4 ms·

Googling someone and checking out their Facebook and MySpace? Yeah, it's common. I've seen surveys that put it at about 1/3 of hiring managers doing it. Is it c

by carbon8 17y ago

Googling someone and checking out their Facebook and MySpace? Yeah, it's common. I've seen surveys that put it at about 1/3 of hiring managers doing it. Is it common for them to make you log in? Probably not, but he didn't say it was.

bcl 17y ago
I'm not in management, but have been asked to help out reviewing candidates before. I always google them, but not to look for dirt. I'm interested in how active they are in the open source community. What kinds of projects have they helped out with, etc. I expect any company hiring me to have done the same. But asking for or expecting access to private websites like facebook? No way. The OP looks to me like someone looking for something to rant about.
- carbon8 17y ago
  He's talking about the practice of combing through personal online activity in general and only mentioned the log in issue as an "allegation" that provided an extreme example.
- mblakele 17y ago
  I'm not interested in a candidate's personal life, but I am interested in development experience. So I run a web search too, but it can be noisy. Lately I've found mailing list activity is more relevant. For example, http://markmail.org/search/?q=from%3A%22Linus+Torvalds%22 http://markmail.org/search/?q=from%3A%22Linus+Torvalds%22
  - moe 17y ago
    That Torvalds guy is clearly a bad hire as he apparently spends most of his energy on some useless pet project.
yangyang 17y ago
But the "making you log in" bit is the crux of the post. That's crossing the public / private line.
- philh 17y ago
  I get the impression that most of it would be written the same with or without that bit. He mentions Google, which will only reveal public information, in the same manner.
- maryrosecook 17y ago
  Some organisations make you take a drug test and a medical exam. I think this is scandalous, but looking at someone's Facebook is unobstusive in comparison.
  - graywh 17y ago
    But at least the drug testing is about you as an employee. Some of the data that might be revealed in viewing a Facebook profile is illegal for interviewers to ask about (for example, religious affiliation and marital status).
    - tdavis 17y ago
      How is it more about you as an employee than anything else? A positive drug test merely indicates that one has done drugs in some capacity over some recent span of time. It gives no indication if one would engage in illegal activity on company time. Of course, it's absurd to suggest companies make sure every worker isn't high on the job every single day, but that doesn't change the fact that it's judging someone based on something which could have absolutely no bearing on their work.
      - falien 17y ago
        But its possible that it has an immense bearing on their work. Likewise having 10 years experience doing one thing could have either incredible relevance or none at all. Its a matter of likelihoods and what society has deemed acceptable for making hiring decisions.
        tdavis 17y ago

by carbon8 17y ago

bcl 17y ago

I'm not in management, but have been asked to help out reviewing candidates before. I always google them, but not to look for dirt. I'm interested in how active they are in the open source community. What kinds of projects have they helped out with, etc. I expect any company hiring me to have done the same. But asking for or expecting access to private websites like facebook? No way. The OP looks to me like someone looking for something to rant about.

carbon8 17y ago
He's talking about the practice of combing through personal online activity in general and only mentioned the log in issue as an "allegation" that provided an extreme example.
mblakele 17y ago
I'm not interested in a candidate's personal life, but I am interested in development experience. So I run a web search too, but it can be noisy. Lately I've found mailing list activity is more relevant. For example, http://markmail.org/search/?q=from%3A%22Linus+Torvalds%22 http://markmail.org/search/?q=from%3A%22Linus+Torvalds%22
- moe 17y ago
  That Torvalds guy is clearly a bad hire as he apparently spends most of his energy on some useless pet project.

yangyang 17y ago

But the "making you log in" bit is the crux of the post. That's crossing the public / private line.

philh 17y ago
I get the impression that most of it would be written the same with or without that bit. He mentions Google, which will only reveal public information, in the same manner.
maryrosecook 17y ago
Some organisations make you take a drug test and a medical exam. I think this is scandalous, but looking at someone's Facebook is unobstusive in comparison.
- graywh 17y ago
  But at least the drug testing is about you as an employee. Some of the data that might be revealed in viewing a Facebook profile is illegal for interviewers to ask about (for example, religious affiliation and marital status).
  - tdavis 17y ago
    How is it more about you as an employee than anything else? A positive drug test merely indicates that one has done drugs in some capacity over some recent span of time. It gives no indication if one would engage in illegal activity on company time. Of course, it's absurd to suggest companies make sure every worker isn't high on the job every single day, but that doesn't change the fact that it's judging someone based on something which could have absolutely no bearing on their work.
    - falien 17y ago
      But its possible that it has an immense bearing on their work. Likewise having 10 years experience doing one thing could have either incredible relevance or none at all. Its a matter of likelihoods and what society has deemed acceptable for making hiring decisions.
      - tdavis 17y ago