4 ms·

Is this really becoming common? I agree that it's absolutely wrong, but, every headline I've seen gives the impression this is becoming a common practice. I'v

Is this really becoming common? I agree that it's absolutely wrong, but, every headline I've seen gives the impression this is becoming a common practice. I've never heard of it actually happening anywhere but the few cases cited in the articles.

jiggy2011 15y ago
No, I very much doubt it is at all common, most employers wouldn't have the balls to do this. However it does show this sort of thing is attractive from an employers point of view. You would only really need this to become procedure at one large company (say wallmart) to set a precedent that others will follow.
jonnathanson 15y ago
The job market is still pretty weak, and many sectors have not recovered at all. So, unfortunately, employers still hold all the bargaining chips. For a lot of job seekers, it may be pretty hard to tell a potential employer to go fuck itself if it makes this sort of request. A lot of people aren't in the position to be picky about employment right now. Especially young people, who are just starting out in the job market. To me, that's what's most troubling about this: employers have the ability to strike now, while the iron is hot. If enough big employers can establish this as a standard practice, then pretty soon it becomes procedural. (Like the background check, the drug test, and other procedures that BigCo routinely uses in hiring practices). In a perfect world, sure, you'd love to be able to walk away from a job offer and say "Well, I wouldn't want to work for any company that subjects me to this...so sayonara, suckers!" But a) vanishingly few people are in a position to do that, and b) there's a real danger that this practice becomes so widespread as to be unavoidable. While I do think the current situation is being blown out of proportion, I think the potential danger is very real.
- eru 15y ago
  I wonder whether people without an account will start having to create one, just to enable the HR drone to tick the checkbox.
  - jonnathanson 15y ago
    Along those lines, one trend I've noticed quite a bit lately is not using one's full, real name as one's Facebook handle. For instance, someone named John Smith might rename his FB profile "Johnny S." This tactic allows our hypothetical Mr. Smith to dodge search engine results for his full name. It wouldn't protect him from having to hand over his password, but at least it keeps all those photos of his brandishing red Solo cups out of employers' SERPs. (Also, with the right privacy settings in place, it keeps him from being searchable on Facebook by someone who's not a friend). If the password-handover procedure actually does become standard, then yes, I'd imagine we'd see the rise of dummy profiles and other countermeasures.
    - Zikes 15y ago
      Assuming a person couldn't be found via search results they could easily claim they don't have any Facebook account at all, dodging the need for a dummy profile altogether.
      - eru 15y ago
        A dummy profile might still be required, because of stupid policies. Like you now often have to give a dummy phone number even if you don't have a real one, because it's a required field in forms.
    - deleted 15y ago
      [deleted]
lambersley 15y ago
I've never asked a candidate for their password, that to me is ludicrous. I do however (~90% of time) 'google' the person by "name" and location. I understand that a candidate's personal life can be very different from their professional life, but the two are connected by a single thread called 'self'. I really could care less about political affiliations, religious beliefs, sexual orientation and the like. However, drunken photos posted Monday at 17:45 or status like "called in sick today, off to the beach" could be insightful in the kind of person I'm considering to hire. Employers should not request access to candidates' social media outlets, just as they do not request to spend a weekend with me to observe my habits. Candidates, on the other hand, need to ensure their online presence is something they are proud of (and happy to defend) if seen by friends, parents, clerics and potential employers, IMHO.
- jiggy2011 15y ago
  Candidates, on the other hand, need to ensure their online presence is something they are proud of (and happy to defend) if seen by friends, parents, clerics and potential employers, IMHO. The problem is that this is difficult, especially for younger people. I've had various online aliases over the years, most of which have been abandoned because they no longer reflect me at all. Let's say you were 16-18 and naive and got roped into some extreme political or religious cult group (this didn't happen to me btw). You might post all kinds of things and at the time you would probably be totally convinced that these were things you would be happy to share forever. Basically, we need to tell kids "don't post anything online under your real name unless you would be happy to tattoo it onto your forehead"
  - ianferrel 15y ago
    > Basically, we need to tell kids "don't post anything online under your real name unless you would be happy to tattoo it onto your forehead" And even that's probably not enough. Look at all the people who regret tatoos they've gotten. We're simply not very good at predicting how our lives or perspectives may change over time.
  - MartinCron 15y ago

jiggy2011 15y ago

No, I very much doubt it is at all common, most employers wouldn't have the balls to do this. However it does show this sort of thing is attractive from an employers point of view. You would only really need this to become procedure at one large company (say wallmart) to set a precedent that others will follow.

