Read the following article. What are more and more employers starting to do? What kinds of the jobs are most likely to ask? Why? What is reasonalbe for an employer to ask? Does it depend on the kind of work/job? What would you do if an employers asked? Should anything be off limits? Given the current job market who has the leverage in the interview process: employer or employee? Why?
12 Comments
Kevin Churchill
3/21/2012 11:17:55 am
With a recovering job market, more employers are beginning to require prospective employees to provide login information for their social networking profiles, such as Facebook. Public agencies such as police forces or cities are most likely to ask for such information, purportedly on the grounds that they are checking for gang affiliation or derogatory statements that are potentially damaging to the company. Such requirements are absolutely unreasonable. If a company must look up a prospective employee on Facebook, they should be charged with the task themselves, not by forcing job seekers to give up private information. Any social networking information requests are entirely unreasonable. There are certain job types that may benefit greatly from such knowledge, but anything major should be detectable through other means. If I were asked to hand over my password, I would be forced to decline, just as I can deny a police officer the right to search my vehicle. In my eyes, the two situations are identical and invasive in nature. Given the state of the current market, it is clear that the employer has a great deal of leverage. Many people are struggling to make enough to feed their families and can't risk anything while being interviewed. Denying such a request would likely make one appear to have something to hide, hurting their chances at a job.
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Maddie Conover
3/21/2012 02:06:44 pm
According the article by Manuel Valdes and Shannon McFarland from the San Francisco Chronicle more and more employers are starting to ask applications for their Facebook passwords and usernames. Jos within the public sector are often the ones where social network information is asked upon application. This is especially prevalent involving law enforcement to assure their social life won’t influence their ability to preform their civic duty such as gang involvement or excessive partying. Although Facebook and other companies prohibit users from giving out their passwords, legally the agreements signed online have not held up. Regarding the current laws it is allowable that employers ask for social networking passwords, but a different stance could be taken based off principles. In my opinion, it is reasonable for employers to search you in Google or Facebook, but what’s private is private. Employers can’t look into your bedroom window, so they shouldn’t be able to see your private information that you’ve intended to stay private. You can make an argument for jobs in which public safety is a concern for breaching these guidelines to ensure the hiring of a person who has the community in mind. Although I don’t have incriminating things on my social networking sites, out of principle I would not give an employer my passwords. If you can’t legally ask how old a perspective employee is, how is everything on their Facebook all of a sudden fair game? Certain things are clearly off limits, and those are what the person chooses is personal. Today, employers have the upper hand in the interview process due to the high unemployment rate and rough economy. In the end, it has to be determined whether the applicant needs this job and has no other options but to be unemployed, or whether they might have to temporarily abandon their principles.
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Lydia Erickson
3/22/2012 12:57:56 pm
In order to gain knowledge about who they are employing, more employers are starting to require people to log into their social networking accounts, or provide the company the information to access those accounts as part of the application process. The jobs that ask the most are jobs in law enforcement. They see it necessary to investigate every aspect of a persons private life for personal affiliation with gangs or any other signs that the person may not be safe. However, companies are doing it to determine if the person will uphold the company's reputation, and represent it well. It is reasonable for an employer to ask to view a person's profile, or anything else a person puts online that other people see. However, if they ask to view private messages it crosses a line. Jobs in the CIA or police department should be able to explore more because those jobs are centered around safety. If an employer asked for access to my private information I would tell them no. But if they wanted to view my profile I would let them. It is my responsibility to make sure what goes online wont jeopardize my opportunity for employment. Unfortunately given the current economic situation in the country the employer has the upper hand in these situations. Because people seeking jobs are so desperate, they won't turn down an offer for a job because their privacy is being violated. Going into debt is a bigger problem for most people than a violation of privacy.
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Lupita Alcantar
3/22/2012 01:30:27 pm
In the article, "Employers ask job seekers for Facebook passwords," Manuel Valves and Shannon McFarland mentions how the job candidates are being asked for their Facebook information. More and more employers are starting to ask for their Facebook username and password. The companies are checking for any behavior of hurting their employer or any gang information. The public agencies such as The companies are doing this to determine the person's reputation and if they are well presented in their actions. It's reasonable for the employer to ask to view a person's profile, just to have a look out. Once they ask to view their messages that's it, they have no right to do such a thing because it won't hurt them in any way. if an employer asked to view my profile i would let them, I have nothing to hide, but once they ask for my personal information I would say no. What ever people post when they are online it's up to my responsibility to make sure that it won't hurt me or cause to loose my employment. Given to the current job market the employer has the most leverage, because they are the ones who decided on who gets the job. There are many out there looking for a job and need it, they won't abandon the job opportunity even if their privacy has been violated.
