‘Want a job? What’s your Facebook password?’
July 6, 2009 by StaffPosted in: Special Report - Tech
This employer’s taken the concept of online background checks to a new level.
Candidates applying for jobs with the city of Bozeman, Montana, are asked to list “any and all” Web sites, chat rooms and social networking groups they use (”including but not limited to Facebook, Google, Yahoo, YouTube.com, MySpace, etc.”) — along with their usernames and passwords.
Many hiring managers Google applicants’ names or look for them on Facebook, but actually logging in to their personal profiles is something new entirely.
Why does Bozeman want that access? According to city attorney Greg Sullivan, it’s “to make sure the people that we hire have the highest moral character and are a good fit for the city,” The Consumerist reports.
Sullivan also said the city doesn’t look at “the things that the federal Constitution lists as protected things” (whatever that means).
The story drew a lot of attention and outcry from the media, potential Bozeman employees and HR pros. That’s not surprising, considering there’s a debate going on about whether hiring managers should even look at candidates’ profiles, let alone obtain log-in information.
Apparently all the press got the city rethinking that part of the application. In a recent press release, Bozeman announced it will “suspend its practice of reviewing candidates’ password protected internet information until the City conducts a more comprehensive evaluation of the practice.”
What do you think? Did the public overreact to Bozeman’s hiring practice, or was the negative response justified?
Should social networking profiles play any role in the background check process at all?
Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
July 7th, 2009 at 7:17 am
Who isn’t on Faceboook or some other social networking site these days?! I personally think that Bozeman crossed a line by requesting login information. I don’t even think that social networking profiles should play a role in background checks. Aren’t we all entitled to a personal life outside of the workplace? What I do on my own time, as long as it isn’t negatively affecting my job performance, should be my own business! Companies that choose to monitor our personal lives are making us slaves to the job 24 hours per day. Just doesn’t seem right to me!
July 7th, 2009 at 9:08 am
Not sure I entirely agree with Tish. Entitlement “to a personal life outside of the workplace”?…..absolutely. But Facebook isn’t exactly “personal” in my opinion. and let’s keep in mind that Bozeman ASKED for the info. If someone chooses to be protective of their password to the extent of walking away from a job opportunity, then let them walk. On the other hand, if they want it bad enough, then give them the password. They can always modify their info prior to giving the password, and then change the password later on and put their website back in order. Social networking says smething about the owner of the website. If what it says runs counter to the beliefs and culture of the organization, they have the right to know in advance and avoid making a bad hiring decision; that’s what good lawsuits are made of. Bottom line, if you don’t want someone to get a hold of your info……keep your hands off the mouse and keyboard; cyberspace can be fun and dangerous all at the same time.
July 7th, 2009 at 9:17 am
I think the City of Bozeman over stepped their bounds. My login and password is for me and for no one else unless I see fit and I do not see a potenial employer fit to have that information. Some people have the same password set to all kinds of accounts. Everyone has a curious mind that includes from that includes presidents of a company right down to the receptionist and even though Attoney “Sullivan also said the city doesn’t look at “the things that the federal Constitution lists as protected things” (whatever that means).” does not mean that an employee who is looking at the potenial employee will not look at other stuff. If I ever apply for a job and they want to know my login and password to anything, my respect for that company will be out the door, just like I will walk out the door. It is none of their business, what is their business is to preform what ever their company does.
July 7th, 2009 at 9:20 am
I think it’s ok for an organization to search for potential candidates on social networking sites. If you don’t want to be searched then don’t open a site. But asking for passwords on someones account is crossing the line. There is no reason that an organization needs to enter the password protected information on one’s site. That’s like telling potential employee’s that you are going to do a thorough search of their home before they can be hired. It’s crossing the line.
July 7th, 2009 at 9:40 am
I consider my life an open book–nothing to hide. However, I wouldn’t give my passwords to an employer or potential employer. They have no need to know if I’m having problems with my kids, or if I scored 100% on the “How well do you know so-and-so” quiz. If I have a bad day at work and mention online that my co-worker is driving me nuts, I don’t want that to come back and bite me at work the next day.
July 7th, 2009 at 10:03 am
Insane.
I’m not ashamed of anything on my facebook — but by reviewing my facebook you can see my exact age — my religious afiliation — sexual orientation — sometimes medical information (based on groups I support) — political views…….none of which should be considered when evaluating my ability to do a job.
