Hiring Based on a Myspace Profiles is Spying and Invasion of Privacy
Del Williams
January 02, 2007
I was just reading an article on CNN where 42% of employers now look online at social-networking pages such as Myspace, Facebook, and even Youtube to determine a person’s ability to do a job.
I am all for protecting peoples assets and reputations, but do those same employers look at places like adultfriendfinder.com? I do not think so, and what does it matter what a person does off the clock or what they say on a post. Suppose they just read one post and the person was having a bad day, should they be denied a job? Stupid, but one manager admitted to rescinding an offer for what he read online on a person.
I say turn the tables. Find out your interviewers name and put it in google and see what comes up. Two can play the game. What about people who have had vindictive ex-friends, partners or mates that put a vulgar profile in their name. It has been done. So, any idiot who would base a hiring decision on a profile that anyone can make is wrong.
What about letting them speak up about the profile. They are judged without the benefit of being able to answer for it. What if the profile is political? Would they be turned down if they were of the opposite party of the hiring manager? Or, what if the person was a Satanist or a Christian; would that be a determining factor? It looks like hiring managers have found a new way to finally carry out their discriminations. Now, they can just judge a person by a profile instead of by their contributions in the working and academic world.
I am not advocating putting sexually explicit pictures online or anything like that, but the reality is that consenting adults can do whatever or say whatever they want as long as it is not a criminal act. Hiring managers have found a way to get rid of perky beautiful women who may threaten their ego.
I have to admit the thought that someone would hire or fire someone based on a profile is stupid and offensive. Further, what if they do hire the person, do they keep checking the site to see what else they put on it and fire them if they do not approve. Apparently so, evidently some companies think they have the right to spy on your private life, what you type on your blogs, videos, profiles, etc using your own equipment at home. I could see if it was their equipment, but it is not. Therefore, it is an invasion of privacy.
I am all for protecting peoples assets and reputations, but do those same employers look at places like adultfriendfinder.com? I do not think so, and what does it matter what a person does off the clock or what they say on a post. Suppose they just read one post and the person was having a bad day, should they be denied a job? Stupid, but one manager admitted to rescinding an offer for what he read online on a person.
I say turn the tables. Find out your interviewers name and put it in google and see what comes up. Two can play the game. What about people who have had vindictive ex-friends, partners or mates that put a vulgar profile in their name. It has been done. So, any idiot who would base a hiring decision on a profile that anyone can make is wrong.
What about letting them speak up about the profile. They are judged without the benefit of being able to answer for it. What if the profile is political? Would they be turned down if they were of the opposite party of the hiring manager? Or, what if the person was a Satanist or a Christian; would that be a determining factor? It looks like hiring managers have found a new way to finally carry out their discriminations. Now, they can just judge a person by a profile instead of by their contributions in the working and academic world.
I am not advocating putting sexually explicit pictures online or anything like that, but the reality is that consenting adults can do whatever or say whatever they want as long as it is not a criminal act. Hiring managers have found a way to get rid of perky beautiful women who may threaten their ego.
I have to admit the thought that someone would hire or fire someone based on a profile is stupid and offensive. Further, what if they do hire the person, do they keep checking the site to see what else they put on it and fire them if they do not approve. Apparently so, evidently some companies think they have the right to spy on your private life, what you type on your blogs, videos, profiles, etc using your own equipment at home. I could see if it was their equipment, but it is not. Therefore, it is an invasion of privacy.