Is Your Employer Looking at Your Facebook?

Would You Give an Employer Your Facebook Password?

A local radio station is taking a poll on the rising trend in employers asking for an applicant’s Facebook password, or for an applicant to log-in to their account during an interview, as part of a “background check.” The station is discussing the screening of candidates’ pages so the employer can see who they’re really hiring. They want to know what the person is like and what the company may be getting itself into. This is generating a lot of concern about privacy issues, and opinions are strong on both sides.

Legal issues aside, the reality is that we are in an age where people quickly form an opinion of you, whether it be you as an individual or your company, based upon your online persona. How you dress, the activities you partake in, how much partying you do, and even your age are all used by people, whether intentionally or not, to form an opinion of who you are. Furthermore, once your posts are on the internet, they are there for all to see. Privacy measures are deceiving. Unless you are posting something on your own personal site, your privacy will be limited. Remember, sites like Facebook aren’t yours; you are using a site someone else owns to post your own content.

Think about what this means for your company. Most companies now have a social media presence, and for very sound business reasons. It is basically a necessity to stay relevant as a company, and this will only increase in the next few years. But, it also makes sound business sense to ask these very important questions: What do people see when they take a look at your online presence? Is it neglected? Is it sloppy? Is it ever updated? Just like an employer who wants to look at an applicant’s Facebook page, your customers want to look and see who you are. You can bet that if there’s a social media presence, they’ll be looking at it.

So, what image are you portraying? Do you need to work on your online presence?

Think about it – would you give a potential employer your Facebook password? We’d love to hear your opinion.

About The Author

We specialize in b2b, supporting the clients who are the "The Brands Behind the Brands." These are the supply chain partners of brands, either in Tier 1 or Tier 2 positions, who drive value through the delivery of goods, services and technologies. We enjoy blogging about all things related to Branding, Marketing, Inbound, Tradeshows, etc... And we're always happy to talk about any ideas you may have that might Get You To Your NEXT!