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Peter Del Bondio
3/22/2012 02:40:21 pm
In the article "Employers ask job seekers for Facebook passwords", more and more employers are staring to ask interviewees for their Facebook login information. The jobs that are most likely to ask for this kind of information, as mentioned in this article, are jobs like correctional officers and employees at sears. Jobs like these are asking for this kind of information because it gives employers a chance to see the employees previous work history. It would be reasonable for an employer to ask if they could just simply view a future employees Facebook profile, but asking for their login information is where the line should be drawn. No matter what kind of industry their line of work is, it's still inappropriate to ask for such information. Personally, if I was to be asked this question in an interview, I would decline such a request. In turn, I would ask them if they would be comfortable giving such information to me. There is certain Information that is off limits to certain people due to the fact that you cannot trust everyone. Given our current job market, the employer has the leverage because of the simple fact that our economy is doing very poor and people are desperate for jobs. They would be to intimidated by the employer, and wouldn't dare speak up on such a request.
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Adriana De Haro
3/22/2012 02:49:28 pm
According the article "Employers ask job seekers for Facebook passwords," by Manuel Valdes and Shannon McFarland more employers are starting to ask applicants for their Facebook username and password. The law enforcement is one of the main jobs that are asking for this criteria. There reasoning is to be able to know more about that applicant in their personal life. Employers are doing this to see if the applicant can actually uphold a companies reputation, and see if the applicant are involved in any criminal activities. One of the main concerns with applicants is whether this is legal or not? Some people believe this is an invasion of ones private life. If employers were just looking at the comments or pictures that the applicant put up, this would not upset as many people. What is upsetting many people is that employers want to be able to go through you privet messages and comment. Making them feel like they have no privacy any more. If I was asked to hand over my username and password i would say no. I would allow them to view my profile and anything else that i have public but i will not however, allow them to get into my personal life. In this situation i believe the employer had the upper hand. If one applicant wouldn't give up their private life there are other applicants who are willing to, to be able to get the job. The way our economy is many people cant afford to say no to an employer and have to give up their private life.
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Gemma Aquilina
3/22/2012 02:49:47 pm
Before the explosion of social networking sites, all it took in a job interview was a resume. Now more and more employers are requesting access to personal profile pages such as facebook. Such requests are common amoung public agencies, especially those hiring law enforcement positions. In my opinion, asking for the login information to someones personal profile page is a violation of a persons privacy. It is understandable that an employer would want to do a background check on a potential employee, however requesting the login information to their Facebook during an inteview in invasive. Some companies argue that they monitor Facebook profiles in order to protect and uphold the reputation of the company. It also tests the applicant. All applicants are given the choice to decline revealing their Facebook profiles. However, by declining an an employer may suspect that the applicant is hiding something and make their decision based on that suspicion. It is not a surprise, that in a world where social networking sites are booming that our privacy is becoming increasinlgy less private.
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Maya Alamar
3/22/2012 04:00:10 pm
In the article "Employers ask job seekers for Facebook passwords," by Manuel Valdes and Shannon Mcfarland, they mention how employers now ask for your login information to social media sites to interview you. The jobs that are most likely to ask for this are law enforcement agencies where they would want to make sure you have had no criminal background. Also companies that keep their information open to the public would want to make sure you are able to represent their company well. I would find it reasonable for law enforcement agencies and companies to look over your profile, but not login information. I myself would be okay if they had me do a friend request for a page or a fake friend that was really the employer to view my profile. However, to ask for my login information to personally see my settings, messages, and whatever else I purposely put on their private, I would have to decline to that. From our current job market I would say the employer has the upper hand in this because more people need jobs and want jobs. Because of this those who are willing to risk their private information to be seen will do so. It's kind of like an incentive, give us your private life information and we'll give you the job... maybe.