What would be judged as immoral?? by whose measuring stick?? If I belong to a fringe religious group — will I be precluded from employment? How will they prove that they didn’t consider information that is prohibited if they are sued?
Get out your suits City of Bozman HR — time to go to court.
July 7th, 2009 at 10:23 am
I think it’s ridiculous for a hiring manager to request password information an applicant’s Facebook or Myspace or whatever….I understand that you should hire people of moral and ethical character but this has gone too far. You should manage your meticulous hiring process to ensure the best fit person for a job, and if they turn out to be a louse, then self reflection should be evaluated. I mean, all sorts of personal information is on a Facebook page, and you are telling me they are ‘not going to consider it’??? Yeah right…open door discrimination charges could mount if you ask me. We can’t even ask someone’s age in an interview, but they can go right into Facebook and see it when considereing someone fora job…that’s out of line. There has to be a line drawn somewhere people! Otherwise, let us ask all the personal questions we want in an interview…..is this not obvious to anyone else but me?????
July 7th, 2009 at 10:34 am
As a busy HR Specialist, it sounds to me like there are a lot of people in the Bozman HR Department with nothing better to do than browse the internet. Run a criminal background check, verify references and past employment and get a drug test/physical if one’s needed and you should be all set.
What people do on their own time, so long as it’s legal, is their own business. Honestly people, how much more control do you want of our lives. It’s unreasonable to tell people not to join social networks simply because a potential or current employer could be watching. If people in this world worried half as much about themselves as they did everyone else imagine the things that could happen.
July 7th, 2009 at 10:57 am
That’s totally invasion of privacy. Everyone does have a life outside of work and they shouldn’t be judged on how they live it. The City of Bozman should really think twice about that before someone gets sued.
July 7th, 2009 at 11:30 am
I guess I’m in the minority. I don’t indulge in social networking on Facebook, My Space or any other online site, so I don’t have to worry if I’m asked to provide that information. And, quite honestly, I would never even think to ask for it from anyone applying for a position.
July 7th, 2009 at 11:58 am
I’m thinking they definately overstepped their bounds…especially since is it still a questionable practice on reviewing these sites in the first place for hiring credentials. The login information is way over the top. It’s one thing to review the site…you still have to request to be friends on a lot of those before you really see much of anything anyway…so that would also mean the potential new hire has consented to you reviewing such things. It’s a whole other thing to request the log in…which I suppose is one way they’re trying avoid the logistics of how these sites are set-up. I see it as an invasion of privacy and while I really couldn’t care if they check out my facebook or myspace, there are so many other issues (such as the whole discrimination ‘thing’) that can be brought up…they are just opening themselves to a set of lawsuits that will cost the city (in other words US) a lot of money to defend against.
July 7th, 2009 at 12:24 pm
This is so Big Brother it’s not even funny! Absolutely ridiculous that they would ask for your login info. What’s next, asking for your login info for your credit card accounts to make sure you aren’t spending money on things the City of Bozeman doesn’t see fit? If a company asked for that info on an application or in an interview I’d tell them to take a hike and take their job with them.
July 7th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
Ridiculous! Not even my husband has access to those passwords let alone a total stranger. It all seems unconstitutional to me and an invasion of privacy. And furthermore, I would never want to work for an employer who doesnt value their employee’s private lives outside of the worksite and work hours. Were the interviewers also providing these details to the candidates on themselves because an interview goes both ways correct? Also an opportunity for the candidate to interview the employer to determine whether they want to work for the company. I’ve been in HR for over 12 yrs now and know how to seperate my personal life from work. I am a very private person and dont care to share pictures of my small children or me and my husband with strangers. Seems to me that they are actually the ones who are lacking morals!
July 7th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
I think the public outcry was well justified. I think actually asking/requesting/requiring a persons log in and password information for a personal account crosses the line. In moral, it is no different than asking for their bank account log in and password. It is personal information an employer does not “need” access to. Especially if it is a pre-employment screen. What do they do with it afterwards? Just because they “say” they will not look at “the things that the federal Constitution lists as protected things” doesn’t mean they will not.
If they want to ask me if I use social sites, fine, public knowledge. If they want to take the time to try and find me on one, then fine as well. Most all sites have the option to make you information private unless you authorize the user. Use it! I am suprised that they haven’t had someone sue them over this yet.
