Comments on: Half of hiring managers checking candidates’ Facebook profiles

By: Mary D.

Mary D. — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 13:13:04 +0000

Marie, thanks for you comments. However, I don’t think you understood my post. Facebook was checked before the individual was called for an interview. Because we knew a bit more about the individual’s background and interest, the interview was very successful. You know nothing about my interview strategy. I never said we were not getting good results from our interviews…that was your assumption…and you should know what it means to assume. I believe we have the right to disagree with each other about subject matter. But, your last two sentences were insulting and totally unnecessary.

By: Marty S.

Marty S. — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 09:29:26 +0000

Discriminitory? I don’t think so. With social net sites being in the public domain much like criminal information it is unlikely that prospective employers would ever admit to using the information based on a “protected class” under Title VII. I think it is a “candidate beware” scenario. If a person who applies for a job in a alcohol rehab center has a facebook profile with pictures and stories showing drunken stupid adventures, shame on them for doing so. I doubt we will ever see a Supreme Court case dealing with discriminatory hiring practices BECAUSE of information obtained on a social net site.

By: Marie

Marie — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 21:38:09 +0000

I have to disagree with Mary. If the individual did not mention any information that is not pertinent to the job, it is up to the interviewer to ask more questions. During an interview, it is not difficult to get the candidate to talk about their hobbies, talents, etc. I believe it depends on who is conducting the interview. If your not getting the results from the interview, maybe you need to look at your interview strategy and not Face Book.

By: Bill

Bill — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 20:58:09 +0000

First I am completely adamant that we should never discriminate against anyone in those areas protected by law. HOWEVER if people are puting their own information out for folks to see I have no problem with potential employers taking a look and seeing what they are saying about themselves. I have no control on what someone wears to an interview, or how they act or what they say. I feel the same about facebook, the applicant provided the infomation. However I have never used facebook or any other such site, but I would if I ever felt the need to do so.

By: Mary D.

Mary D. — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 18:28:33 +0000

On the other hand, in checking Facebook, it was found that one of our applicants was very active in the community. The individual did not mention the information on the resume. We called the individual for an interview for our sales/PR job. We may not have interviewed based on the resume alone.

By: Josh

Josh — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 17:55:16 +0000

Well said JP. More to your point… if it is being used to screen resumes etc. without interviews, you can discriminate all over the place without a paper trail.

Bad idea and shame on the person who started this madness.

By: JP Prichard

JP Prichard — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 17:45:36 +0000

I agree with Josh about it being subjective.

My fear is that a rejected employee could allege discrimination based on personal info found on the social network (religious affiliation, membership in organization based on ethnicity/race, sexual orientation). “Evidence the person would be a good personality fit” could suddenly becomes a euphemism for inappropriate hiring practices.

Additionally, consider the number of innocent inside jokes that, subject to speculation by those outside the loop, could give an entirely different impression.

By: Josh

Josh — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 16:37:54 +0000

Totally inappropriate. It’s lazy and subjective.