Want a job? Sure, just give me your Facebook password...

[Crazedclerkthe2nd]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...03-20-07-54-43

When Justin Bassett interviewed for a new job, he expected the usual questions about experience and references. So he was astonished when the interviewer asked for something else: his Facebook username and password.

Bassett, a New York City statistician, had just finished answering a few character questions when the interviewer turned to her computer to search for his Facebook page. But she couldn’t see his private profile. She turned back and asked him to hand over his login information.

Bassett refused and withdrew his application, saying he didn’t want to work for a company that would seek such personal information. But as the job market steadily improves, other job candidates are confronting the same question from prospective employers, and some of them cannot afford to say no.

This is wrong on a number of levels, but personally I would refuse on the basis that my Facebook profile contains information a company is NOT legally allowed to ask for in a job interview (marital status, age, religious affiliations, etc.).

I don't EVER want to work for a company that has such rules.

[Bloodsoul]

I wonder how would the interviewer respond when it's discovered that I'm not on Facebook?

[Greenday]

I just don't understand the purpose of these searches. What exactly are they trying to figure out through facebook that they can't do other ways?

[crashhelmet]

They're doing searches for character references. If your Facebook profile picture is showing you holding a bong, chances are they're not going to hire you. If your updates are filled with whiney complaints about your former employers, they may not hire you. Rather than asking other people about you, people who could lie for you, they're getting the information they want from you.

However... to require the information is absurd and if it meant the difference between getting the job or not, I'd tell them my password was "thanksbutnothanks"

[bara]

I just don't understand the purpose of these searches. What exactly are they trying to figure out through facebook that they can't do other ways?

People post a lot of stupid things on facebook.
Not all of which you could legally be fired for either. But I dont think any company has ever told me or is in fact required to tell anyone why they may not have gotten a job.

[Ginger Tea]

log into face book for them, update staus to

some raging hosebeast wanted me to show them my private facebook account at a job interview.

turn monitor back to them

[gremcint]

you want my facebook password? ok as soon as you give me yours.

[Greenday]

People post a lot of stupid things on facebook.
Not all of which you could legally be fired for either. But I dont think any company has ever told me or is in fact required to tell anyone why they may not have gotten a job.

Yea, but like I have pictures of me drinking with friends. What people consider stupid is different. Committing a felony? Yea, I'd agree that's stupid. Being social? Doesn't seem wrong to me to put up but some people might think that's inappropriate.

[Andara Bledin]

With all else potentially being equal, it's just another thing that can be used to separate different candidates.

That anyone would ask for a person's password to such a site is just beyond the pale, however.

^-.-^

[bainsidhe]

Some companies won't ask for passwords, yet will require you to log in in front of them or "friend" them so they can read your updates. I still consider that pretty invasive. Yet if it was a choice of having a job or not being able to feed myself, I know I'd give in.

And having perfectly legal, yet social pictures (like holding a beer, for example) could cause problems. I remember reading a story about a school teacher that posted a picture of her holding a beer during a social gathering. Something perfectly legal and age appropriate, mind you. She was suspended from her job because a parent saw it and was offended. It's one reason I don't post much on FB, cause you never know who's watching.

[HYHYBT]

Part of the trouble, as mentioned but apparently ignored by some, is that some of the hidden fields they might need your password to see are things they're forbidden by law to ask applicants: marital status, religion, etc.

Aside from that and from general privacy issues, there's a matter of trust. As in, I cannot imagine trusting a stranger so unethical that they'd demand my login passwords to be honest enough not to use them in other ways.

[MadMike]

And having perfectly legal, yet social pictures (like holding a beer, for example) could cause problems.

This.

I have quite a few pictures of me hanging out with my friends at karaoke, parties, etc., and a lot of them show me with a beer. Someone who doesn't know any better might get the wrong idea. But I don't come to work drunk or hung over, I don't get smashed every night, and it's extremely rare that I overdo it these days. During the week, I might have a beer or two to unwind while I'm playing on the computer, but that's it.

It really pisses me off how these companies seem to believe more and more that what you do on your own time is any of their damn business. It started with them telling them that you can't do illegal activities (i.e. drugs) even off the clock, and eventually moved onto them restricting perfectly legal activities (i.e. smoking.) Where does it end? I fear it's only going to get worse until someone with money and power challenges it in court.

This article also appeared on www.pennlive.com, which is the website for my local paper, and the scary part is that some people are actually defending this. And when all the other posters went off on the one, he accused everyone of "having something to hide." Well, you know what? EVERYONE has something to hide. We're all guilty of something if you look hard enough.

That being said, I would never give up my login info to a prospective employer. I would delete my damn page before I let that happen. But if I wanted to be really evil, I could hand over my info, then log into another computer and post some stuff that would piss a lot of people off and get the attention of the papers. Then when they came to me about it, I'd tell them, "What, me? I didn't post any of that! Prospective Employer must have done it, he had my login info!"

[mikoyan29]

Well as workers surrender more and more of their rights, stuff like this is going to happen and get worse.

[CaptainJaneway]

I saw this article today too. My thing would be to suspend my account if i knew i was going on a job interview. THe other thing you could do is set up another account and give them that password instead.

[Mytical]

That is how to 'beat the system'. Have a facebook page that is FOR BUSINESS ONLY. IE NO social stuff..ever. Have a different one (never friend the two, or link them in ANY way) for social stuff. *shrugs*