Social media websites have become very popular over the past
decade or so. Many employers have
actually used these websites to their advantage and before even contacting
certain candidates for job, they have taken the time to search for these
individuals on these websites and have made their decision to contact these
applicants depending on what they have posted on their online profile. The article Social
Media and There Employment: Is
There a Limit, discusses certain issues surrounding this topic.
Many are confused as to what’s legal and illegal when it
comes to employers looking at these things before an interview to a future
employee. Asking for username and
a password for a website such as facebook, in fact is not illegal. The information on the profile of the
possible future employee is in fact illegal to ask because when performing an
interview you are prohibited to ask certain questions such as race, religion,
sexual orientation etc. Once you
know this information first hand its almost impossible to set it aside and know
that your not making a decision based on these things.
There are quite a few states that are actually looking into
passing bills that prohibits any employer in asking for your username and
password to any social media website that you may be a member of. Technology has been rapidly changing
over the past few years and how employers approach certain individuals has
changed as well.
I am not opposed to an employer asking for my social media information. I would be shocked if that came up during an interview, but I would agree to give them information. I have never heard of that happening to someone and would have thought it would be illegal but am okay with the fact that it is not.
ReplyDeleteI am not opposed to a prospective employer viewing my facebook page if it is necessary in order to get a job, but once they do view it, they will know alot of the info that it is illegal to ask about. Then they can still base their decision on it. I think laws against asking for social media info are a good idea.
ReplyDeleteDaisy,
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting topic especially because the popularity of the Internet and social media has rapidly grown over the last few years. The Internet has greatly influenced our daily life from shopping to socializing. Hence, now the Internet is impacting the hiring process. We are no longer submitting paper applications for jobs, most companies now require Internet application. Furthermore, the use of social media is now affecting the hiring process in various ways. However, the growth of the Internet continues to rises security concerns. Over the years to come, we can surely expect government laws and more technical solutions to combat the rising security concerns with the use of the Internet and social media.