These days, job hunts are incredibly competitive and you want your application to look as good as possible. So, imagine that you’re filling out an application. You’re thumbing down the list of information requested by your potential employers: Name, Address, Education, Work Experience, Facebook password…
Wait. Facebook password?
It’s not that far fetched. The city of Bozeman, Montana, recently made news with its job application which requested a slew of personal information, including passwords to social media sites such as Facebook. The application requires that applicants agree to a “standard” background check as well as listing “any and all, current personal or business websites, web pages or memberships on any Internet-based chat rooms, social clubs or forums, to include, but not limited to: Facebook, Google, Yahoo, YouTube.com, MySpace, etc.” (emphasis added). Additional space was provided for user names and passwords. A copy of the actual release can be found here (it will download as a pdf).
The city initially protected its right to ask for the information with the city’s attorney claiming, “We have positions ranging from fire and police, which require people of high integrity for those positions, all the way down to the lifeguards and the folks that work in city hall here. So we do those types of investigations to make sure the people that we hire have the highest moral character and are a good fit for the city.”
Interestingly, despite that statement - and the potentially invasive request - the city claims that failure to answer the question would not have negatively impacted the job applicant. This, of course, begs the question, “Why bother?”
When Facebook was made aware of the application, it balked, claiming that it was a violation of its policies. Facebook indicated that it would contact Bozeman - but it didn’t have to. As it turns out, the furor over Bozeman’s policy was so great that the city eventually retracted the request. The city didn’t exactly admit fault but rather declared that the request “appears to have exceeded that which is acceptable to our community.”
So, it’s settled - for now. That is, until the next employer decides to make it their business to monitor social media sites for potential employees. And that might, in fact, still be the case in Bozeman. According to the Billings Gazette, Bozeman City Attorney Greg Sullivan has said that instead of asking for passwords, the city might ask to view personal pages on an applicant’s social networking site. One option that they were considering would be to ask the applicant to add the city as a “friend” on Facebook - or, I suppose, follow them on twitter.
What do you think… are social media sites fair game for potential employers?
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I personally would not have valid info on a social network website if I suspected it could be used for decision making on a job. If I had to give a potential employer my password I would leave the building immediately.
Would the agency be willing to give me passwords to research them?
Our rights are being slowly but steadily trampled on.
Oh, that is going too far. I can understand the boss wanting to know your passwords for work when you go on vacation, but no one is getting passwords to my blog or any of my social sites I frequent.
I have been on the hiring end of things and, yes, I Googled the applicants. But I would never in a million years ask them if they had sites, much less ask for the passwords to them. Hello, invasion of privacy much??!!
Interesting post, Kelly. I would certainly refuse to friend a potential employer on Facebook, but would accept a LinkedIn invite (I have several recommendations up there, which might save them some reference calls). And if they’re interested in bowling scores and tournament results, they’re welcome to follow me on Twitter!
I actually have a Faeebook Friends List called “Professional,” which is made up of people I’ve worked with and a recruiter or two. I have it set up so they don’t see my status updates and various goofy stuff I might post — obviously, they can seek out such information by going to my profile, but they don’t see it automatically in their News Feed.
But as for employers who say, “Give me your password,” that’s a non-starter. And what kind of “friend” says, “Friend me or I won’t hire you?”
Urb