Comments on: Is It Ethical For Employers To Factor In Online Profiles in Hiring Decisions?

By: Joshua Dunn

Joshua Dunn — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 03:33:37 +0000

I don’t think employers should consider content from Facebook and MySpace when making hiring decisions, and I certainly don’t consider this practice ethical. I believe the content on these social networking sites is essentially worthless information; photos and informal blog posts are not helpful in determining someone’s occupational skill set, work ethic, or overall ability to represent the company. By making judgments of character based on online activity that is unclear in its full context, employers make unfair decisions based on faulty premises. This is in no way an ethical way to treat potential employees.

While I do process the content I post online through a mental filter (one obviously doesn’t want to offend anyone with posted content, or at least I do not), I never worry about how my posts might be interpreted by future employers, because how am I supposed to know what they’ll perceive as positive or negative to my employment prospects? Some material is obviously damning; anyone who shares pictures of themselves that present a leisurely lifestyle is susceptible to judgment. But what about all the other material on Facebook and MySpace? There’s certainly a ton of information that we share that is largely neutral in the way it characterizes us. If I say my favorite genre of music is alternative rock, can any sort of significant judgment be made about me in relation to how I might perform a job? I seriously doubt it. What people say to me on these social networks (as well as what I say to them) is equally as useless in forming any sort of accurate characterization.

By: rachel

rachel — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 19:01:40 +0000

I’m torn between two sides of the argument: whether people should be able to preserve the privacy of their pages on social networking sites as something exclusive from their work life, or if anything someone posts on the internet is fair game for anyone. I do agree that the sort of information presented on these sites is exclusively social, and cannot be deemed an accurate reflection of a person’s specific work ethic, attitudes, aspirations, strengths and weaknesses, and goals. However, if you are to work for a company, you in a sense represent that company—in and outside of the workplace. If the information you post online is perceived by the public in a certain way, the public may attribute your decision-making and character to the image of the company you work for. I think this is the reason most employers assess these kind of background checks in the first place—to preserve and protect the image of their company.

But is it really a question of a potential employee’s personal character, or of what he or she is willing to expose to others publically? They could have been embodying a certain moral character by making all of those bad decisions earlier in life, but just not have posted them on the internet—if this is so, would their character still be in question? Would employers then have the right to, let’s say, interview potential employees’ family members and friends about the true nature of the person’s past experiences, tendencies, and attitudes? And what about personal information posted on semi-public forums? Should they be able to hack into email accounts? Online journals and blogs? If employers are allowed to tap into social networking sites, where are we willing to draw the line?

I have been thinking a lot about my image on the internet, and how others may be perceiving and interpreting it. I, like many other college students, have a Facebook page with loads of pictures displaying, admittedly, arguably incriminating information. I realize that despite my privacy settings, my page can be accessed by practically anyone (after I got really, really bored one day and decided to read Facebook’s Terms and Conditions…yeah). This heightened awareness and slight paranoia made me choose to detag all photos tagged of myself, just to make sure none of my displayed decision-making will come back to haunt me when I’m looking seriously for a job.

It is difficult to predict what the impact of these social networking sites will have on future trends of job employment because these technologies are so new—we are truly the first generation to have to deal with these issues. I think people just need to be more aware of the information they post online, and acknowledge that social networking sites aren’t just “for friends.” The internet is global and public, and it would be naïve to think otherwise.

By: BonnieGiven

BonnieGiven — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 07:42:57 +0000

Personally, I feel like there is no easy way to deal with this idea of employers viewing potential employees Facebook and Myspace pages. In actuality, In general, I believe that people should understand that posting information (pictures, comments, personal information), on a public website is a personal choice. No one HAS to create a facebook or myspace page. In fact, there are people in the world who choose not to involve themselves in social websites because it is such an invasion of privacy. One important concept brought up in the article is that ” “Whatever you post on the web…it’s public. There’s a reason it’s called the “world wide web” (Demello). People are aware of how fast information can travel across the web. To say that the “didn’t know” that employers, or others, couldn’t see what was on their site because it was set to public is oblivious behavior. As a Facebook member, I know that even though my profile is set to private there are still ways for people who aren’t my friends to access some of my information. While this isn’t overly uncomfortable, I take this risk to be connected with my friends and family. I know that it is likely that my future employers will look at my Facebook and I definitely believe this is ethical behavior. People should be careful with what the post on the web. The opposing argument is that employers should stay out of potential employees “private life”. However, these websites aren’t private in any way. If an employer were to come into your house and look through your pictures and private documents, this would be extremely unethical and crossing the line. On the other hand, employers have the right to look at Facebook and Myspace pages because they want the best and most responsible workers. People who disagree with this should probably reconsider posting information about themselves on the web. In our technological-centered world, it is so easy to know about someone at the touch of a button. This action should not be limited to employers who are doing their best to run successful, safe businesses.

