would try to make myself look like a normal person lol Or if anything, I would just deactivate my Facebook account for a few weeks then I would activate it once I get the job. There is plenty of things you can do to avoid an employer from looking at your account. You can change your name on Facebook so they can’t track you down.
ReplyDeleteI would absolutely not give them my login information and I think it should be illegal. However, if I really needed the job then I have no choice but to login. I wouldn't give them my email and password so that they can log in whenever they wanted to, but I would log in for them and make sure the password isn't saved on the computer and that I'm logged out afterwards. If I were required to add the HR of the company I would make sure all my status' would exclude them and I would hide all my tagged photos. Not saying that I do anything bad or illegal, but sometimes things can be interpreted the wrong way. And if anything, I can always deactivate my account.
ReplyDeleteI would not give them my information. It should be illegal for companies to poke their nose in your private affairs. Its odd because I actually had a conversation with one of the vendors at my work a few days ago about this same thing. Its becoming company practice for them to keep an eye on your facebook, to make sure you're not saying anything bad about it or to see if you're the right kind of person they're looking for. I for one am glad I barely even update my facebook. If I knew a company was going to ask for my login before an interview, I would probably delete my facebook or make it so it doesn't show up when you search for me.
ReplyDeleteIf I were to apply to a job where they required to seek out my facebook page, I would most definitely not do it. Its an invasion of privacy and kind of rude to me. Although, if i absolutely needed that job and my family was having income problems, then yeah I would wipe out everything on my page so that they don't find anything stupid on my page. My family is important to me and if they needed me to find job that required a facebook login, i'd be one selfish kid.
ReplyDeleteThis topic is quite a debate these days. Companies just want to hire the very best candidate for the job. Everyone is always looking for another way to be one more step better than everyone else applying for the job. In this rough economy I think everyone seeking a serious job should clean up their facebooks and allow the interviewer to view their page. Even if your facebook page is locked many people out in the world can still view things such as last night’s photographs when they make it from one of your hundreds of friends to one of their hundreds of friends. When I graduate college I plan on making some changes on my facebook. That is if facebook still exist in four years, but if it wasn't facebook it would be a new social media site. I have a photo album on facebook that is locked and only viewable by my friends, which I will most likely either delete when I apply for a program for my major or when I am applying for a job. This album only contains a few party pictures and the rest of my life. All it can take to lose that job is those party pictures. An interviewer would like to know that in your free time you're doing things that prepare you for the job. If I for some reason did not have a chance to change my facebook, I would still show the interviewer my page because that gives you a better chance at the job than declining to show the page at all. That would just show you have way too much to hide.
ReplyDeleteIf it was a great paying job and I was really interested in the company, I think it's worth the chance to give up my user name and password to my facebook account. I wouldn't worry much since there's nothing negative about my profile. There's nothing wrong my pictures but I would first delete party pictures with drinks and all that stuff. On the other hand, if it was a job that I'm not really interested with and doesn't pay good, I would refuse to give out my personal information because I think it's not worth it.
ReplyDeleteI feel like if you're entering the professional world of working where you're about to become successful or whatever, you should probably just clean up your facebook or delete it. Yes, it is a problem of poking their noses into your private business, but considering how competitive everything is becoming, companies just want to make sure you're not going to mess around, show up to work drunk or slander their name because you're unprofessional. I don't really condone companies doing it, but if I really needed the job or if it was an important career move for me, I'd consider just deleting it or getting rid of anything that would make me look bad. Obviously it's hard to know when exactly you'd need to prepare yourself for that, but better safe then sorry.