July 7th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
Are they serious?! Would they like a DNA sample as well? Keys to my house? My bank PIN? A full rundown of my family tree?
July 7th, 2009 at 1:56 pm
Totally wrong!!! I would not give my password to them, but I would ‘friend’ them and let them look at my site. As an educator I tell my students to be aware that potential employers might look at their site and to be sure that what they have posted is something anyone could see, but I have never heard of anyone asking for a password. Just like with email…if you don’t want to read it on the front page of the newspaper, don’t put it in an email. If you don’t want an employer to see it don’t put it on Facebook etc.
July 7th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
social netwrorking sites is not private so should be fair game for anyone to look at. Login/password protected crosses the line. It is unreasonable to expect privacy when you are posting something on the world wide web. Only put out there what you wouldn’t mind seeing on the front page.
July 7th, 2009 at 2:11 pm
That information is none of an employer/prospective employer’s business. Determining if the content deems a person suitable is so subjective to the perspective of the person viewing, that anyone could basically be denied employment for darn near any reason….they are way over the top with this request.
July 7th, 2009 at 2:21 pm
First, I don’t participate in social networking sites; my private life is just that–private. But I understand Bozeman’s wanting “to make sure the people that we hire have the highest moral character and are a good fit for the city.” After all, whether we want to admit it or not, whatever employees do “in private” certainly does reflect on the company when those matters go public.
That being said, requesting my login/password info is so far over the line, it qualifies as assnine. As Roxy said, I don’t share my passwords with even my husband! Where would I stand legally if a disgruntled Bozeman HR employee screwed with my account and posted something offensive/obscene? Remember, once it’s out there, you can’t get it back and it’s going to be my name attached to it.
No, thank you very much, Bozeman. I have all the grief I need without that unending ruination.
July 7th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
I accidently sent a invitation to be a friend to everyone that was in my address book once. That included a few people that I had sent “sorry but no thanks” letters to after a job interview. They accepted the friend request and I have found out since then that they like to party into the early hours of the morning and then go to work hung over. They were working for a ambulance service similar to the one I am HR manager for. Glad I did not hire them and wish I had access to others FB accounts before I hired them. I have more than enough applicants so if they balk at the idea of giving a potential employer that password then it is probably their loss not mine.
July 7th, 2009 at 2:40 pm
If the City of Bozeman continued that practice and thought it was useful, maybe they would start asking for email passwords to check applicants’ email and e-buy account info to see what kinds of purchases or sales they have made. Where would it stop?
More and more employers are looking for some sort of guarantee that a new hire will be a perfect fit for the organization and will apparently stop at no ends to get that. I think maybe it’s time to hit the reset button and go back to old fashioned resumes with cover letters, employment applications, reference checks and productive interviews, and then picking the candidate we believe is most qualified based on the info we gather that way.
July 7th, 2009 at 3:28 pm
I agree that requesting the login information goes over the line… I make a habit of checking for any new hires on Facebook and LinkedIn just as I keep in touch with the current ones there… I also Google them… but not until we have hired them… I do it so I can get a more well-rounded idea of the person for my own use as the manager of morale…
July 7th, 2009 at 3:28 pm
There’s nothing on my Facebook that I would be embarrassed for my employer to see … no hangovers posted, no job bashing, etc … just keeping up with friends and family across the country. That being said, there’s no way I would ever give anyone my password. What on earth for?!? It’s an “open book” without the password!
July 7th, 2009 at 3:58 pm
I agree with Gina in one fo the first posts…it’s not about having a facebook page or not and its not about the candidates willingness to give information to a potential employer…Its about the employer having access to information that could illegally be used to determine who will be offered the job. I think that if facebook (or myspace or any other site designed for personal use should be off limits due to teh nature of the politcal and religious information available. Sites like LinkedIN that do not focus on personal information would be better suited for the review by a potential employer. Asking for a password to anything is unacceptable
July 7th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
I don’t think I can add anything new to this discussion. I have a facebook page and am not afraid of anyone looking at it – just me and my friends and relatives keeping in touch and sharing pictures. But I too, would never, never give my log in info to anyone. Heck, some sites tell you that they won’t ever ask you for your password so I’m going to give it to a stranger? No way! Glad to see that Bozman is rethinking this.