I do think about my “digital footprint”, but probably not as much as I should. Recently, I went through my pictures and untagged myself in some of the one’s I felt were inappropriate. Still, I realized that even I am untagged in certain pictures, this does not mean those pictures no longer exist, (especially if another friend created the album and I can’t delete it). I am a hard-working student and plan to have a solid career in the future. I also am a typical college student who enjoys spending time and having fun on the weekends. Pictures are so common among people my age today and my friends and I take a lot of them. I have been thinking more about being more careful of the kind of impression I am giving off on Facebook. I would be devastated if I was denied a specific job just because of a dumb picture I took when I was a nineteen-year-old at a party. While these pictures may seem trivial at the time, I am beginning to realize that they could effect how I am portrayed by future potential employers. I plan on being more careful with the choices I make on social websites, especially with the sorts of pictures I post. It is not worth it to me to have my career life be ruined because of a picture I thought would be funny or amusing for my friends to see.

By: egonzalez

egonzalez — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:56:03 +0000

I strongly believe that it is unethical for potential employers to factor in content from Facebook and Myspace profiles when hiring potential employees. I think that people’s content on social networks do not reflect how they act in a professional setting. One of the reasons people are part of the virtual world is to act in a way that they cannot in “real life.” Most of the content posted on Facebook or Myspace is set to “private” for that same reason. People realize that inappropriate behavior (posting photos of alcohol use or vulgar comments) is not appealing therefore this information is private or viewable to friends only. Furthermore, I think that most users are not aware of the fact that companies factor in content from their profiles. A great number of users are too young to think of the possible unfavorable outcomes that might result from posting this content. I know that the only reason I now think twice about posting inappropriate content is because of my technology courses in college.

By: RMWells

RMWells — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:35:54 +0000

I think companies looking at a person’s Facebook as part of a background check is ethical. If I am an employer looking into two different candidates with similar skills and credentials, my next move is to look a little deeper into their character. How do I do this? Background checks. Social networking sites like Facebook are excellent ways to find out more about a person; what are they like? What do they do when they are not working? Does it look like this person is responsible? All of these are valid questions that companies should consider before hiring anyone.

I know that there is a lot of controversy surrounding this topic and many people my age are outraged that they are being judged on their Facebook profiles by future employers. The fact is that it is our responsibility as future employees to make ourselves as marketable as possible to companies looking to hire us in the future. Put pictures on your Facebook page that do not have you drinking at a party and don’t post anything that could be held against you in the future (political party, religion, etc.).

It is also important to remember that once companies hire a person, that person now represents the company. So when hiring someone, employers want someone who is a positive reflection on the company. If you go the bar with a couple of co-workers on a Friday night, the company wants you to be a good representation of their business. Employers can find out a lot of this information about you from your Facebook profile.

The important thing to remember, regardless if you agree with companies using Facebook as a background check, is to make your Facebook profile clean and presentable to future employers because they will look at it, whether you want them to or not.