ReplyDeleteI have some of my current managers and our HR representative friends with me on facebook, and I don't consider if a problem. I just watch what I say or post and keep it clean. I've never had any problems with them because of it, so I figure I'm probably doing something right.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteGraduating from college and getting a first time job is hard enough as it is. If I were asked to give my facebook password, I wouldn't mind. When you get interviewed, companies look for people who are dedicated to work and can be reliable. Not only the proffesional aspect of you, but they also want to see who you are as a "REAL" person, in other words, who you are on a daily basis outside of the job. It may seem like an invasion of privacy, which it is, although it shows your true identity. If I were an interviewer and I had asked the one applying to show their facbeook page, if they had disagreed I probably wouldn't hire them either. You'd be surprised with the stuff people put on these social networking websites. However, in my opinion, if you keep your facebook clean you shouldn't have a problem.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, I dont understand why do big companies have to know your personal information such as the your facebook password. I would not give them my loggin information because I think that is just a waste of time and they have no right to look at my facebook page. I mean a facebook page is meant to be yours, as in your personal page not for the employer that is hiring you to look at it. Thats why we are giving them all of our information such as where are we living, what were the last jobs we had ect. Also we give them a resume that is really helpfull to the employer. And the most important thing we are giving them is our social sercurity number! Wich lets them know what kind of persons we are.
ReplyDeleteIf i was to be in that situation i would not agree to signing in my Facebook. I believe that is taking over your personal life and privacy. I would sign the agreement saying i would not talk about their company on Facebook, but i would not sign in Facebook for them to see my personal life. There are other jobs that do not ask for you to log on to your Facebook account, i would rather look for another job. Giving jobs our social security number should be enough of personal information a job should ask for. I would not like to work in such a controlling job, it would be like having a controlling boyfriend or husband.
ReplyDeleteI understand that many companies do not want to be spoken about in a negative manner, and that befriending a co-worker may help keep track of their status to make sure that that they aren't speaking about the company in a negative manner, but asking for a persons log-in information seems like too much to ask for. There are many personal messages that one may speak about with someone on facebook, and I don't think that a company should have the ability to see those. If I was in that position i would probably give them my information, just because I was obviously in a though position and I needed the job, but when i got home I would delete the messages that I would not feel comfortable with them seeing. However, I would most likely start to look for a new job to try to get out of that situation as soon as I could while still getting paid for the time-period that I was still working with that company.
ReplyDeleteAsking for someones Facebook login is an invasion of their privacy. There could be personal things on my Facebook like messages. I would not give out my login unless i was really interested in the job, they pay well, and i could see myself working their in the long run. I would probably delete all the bad things and the more personal things on my Facebook before going into the interview.
ReplyDeleteI completely understand the effect that social media can have on a companies image, especially when abused. But to ask for a personal login is a step to far in my opinion. What the applicants/employees do outside of the work place is a personal event, they are no longer under the obligations, they are, when present at work. Except to present respect to the companies image. So things such as doing drugs on a photo or posting how much you hate your job is just a ridiculous abuse of not only the companies trust in you, but of your own self respect in any occupation. I do agree that companies should be able to look up at your profile and what you allow them to see, as you would anyone else. But to actually require permission into your login is a disrespect on their part. Yet I also believe you really shouldn't have anything to hide if you are willing to post it on Facebook. You either know better or you don't. And social media as such reflect who you are as a person.
ReplyDeleteIf my future employer wanted me to give them my facebook login, i would do it if it was required for the job. I personally think it should be illegal for companies and jobs to ask for your personal information because you could've had a crazy past or present. It is an invasion of privacy and an infringement on your first amendment rights.
ReplyDeleteIf a future employer needed to access my facebook login during an interview I would feel very vulnerable. Facebook is a social media website that has messaging etc. Having an employer being able to see the messages I receive and send, the photos I like, etc. would make me stressed out regardless of content. Being able to see my facebook should never such a considerable factor in a job I'm applying for. Even if I wasn't worried about the contents of my facebook, it's the principle of privacy that would be the deciding factor for me. I would refuse the company, sleep in my car, and look to work for a company with integrity. I realize the company does not want to be embarrassed by their employees but there is a level of trust that needs to be upheld by an employer and an employee.
ReplyDeleteSocial media has become a big dilemma in our society. Facebook is for socializing, which is why it is dubbed social media, and is public. However, its publicity does not give an interviewer or company a legitimate reason for requesting log in information- especially passwords. Passwords are supposed to be made in secrecy and not meant to be shared. In many cases, people use the same password for multiple websites and accounts. I am no exception. Therefore, I would not feel comfortable handing out my password to someone I just met even if it meant being hired.
ReplyDelete