jonnathanson 15y ago

The job market is still pretty weak, and many sectors have not recovered at all. So, unfortunately, employers still hold all the bargaining chips. For a lot of job seekers, it may be pretty hard to tell a potential employer to go fuck itself if it makes this sort of request. A lot of people aren't in the position to be picky about employment right now. Especially young people, who are just starting out in the job market. To me, that's what's most troubling about this: employers have the ability to strike now, while the iron is hot. If enough big employers can establish this as a standard practice, then pretty soon it becomes procedural. (Like the background check, the drug test, and other procedures that BigCo routinely uses in hiring practices). In a perfect world, sure, you'd love to be able to walk away from a job offer and say "Well, I wouldn't want to work for any company that subjects me to this...so sayonara, suckers!" But a) vanishingly few people are in a position to do that, and b) there's a real danger that this practice becomes so widespread as to be unavoidable. While I do think the current situation is being blown out of proportion, I think the potential danger is very real.

eru 15y ago
I wonder whether people without an account will start having to create one, just to enable the HR drone to tick the checkbox.
- jonnathanson 15y ago
  Along those lines, one trend I've noticed quite a bit lately is not using one's full, real name as one's Facebook handle. For instance, someone named John Smith might rename his FB profile "Johnny S." This tactic allows our hypothetical Mr. Smith to dodge search engine results for his full name. It wouldn't protect him from having to hand over his password, but at least it keeps all those photos of his brandishing red Solo cups out of employers' SERPs. (Also, with the right privacy settings in place, it keeps him from being searchable on Facebook by someone who's not a friend). If the password-handover procedure actually does become standard, then yes, I'd imagine we'd see the rise of dummy profiles and other countermeasures.
  - Zikes 15y ago
    Assuming a person couldn't be found via search results they could easily claim they don't have any Facebook account at all, dodging the need for a dummy profile altogether.
    - eru 15y ago
      A dummy profile might still be required, because of stupid policies. Like you now often have to give a dummy phone number even if you don't have a real one, because it's a required field in forms.
  - deleted 15y ago
    [deleted]

lambersley 15y ago

I've never asked a candidate for their password, that to me is ludicrous. I do however (~90% of time) 'google' the person by "name" and location. I understand that a candidate's personal life can be very different from their professional life, but the two are connected by a single thread called 'self'. I really could care less about political affiliations, religious beliefs, sexual orientation and the like. However, drunken photos posted Monday at 17:45 or status like "called in sick today, off to the beach" could be insightful in the kind of person I'm considering to hire. Employers should not request access to candidates' social media outlets, just as they do not request to spend a weekend with me to observe my habits. Candidates, on the other hand, need to ensure their online presence is something they are proud of (and happy to defend) if seen by friends, parents, clerics and potential employers, IMHO.

jiggy2011 15y ago
Candidates, on the other hand, need to ensure their online presence is something they are proud of (and happy to defend) if seen by friends, parents, clerics and potential employers, IMHO. The problem is that this is difficult, especially for younger people. I've had various online aliases over the years, most of which have been abandoned because they no longer reflect me at all. Let's say you were 16-18 and naive and got roped into some extreme political or religious cult group (this didn't happen to me btw). You might post all kinds of things and at the time you would probably be totally convinced that these were things you would be happy to share forever. Basically, we need to tell kids "don't post anything online under your real name unless you would be happy to tattoo it onto your forehead"
- ianferrel 15y ago
  > Basically, we need to tell kids "don't post anything online under your real name unless you would be happy to tattoo it onto your forehead" And even that's probably not enough. Look at all the people who regret tatoos they've gotten. We're simply not very good at predicting how our lives or perspectives may change over time.
- MartinCron 15y ago