July 8th, 2009 at 6:28 am
This policy should and will be tested as totally groundless and a violation of appplicant’s privacy, and 1st ammendment rights. If a “FACEBOOKER” has an opinion on abortion, politics, or even a favorite sports team, can this not shade the opinion of the hiring authority. You cannot ask age, if people have children, sexual orientation, married or not, or other personal questions when hiring. If Bozeman makes providing these usernames and passwords a condition of employment, they risk serious litigation. I am not familiar with state law Montana, but Federal law will support the employee’s right. A reasonable and equal hiring practice of background checks for credit, driving, criminal and education will give a total picture of the person’s qualities. Also a pre-employment physical asa condition of hiring after a conditional offer has been made with a drug test and bona fide occupatiional physical testing (e.g. climbing a ladder for a firefighter, lifiting 50 lbs. for a laborer), will also define the final candidate.
I sit here watching the employee’s attoprneys lining up.
What are they thinking?
July 8th, 2009 at 7:47 am
I agree with the others who feel as though they have nothing to hide but do not want to give out their info. It seems to be amateur voyeurism at best. I am on Facebook and I NEVER post negative employee/employer comments (I am in HR). Nor would I post negative spouse/friend etc. comments on my page. If you hire someone who does, they are going to be doing something else that will be a red flag… My rule on Facebook is the same as dealing with people face to face…think before you speak (post).
July 8th, 2009 at 10:02 am
I agree with you DR. I couldn’t have said it any better myself.
July 8th, 2009 at 10:14 am
It cannot be ok to access information electronically that you are not allowed to ask face-to-face in an interview. I don’t kow about 1st amendmend rights or privacy laws?? No one is prevented from saying what they think and if I voluntarily post something on Facebook I might have waived some privacy rights…???
I think it is more of an EEO issue but the end result is that there is information posted on facebook that is considered completely off-limits in a hiring decision and once the employer has access to that information, it is his/her burden to prove s/he didn’t use it to make the hiring decision.
I would never put my company at risk of that type of lawsuit. Bottom line is that it’s not ok!
LinkedIn type sites are different becuase they were designed for this purpose and therefore do not allow access to off-limits information. Facebbok, Myspace, the social sites…a BIG no-no!
July 8th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
Tom be very careful – not subscribing to online social networks doesn’t protect you – nothing keeps another person from posting a picture or commentary about you that could emerge if your name was googled. If the applicant provides their facebook or linked-in page as a part of their resume then the links and pages provided are fair game. However going out and googling information does not guarantee that the candidate you are considering actually created the page that comes up. All you need is a few pictures and some basic info to create a page about anyone you choose.
Boseman crossed the line – information exchange on facebook is communication between friend or a network of trusted people. (Some users trust a whole lot of people with very personal information??) The information isn’t always reliable and may not be relevant to the job and serve to bias decision makers.
July 8th, 2009 at 2:06 pm
Rick, I don’t think I have anything to hide on my FB page but I also don’t want to give anyone my password on FB – anyone. Bozeman stepped over the privacy line. My freinds don’t have full access to my profile and neither will my employers. They can ask me for character references and discipline me if I come to work hung over. I don’t party until the wee hours and then go to work but I don’t think my boss needs to see what I do with my personal time. If I am a public servant and it is relevant to my job that my moral characrter be veted more closely, I will invite my boss as a freind to view my posts. I don’t have much in my profile so allow access to that too. Most jobs don’t require this type of check.
July 9th, 2009 at 10:23 am
All social networking sites allow their users to determine the level of access the general public has to their specific personal information. For example, on my Facebook page, only people I approve as friends have access to read comments I make, look at my photos or see the name of my employer. We do not discourage our employees from using social networking sites, but we do make it clear that if they list us as their employer and their profiles are open for public viewing then they will be held accountable as a representative of the company. If they do not list us as their employer or they limit access to only their friends, then it generally isn’t a concern to us. In other words if your facebook can be viewed by anyone and you list us as your employer, we had better not see a picture of you dancing topless on a bar. I would say asking for your login information goes over the line, and further demonstrates a lack of understanding of these technologies. There are ways of allowing your employees a life outside of work, while still protecting the best interests of the company and it’s brand. Companies need to find ways to use these new technologies as a tool, and not as weapons as in this case.
July 20th, 2009 at 5:33 pm
[...] here to read an interesting article by HR Morning on the city of Bozeman’s (Montana) hiring practice [...]