SEATTLE – 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.Right off the bat, let's dispense with the obligatory: A private business has every right to ask this of potential employees. It's short-sighted, doesn't address the real issues, and has every possibility of turning the "Streisand Effect" up to 11, but they still have the right to do it. It's a pretty stark reminder of the lousy economy, though, that a company could even consider such an invasive, intrusive policy.
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.
It's understandable why a company would want a peek at a potential employee's social page. Someone prone to drinking binges, blackouts, frequent absences - or maybe even owning a firearm - might be the type of person they'd like to exclude from their searches. Maybe they're just looking for indications that their potential employee posts a lot during work hours - or rides a motorcycle/practices a different religion/prefers Glocks to 1911s...
I was under the impression that companies cannot ask about marital status, sexual orientation, children, religion, etc. in a job interview. Since all of this information is quite likely to be part of one's social profile, wouldn't that run afoul of the rules that already govern interview questions? I wonder what a company that asked for a Facebook password would say if asked "Are you asking my my marital status?"...
And, of course, since the internet detects censorship and routs around it, any question on whether there are sites that a) list companies that ask for such information; b) provide profile scrubbing/review/etc. type services will abound? I suspect there are many such services out there already - something tells me there are smart, enterprising folks out there who will be quite eager to fill this niche...
If and when the economy rebounds, look for companies that require such invasive measures to revisit their policies - or wither on the vine.
That is all.
Another dispatch from...
(image courtesy of Robb Allen)
13 comments:
You brought up a point that was made in a news piece I watched on this. Employers who ask applicants for their social media passwords can open themselves up for a lawsuit if the applicant is a member of a legally protected class.
Sorry, if you are that intrusive to my life at the interview what would you do if I worked for you? Probably treat me like you own me. No, no password and I think I would walk out at that point
They're also demanding that applicants violate a contractual obligation, namely Facebook's terms of service.
"4. Registration and Account Security [...]
8. You will not share your password, (or in the case of developers, your secret key), let anyone else access your account, or do anything else that might jeopardize the security of your account." [emphasis mine]
I wonder if these companies have run that past their legal department?
Also, what kind of company would want an employee who was willing to violate a contract for money?
I would say they have just as much right to ask for your facebook password as they have the right to ask to view your txt messages and contact list on your phone, inspect the trunk and center console of your vehicle, search the hard drive on your home computer, and review your health and financial records.
Speaking from the point of view of being laid off about 7 weeks ago, I surmise this is more of a "gauge the candidate's reaction" kind of question, in addition to everything else. If the candidate is staunch about maintaining their privacy, they could also be staunch about maintaining the privacy of their perspective employer. My $0.02.
I don't think asking for your login credentials is appropriate in an interview. They're not even allowed to ask you if you're a U.S. citizen at that stage.
Some employers will try to milk candidates for information, sometimes without even intending to hire them. Some places ask for references and then invite the references to apply for jobs. Having a candidate's social media login makes it that much easier to harvest his contact list.
If an employer is really worried about hires being idiots on social media, they can make giving up passwords a condition of employment. They can explain that you may be terminated if you accept the job and don't give them your passwords. But it's up to you to decide if it's worth it to have the job.
If I wanted the job that badly, I'd delete or cancel my accounts and then hand over the passwords to the empty shells. Or make some dummy accounts and hand over the passwords to those.
I'd be curious what the response from HR would be to someone who says, "I do not have a [social media] account." Are you written off for not being a techie, or do you get points for being less prone to distraction?
That said, if they asked for my e-mail passwords, I'd probably be out the door unless there was a very, very, very good reason (and I can't come up with one off the top of my head.)
LittleRed1
Personally I'd tell them that I couldn't give them a suitable answer to their request without using profanity. (And I haven't actually used facebook since... early december or so).
Littlered1: topsecret clearance at a three letter acronym government agency? (but then again, they'd probably have it already, why ask?)
Any good HR Departmrnt will have already checked you out on line beforehand. The only reason for a question like this is if you are stupid enough to agree to this request, then you just demonstrated that you have no concern for security can not be trusted to protect any corporate assets like propiratary information.
......... next canidate please.
How do I know that the computer the interviewer's using is crapware free? Is s/he going to let me run a keylogger scan before entering my password?
Whether, "Can I have your Facebook password?" is a test or an on-its-face request, I'm politely declining. I'll even give logical reasons why I won't cough up the information.
If that causes me to lose a shot at the job, well, maybe I shouldn't be working for that company anyway.
Were I asked such a question in an interview, I would end the interview...and if asked why, tell them they're asking me to do something they'd fire me for.
Oh, lets add "pregnancy annoucements" and "oh we're trying to have kids" comments to the list of things that interviewers aren't supposed to ask and could find out via social media.
If the person is too stupid to make sure their privacy is up-to-date thats one thing, but to actually ask for the password...
And no, I don't think this is a "test of how good your sense of privacy" or "ability to keep secrets" or some other such. I think this is the same idiots who will then try to fire you because they discover you put "had a bad day at work, fought with the boss, he was wrong" on your Facebook page.
No way in HELL.
Yeah, this is garbage, and companies taking advantage of the bad economy in the worst way. The Federal Government does not require this level of sharing, not even from people screening for jobs that require tanjing polygraph tests.
When I'm done playing in the sand, if a potential employer asks me for that in the interview, I'll politely remind them it's none of their business. If that doesn't do it, unless I was absolutely desperate, I'll about face and leave. and spread the word, probably via facebook.
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