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Amanda Collins
3/22/2012 04:26:42 pm
More employers these days are starting to access job applicant and employees Facebook page or Twitter page as well as other social networking sites. Since this has started more and more Facebook users have started setting their account to private so no one outside their Facebook “friends” can view their information. This is causing employers to request job applicants e-mail and Facebook password to access more information. The jobs that are most likely to ask are high paying and news worthly jobs that employees are very well known or have to interact with other well known persons in the world. I think it does depend on the type of work you are doing because if you are out in society as a high profile person, the people who hired you don’t want to see you updating your Facebook status to, “ Just got sooo wasted with 17 year olds! PARTY!!”, because that would send the message to your co workers, bosses and business partners as well as the world depending on how high profile job you have that you are not responsible enough to handle your own self, how could you handle anything else? If an employer asked for my Facebook e-mail and password, I wouldn’t know what to say. On one hand it’s an invasion of my privacy, but on the other hand I am smart enough to know not to put anything on Facebook that I wouldn’t want my grandmother seeing, so I think I would be pretty safe. Limits? Well when it comes to technology and the internet especially, there are not limits. If you don’t want the whole world seeing it, don’t risk it buy putting it on the internet. I think that the employer has the leverage in the interview process because since employers can look at your social networking sites they can decide before they even meet you if they like you and want to hire you or not by one status. One status on Facebook, could make or break your job interview.
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Brian Begerow
3/22/2012 04:28:37 pm
In the article, Manuel Valdes and Shannon McFarland report that more and more employers are using job applicants' facebook's in order to gain background information on them. In some cases this involves asking for their log in information, while in others they simply ask the applicant to friend background researchers on the social website. Law enforcement jobs are the most likely to ask because certain background information is vital to the qualification of an applicant trying to enter the justice system. For instance, it would be necessary to make sure that a gang member wasn't trying to become a part of the local police department. It is reasonable, in my opinion, for an employer to ask someone to friend a background researcher because that way it is not any more invasive than a Facebook friend viewing the applicant's profile, but it still gives the employer a good idea about the person and their lifestyle outside of the workplace as well as allowing them to monitor things that could embarrass or threaten the company. If an employer were to ask me to share my Facebook information with them then I would open it up to them but not give them my login information for several reasons. I have nothing to hide from them and by opening up the information to them it sends the picture that I have nothing to keep in the shadows. But I wouldn't give them my login information because I wouldn't want someone to continually go onto my Facebook page and have the ability to do whatever they please with the information that I put on there. That would be pushing the limits of privacy and personal space for myself. If you post something to Facebook, than it is out there and you are giving away that information to all. The info on your Facebook page is by no means off limits. If you want it to be off limits, it most likely shouldn't be on Facebook in the first place. Given the current job market, the employer has the leverage of the potential employee because with the lack of restrictions on the invasion of privacy, people with shady backgrounds can be weeded out of the process.
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Jessica Ardizzone
3/22/2012 08:01:24 pm
Employers are now unreasonably asking employee applicants for their social networking login information, intending to access all personal information that is withheld by users whose profiles are set on private and unavailable to the public. Public agencies, particularly those of law enforcement jobs, are more likely to request a candidate's password. Whereas, companies use other tactics that are slightly less invasive, such as friending human resource managers or logging in through a job site, but obtaining the same information. Although searching through peoples personal business is invasive, it can be reasonable for the employer to want to learn more of those representing them and be sure that they are not participating in illegal activity. Especially law enforcement candidates who can not engage in the illegal activity they are being hired to enforce. Due to the high unemployment rates employers are given the leverage in the interview process. They can afford deny those who do not wish to share their information for whatever reason because there are many other candidates that are desperate for a job and are willing to, even if it entails abandoning their morals. Despite the social networking site, Facebook, prohibiting in their terms of service "anyone from soliciting the login information or accessing an account belonging to someone else," employers still do because the legality of these terms have yet to hold up. In my opinion, information that can only be seen by the user and not the public should not be a concern of the employer. There is no justification for going through peoples messages; if it is illegal to go through someones mail, why is going through their messages any different? If an employer was to request my login information during an interview I would deny them, but would allow them to view my profile. If that did not satisfy the employer I would simply walk out on the interview, not for the reason that I have anything to hide but rather because a job that requires giving up my personal information is not the type of job I would want. I prefer an open work environment but not an invasive one. This request would only forewarn me of the future control the employer would have over me.
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Faith Cramer
3/29/2012 04:51:03 pm
The invention of social networking sites has created a better way to find the reliability of workers. However, the access to your personal details isn’t black and white. Unfortunately employers have started crossing a boundary. Requesting access to someone’s profile on networking sites is a violation of privacy. I think it is within the company’s means to check the backgrounds of their employees but to moniter it is unjustified. This invasion of privacy doesn’t help build a relationship of trust with the company. The best option is to not put anything online that you wouldn’t want everyone to know, the internet is not private and the information you share isn’t private.
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