This week I asked Chris Breikss of 6S Marketing to talk to my class about what he looks for in potential employees (and ostensibly interns as well). Beyond the standard resume and cover letter advice (check spelling and grammar), he said something that made the entire class sit up and take notice: the Facebook Test.
Not only does Chris and his team look in the usual places (Google search, Twitter, blogs) but also Facebook … and with this little FB app called “Photo Stalker”, he can also see if you have your privacy settings on FB set so incriminating pictures of you are public or private.
Yeah, exactly.
Yeah if Chris and his team can find the pics that you probably shouldn’t have posted, you’re probably off the list. No social media footprint at all? Also not good. How about saying things on Twitter or other places online that might be considered offensive? You get the idea.
When I came back from the break guess what the students were doing? Yeah, lots of Facebook editing.
Moral of the story, what you say online stays. We all will be young and foolish, but when it comes time to look for a job, you should think about going back and making sure the skeletons in your closet are safely tucked away.
Does this raise issues about privacy? Sure does. Is this kind of search any different than what employers used to do? Not at all. The tools are just better and we’ve started putting a lot more online that can be found.
Of course the flip side to this is if you are applying for a job with 6S and you have a substantial and positive social media footprint, you might get to the next stage.
So, what’s on your Facebook?
(and yes, I did check my own account, and I’m cool with what’s there)
Tris Hussey is a writer, teacher, blogger, and speaker on all facets of Internet life, WordPress, and social media. If you are interested in having Tris speak, teach, lead a workshop or consult for you, feel free to email tris [at] trishussey [dot] com.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
My current employer did a Facebook check on me. I get it – it makes sense to find out if the person is a right fit for their company and if I post it online for all to see, I can’t really blame them for looking. I always try to consider: Would I want my grandma to see this? If no, then likely it has no place being on the internet.
It’s not my wall comments or photos that concern me so much as what my friends post on Facebook.
Danielle … I forgot about what friends post on your wall! I’ve had to delete a few wall posts that friends left because I didn’t want them tied to my name or just on my FB profile at all.
Never forget that once you post it, it’s always there. Forever.
While I agree it’s important for everyone to be aware of what they are posting to twitter, facebook, myspace, etc and to fully appreciate the transparency that comes with social media, it is exceptionally important for employers to realize the potential ramifications of searching social media for posts from employees and potential employees.
There is a wealth of information posted to social media sites about individuals’ protected classifications….i.e. age, disability, sexual orientation, religious and political beliefs, etc.
You can’t unring a bell.
Once you have this information it will be difficult….nearly impossible… to prove you did NOT use it in deciding who to ….and who not to….hire.
Be cautious – talk with your employment lawyer and get insights from them on the risks vs rewards of on-line searches as part of your hiring process.
Nora A Burns, SPHR
Twitter: @NoraBurns
Nora that is a very valid concern. There has always be the reference check, but now with expanding to what you’re doing online does make things interesting. I will say, however, if what is being looked for and said in public, what then? What if you were at a protest, caught on film by a tv crew, then a potential employer saw it. That could create bias … but what then?
Great example – in Milwaukee, WI years ago a supervisor was demoted to a non-supervisory position after his photograph appeared in the Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel — the photo had been taken at a rally where the supervisor was wearing a T-shirt promoting the teachings of “The White Man’s Bible” – the employer decided they could not have a man promoting racist beliefs in a supervisory role and demoted him. The employee sued on the basis of religious discrimination – that he lost pay/position as a direct result of his religious beliefs which had not come into play in the workforce itself but were only known to the company as a result of the newspaper article.
He won – employer lost.
There are countless cases of organizations being sued after an employee (or potential employee) voluntarily revealed information about their pregnancy, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, etc and then was not hired or was laid off.
Even the appearance of impropriety goes a long way in front of a jury.
It’s worth considering prior to doing a search on google, facebook, myspace, twitter, etc.
I have given similar talks at the University of Colorado at Boulder and am perpetually amused by the wide stares I get from students as their ever-so-public social media footprint dawns on them.
The power that web anonymity gives you is fleeting. As we’re compelled to “be ourselves” online, we have to understand the possible repercussions that come with marrying your job-seeking self with your online self.
Good post, homeslice.
Thanks much. Yes, I did a similar thing in my class, but in reverse. Instead of giving them my standard bio at the beginning of class. I challenged them to Google me and see what they could find.
My point was made and reinforced in one fell swoop!
As an employment attorney who represents many employers (and the occasional employee), I have seen firsthand the ways that a Facebook or other social media posting can come back to haunt the unsuspecting employee! More than one case has blown up as a result of the careless post.
I have also seen employers land in hot water because of adverse employment actions taken after viewing social media comments. For example, if I learn that you are involved in a social club that offends me, and I terminate you shortly thereafter, the employee may argue that they were terminated as a result of their lawful offduty conduct (prohibited by statute in Colorado). Similarly, if I fail to hire an employee after I learn information about his/her sexual orientation, religion, family responsibilities, marital status or other protected characteristic, then that employee may have a discrimination claim.
Sticky wicket to be sure.
Yes not a simple matter. What if someone falls within a protected characteristic, but their overall social media profile is very unprofessional?
Not easy at all.
When researching prospective hires, it is often a quick judgement call as to whether or not to put them in the “naughty” or “nice” email folder of resumes. We receive nearly 200 applicants per job posting and it takes time to screen them. Often a quick search in Google, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn will qualify the candidate and progress them to the next stage, or to the bottom of the barrel. (Doing a search on yourself is what we call ‘ego-surfing’).