Posted on 03/20/2012 7:18:33 AM PDT by bjorn14
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.
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.
Bassett refused and withdrew his application, saying he didn’t want to work for a company that would seek such personal information. But as the job market steadily improves, other job candidates are confronting the same question from prospective employers, and some of them cannot afford to say no.
(Excerpt) Read more at nydailynews.com ...
It’s easy to determine who to hire: (1) Ask who they voted for in 2008, or (2) Hire a FReeper.
That is scary.
>> Same back at ya. I want to know everything about my employer since so many are freaks and crooks. So, turn over your computer Internet logs so I can see what kind of pervet you are.
Ha ha! Good one! FAIR ENOUGH of you to ask!
Today my reply is “No Thank You.”
Next Coad Toad in line, please? :-)
(because code toads are a dime a dozen these days, and I don’t need one who comes off as a PITA from the get-go.)
The lesson here is hiring is market driven. I have hired back in code toad boom times too, when employers had to grit their teeth and put up with a certain amount of this crap from potential hirees.
I prefer it this way, of course. And no offense to you — I get your point.
An employee / employer relationship is MUTUAL, and some employers are pushing the fact that for now they have the upper hand.
If you get asked for anything like this you should silently fold up your stuff and LEAVE the interview. Don’t even say goodbye, they are not a place for liberty loving person to work. Walking away and not answering their questions from that point on is the only correct response.
If people willingly turn over their username/password, it’s their own fault. I wouldn’t and I’m glad this guy didn’t. A more reasonable alternative would be to have them on your friends list so that they can see your profile, rather than giving them your username/password. I would never let anyone have that information.
“You must be in some secret squirrel thing.”
Not really.
I’m Israeli and work for an Israeli military contractor that sells stuff to the USAF.
We had putzes posting FB pictures from inside nuclear sites. As a result, no FB for many, many.
Plus, certain groups use FB to play “where do the Jewish folk congregate” (so they can kill us).
Count me in on never having a Facebook account.
Any applicant with sense and value (in other words, any applicant you’d actually want to hire), will correctly conclude pretty quick that the way you treat applicants, is a pretty good indication of the way you treat employees.
Something to consider.
A company that wants your Facebook password is a company you NEVER want to work for.
I'm really surprised they haven't been booglarized yet.
>> Would you hand over your Facebook username and password to a prospective employee?
NO!! Assuming it was the level of hire (junior) that I would ask for his or her password, I’d kick the snotty SOB out of my office so quick his head would be swimming.
(You really don’t get how this works, do you? No wonder there are so many unemployed yutes — I think folks have forgotten HOW to be employed.)
Here’s a hint. Director and VP-level candidates aren’t asked for their Facebook passwords. (At least not at the first interview.)
Dime-a-dozen GenX and Millenial entry-level employees who have an over-inflated sense of their self-worth from too many years of “esteem building” in public schools? Yeah, I’d like to see your facebook, if you don’t mind.
You make it sound as if a business has all the power. The fact is no business survives when they act badly. They need employees. I’ve seen countless companies fold because they were idiots that had bad attitudes and treated people badly. I’ve seen others that got sued out of business. Yours would be one of them. Demanding for such information is a violation of all kinds of laws and would subject yourself and the company to lawsuits that would put you under.
A facebook page is not a great thing to have.
Exactly.
We came to that almost inevitable conclusion, independently, at almost the same time.
It would also be a good, sensible thing to offer the employer. Politely offer to “friend” their own facebook.
They’ll probably refuse, but it’s a sensible position to take. Which in itself could be a good quality to a prospective employer.
Handing over a password, any password, to anyone, ever - shows a number of things to a potential employer.
None of them, good.
I agree.. there is NOTHING on my FB page that would disqualify me in any way from a job. But, it's private information. I don't "friend" any I work with now... and, would never consider giving a prospective employer access.
If the day ever comes when that's required... goodbye to FB for me.
It could become like a credit rating, no credit is bad credit.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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