By: BrandiB

BrandiB — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:01:36 +0000

The question of whether it is ethical for employers to factor online profiles in hiring decisions dates back to the old age arguments of control and privacy. In the arena of the World Wide Web, one is in control of very little although he may be led to believe that he is in control of most things. With the recent surfacing and increased use of social networking sites, users latched on to these new innovations as no one was able to foretell the consequences these sites may have on the individual and society as a whole. I hope that people will always have the option of keeping their social life private from their work life. Employers using social networking sites as a means of a type of background check is targeted at younger interviewees. Though older persons are becoming more acquainted with social networking sites, the people who are most actively using them and most expected to use them are younger adults. If a 40-year-old walks into an interview, is it likely that the employer went to see what was posted on their Facebok if they even have one? Most likely not. If a young adult straight out of college walks into an interview, most likely the employer will be more inclined to search the person on Facebook. I do not think that searching future employees on social networking sites is purely for the benefit of the company. I almost feel like they are hoping to find something that will give them reasons to question the person’s character. If a profile is set to private, the person clearly wants to keep the content on their site between him and his friends. There are older people applying for jobs who may like to enjoy a drink or two or three every night but this may be completely concealed during an interview and not found on a social networking site because they do not have one. If a picture with a young adult is seen with alcohol, the perception of him may be changed. Since every one interviewing for a job does not have a social networking site, I do not think it is fair game for employees to search future employees on these sites. I also think it is a violation of privacy. Someone’s private life does not determine how they will perform at their job so I think traditional methods should be used for now when evaluating a future employee.

By: jzarate

jzarate — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:26:24 +0000

I believe that it is not ethical for potential employers to factor in content from Facebook and Myspace profiles when hiring potential employees because it is like an invasion of the employees’ personal life. It is true that since people post their information online, then their privacy is going to be somewhat invaded. But, I think that people have their profiles in private mode for a reason, which reason is because they do not want other people to read and view their information, with the exception of their friends. Now, if the boss searches through the employees’ myspace or facebook then he or she is making a bad turn. This means that the boss does not trust the the employee will do a good job or would not be a good candidate; if the boss have doubts then might as well not higher the potential employ rather than looking over their profile before hiring him or her. This comes along with some stereotypes. Ive seen many cases where minorities have applied for a job and attained it. Later they(some of my minority friends) tell me, “After a long time working for my company, my boss confessed to me that before he or she hired me, my boss checked my background information, especially my myspace and facebook.” This means that just because the employers saw the employ that was a minority, then he or she felt the need to check the employees’ myspace or facebook. I feel that we and especially employers should not view others’ peoples’ privacy because it is going against their privacy; also, this is why we have interviews so that the employers can have an idea of what they are up against when making the decision to whether or not hire the potential employee.

By: Tyler Ichikawa

Tyler Ichikawa — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:44:33 +0000

Is it ethical for potential employers to factor in content from Facebook and Myspace profiles when hiring potential employees? I don’t believe that it is ethical for potential employers to factor in content you may have on your Facebook or Myspace, and use it against the potential hiring of you. Just because a person may have pictures of themselves drinking at a party, does not make them any worse of an employee. Some of the smartest people I know, are also some of the heaviest drinkers I know. What a person chooses to do outside of work, should have no bearing on how they will perform on the job. It’s simple: people have their work life and they have their social life. Now, if it appears that their social lives may be negatively affecting their job performance, then there may be cause to look into their “outside life.” However, even though I am promoting that employers not take into consideration people’s personal profiles, I am not saying that people should post whatever they want. Discretion should always be used when posting information on the internet, because you don’t know who it may effect.

By: jsmurphy

jsmurphy — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:06:46 +0000

In “A Slice of Life,” Rheingold talks about freedom online for our future. He says the future of virtual communities is connected to the future of everything else, starting with the most precious thing people have to gain or lose — political freedom. Rheingold is right on with his comment. I think the virtual public has to come in the middle with this argument of too much or too little freedom. Obviously, the public has enjoyed virtual communities like facebook and myspace, but when users lose control of who can look at their information, a line is crossed. Granted, users take that chance, but are we fully aware that what we put up on our pages were going to be looked at by our future employers? I don not think that was the purpose of facebook, and users should have the priviledge of negating view from the public.
Regarding the question of whether employers have the ethical right to view our pages, I think they absolutely do not. Would anyone like one to come in to your house and snoop to see what you’re like? No, one would think that is an invasion of privacy. I know web is a different playing field, but I still think the employee needs to give consent for public viewing.

By: Bill

Bill — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:05:21 +0000

As Scott McNealy at Sun said, “Privacy on the Web? Get over it!”