Is your facebook profile costing you jobs?

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

I was on another site reading some comments in regard to a CNN web story about how important a myspace or Facebook profile can be to a hiring manager. According to the story, a lot of hiring managers check online profiles of potential applicants and rule them out if they find such things as:

- Inappropriate photos (someone doing stupid stuff while drunk, photos of illegal activity, photos that are too sexual or lewd in nature)

- Posts complaining about previous employers and coworkers

- Material that is overly political, religious or inflammatory in nature (anti-gay statements for example)

- In some cases you may be excluded by comments your friends or relatives make on your page, for example if a friend posts on your wall something like: "Dude that boss was a real asshole, glad to see you stuck it to him!"

I googled myself and came up with only a few results, none of which are damaging to me. I also googled my two main emails and found no results whatsoever.

But do you think it's fair that hiring managers are using facebook profiles as a way to determine whether or not someone is suitable for hire?

The usual wisdom is that NOTHING is private online and you shouldn't put up things you don't want everyone to see.

I don't think a facebook profile should necessarily exclude someone but I also feel companies could use it as a tool to covertly discriminate against candidates on illegal grounds without penalty (for example if you see on a profile for "John Smith" that he is Christian and decide not to hire him for that reason or you see "Joe Brown" is a black person and decide not to hire him for that reason.

I guess the real questions here are:

How much info about you is a company entitled to before they interview you?
and
How large a role should your "off the clock" activities play in determining your eligibility for a job?

[Hobbs]

Well, if I boast about smoking weed or driving drunk on FB and my command sees it, I'm looking at a court-martial.

[technical.angel]

Thanks, Crazed, I needed to check my permissions. Not that I really post anything.... anything up there, but I saw my wall wasn't blocked. Is now!

[jedimaster91]

I have everything on my Facebook set to "Friends Only" and I don't add bosses unless I'm not working for them anymore. My former boss from the library is on my friends list because I really liked her. I also have my favorite former coworkers on my friends list.

I also subscribe to the notion if you don't want everyone to know, don't post it online. If I really need to rant about something work related I come here or another small online community because both are protected against guests, and I or my place of work can't be easily identified.

[RetailWorkhorse]

My facebook isn't in my real name. :P

[freaktard]

My Facebook page has nothing interesting on it whatsoever!

[Lindsey]

That's why my entire Facebook is friends-only, all that non-friends have access to is my profile photo (nothing interesting) and my birthdate and network.

[Aut]

That's why my entire Facebook is friends-only, all that non-friends have access to is my profile photo (nothing interesting) and my birthdate and network.

Me too, if even that much.

But then that also makes me wonder if other things outside of the interview and application could have an effect. I once called a guy that was on our waiting list and got his voicemail. His greeting was so full of profanities and threats to "find and kill you", that it scared me and I hung up. I thought that if I was a potential employer, he would have lost the job right there.

[Andara Bledin]

There's a post on Failbooking that's a shot of some girl getting pwned (and fired) by her manager for spouting off on her Facebook account.

I don't understand why people don't get that because Fb is all done in your own name and not under a handle or pseudonym that anything there can (and often will) come home to roost.

Then again, I've always subscribed to the notion that even stuff I post under a handle should reflect what I want people to know about me and exhibit a certain level of decorum anyway, so my Fb activities aren't really any different.

Oh, and I prohibit anyone else from posting to my Fb wall. I'm just controlling like that.

^-.-^

[SG15Z]

Everything on my profiles are friends-only for many reasons and this is one of them. I've known companies to not hire someone based on just who their friends are so yeah. I also never add any managers on any level on my friends list, but then again it's never come up. Plus I don't talk about my job that much on FB and MS unless I'm really really pissed. With the exception of in passing like "long day at work, soooo tired" or something to that effect. I also try not to give out names as well.

I prefer ranting with my coworkers in person myself.

ETA:

This site being the exception of course, though I rarely post stories these days.

[fireheart]

Current manager doesn't have FB, however the manager above her and my 2IC both do. 2IC has added me, manager above manager hasn't.

My settings at the moment are that I've blocked everything bar photos (most of mine are fairly tame....in comparison to a few coworkers who have taken some cleavage shots) and I don't write anything about work except after a long day or a very very difficult customer. Although I've been a bit worried that bosses might see me as a little bit disturbed...with my depression and all...

[telecom_goddess]

How large a role should your "off the clock" activities play in determining your eligibility for a job?

NONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What I do off the clock is none of their business!!!

I will stick to that to my dying day.

[C-130]

This has been recently been discussed within the UK. Unfortunately for an employer they can sued for not hireing a person here if the reasons can be deemed to be unacceptable. it was recently decided by a sherriff that it is inappropriate for an employer to research employees over the internet. It is also important to note that potential emplyoers should be base don first impressions and onrefrences.

[Merriweather]

I think most employers want to know as much as they can about potential employees, and most people realize that - that's why most resumes include a small amount of non-work related info, like volunteer jobs or hobbies or activities.

I also think that's normal and natural - I wouldn't want to hire a person who spent their spare time trying to overthrow the government, or robbing banks, or kicking puppies

Of course, like most things, some employers go too far - they want to hire someone of the "right" political party or "correct" church, or even a new golf partner. Obviously not the correct reason for hiring someone.

Most bosses aren't going to overlook a way to find more info about a person - they'll use facebook, etc. now, just like a small town boss will ask someone they think knows that person. If you lived in a small town you wouldn't tell the potential bosses nephew you were into illegal substances, so why would you put it up and allow anyone, him included, to see it on the internet?

And for the record, you can debate whether your substance of choice off-work is any of a boss' or potential boss' business, but the fact that an employee (or potential employee) is doing something on a regular basis that could get him arrested, even though off the clock, could easily be considerd his business, as a jailed employee isn't gonna make it in to work

[AccountingDrone]

I simply do not do the online social page crap. I do not see why I need to update my every move for random people.

I do not understand why anybody feels the need to update the world on everything they do. I really do not care that you are done with breakfast and need to feed your cat now. I really dont care that there is nothing on tv. Now if you want to discuss why your meds make you feel odd, or you need an idea on what to do with 5 pounds of pork belly, I can possibly help you there. If you need to vent about idiotic customers, I can sympathize.