Periodically, we ask three HR managers how they’d handle a difficult situation at work. Today’s problem: A company thinks it’s found a perfect fit for a key job opening — but then HR checks the candidate’s Facebook page.
The Scene
“Sam, have you finished looking over Carl’s application yet?” asked manager Eric Krewson, stepping into HR director Sam Norton’s office.
“Ah, Eric, just the man I was looking for,” said Sam. “Come take a look at this.”
“Look, I know I said it before, but I really think Carl would be a perfect fit here,” said Eric. “Plus, I think he’s the most qualified candidate we’ve seen.”
“Well, let’s hold off on the ‘perfect fit’ idea for a moment,” said Sam. “Take a look at what I found on his Facebook profile.”
With Eric looking over Sam’s shoulder, Sam clicked through Carl’s photos, apps and wall posts for a couple of minutes before logging out of Facebook.
Eric folded his arms in front of his chest. “Well, that’s unfortunate.”
“Agreed,” said Sam. “What do you think about our ‘ideal candidate’ now?”
“Look,” Eric said, “the guy’s 22 years old. If I could still party like that without losing the next day to a hangover, I totally would.”
“Come on, this is serious,” said Sam. “We need someone who’s responsible. What we don’t need is someone who’s going to come in to work with a headache every Friday and call out sick every Monday.
“Plus, where’s his common sense?” Sam added. “How could he have failed to make his profile private?”
“Wait, are you really considering not hiring him?” asked Eric. “Minus this, he’s exactly the type of person we’re looking for. At least give him a chance to explain himself.”
If you were Sam, what would you do next?
What your peers had to say
An HR pro in Illinois:
What she’d do: I think we’d pass on Carl.
Reason: Carl doesn’t seem to care who sees his Facebook profile, which doesn’t bode well for a potential employee. We can’t have anything reflect badly on our organization.
In addition, if Carl had been an employee and had those things on his Facebook page, he would have been in violation of our own social media policy. We wouldn’t be too keen on hiring someone who’s managed to violate our policies before he’s even hired.
An HR pro in Indianapolis:
What he’d do: At our company, we don’t check social media profiles of applicants.
However, if the inappropriate things on his Facebook profile were prevalent in his life, they likely would show up on a background check or be mentioned on his references – both of which we get before we hire anyone. If they showed up on either of those, then we wouldn’t hire him.
Reason: For our industry, what’s on social media isn’t too important to us — a candidate’s personal life isn’t a reflection on his or professional life. That’s why we rely on the application, reference and background checks to make our decision.
An HR pro in California:
What she’d do: I wouldn’t address what we’d seen on the Facebook page, and I’d hire him anyway.
Reason: Your private life is just that – private. It doesn’t become our concern until something inappropriate happens in the workplace. We only address problems when they enter our work environment.
