Employer background check on facebook...

[Cuda1447]

So my wife just got hired for a new job with the county government. They did the usual, drug test, polygraph, psych evaluation etc... Honestly, they did a lot of stuff and I was a bit surprised. A few days ago she got a facebook request from 'county' sherrifs office. She told me and I told her to reject that shit, she doesn't need to be friends with her future employer on Facebook.

Today she got a call from them telling her she needs to accept the friend request because that's part of their background check. She doesn't have anything to hide so she is going to do it, but I personally think that's some total fucking bullshit. I don't think an employer has any right to make you become friends with them on Facebook so they can check you out further.

Am I overreacting or is this some bullshit?

 

[EagleKeeper]

You want the job; you accept the requirements

 

[Anubis]

its bullshit

id delete my FB accnt before i did that and i never use it

 

[MichaelD]

The employer sets the conditions for/of employment. Period. FB has been the death of many, many careers and marriages because people are stupid and post things there that they shouldn't. Or they are friends with folks that have questionable lifestyles.

If your wife's got nothing to hide and isn't friends with the leader of a white supremacist group or "likes" a number of headshops on the sleazy side of town, then she's got nothing to fear.

 

[Cuda1447]

You want the job; you accept the requirements

She did... but it's still bullshit, no?

 

[MichaelD]

She did... but it's still bullshit, no?

My opinion on what my employer demands of me has zero effect on my ability to keep the job, as long as I keep my opinion to myself. As long as I comply, I get paid. It's the new world order, my friend.

 

[Cuda1447]

The employer sets the conditions for/of employment. Period. FB has been the death of many, many careers and marriages because people are stupid and post things there that they shouldn't. Or they are friends with folks that have questionable lifestyles.

If your wife's got nothing to hide and isn't friends with the leader of a white supremacist group or "likes" a number of headshops on the sleazy side of town, then she's got nothing to fear.

She has nothing to hide... but that doesn't mean that everything she posts on Facebook is 'pure'.

She has her account totally private, no public pictures etc... any pictures she does have are clean pictures. That said, we have a group on Facebook with us and about 20 close friends where we post funny pictures/videos from reddit etc... Some of them aren't PG rated comedy. I'm sure some people could take offense to it, but that's why we do it in a PRIVATE setting. Now they are wanting access to these private settings? That's like if they wanted to know what my wife and I were conversing about with friends we may have had over for a weekend barbeque. It's nothing of their fucking business.

 

[Pardus]

So my wife just got hired for a new job with the county government. They did the usual, drug test, polygraph, psych evaluation etc... Honestly, they did a lot of stuff and I was a bit surprised. A few days ago she got a facebook request from 'county' sherrifs office. She told me and I told her to reject that shit, she doesn't need to be friends with her future employer on Facebook.

Today she got a call from them telling her she needs to accept the friend request because that's part of their background check. She doesn't have anything to hide so she is going to do it, but I personally think that's some total fucking bullshit. I don't think an employer has any right to make you become friends with them on Facebook so they can check you out further.

Am I overreacting or is this some bullshit?

That's nonsense, you don't need to be friends with your boss on Facebook to work there. I delete my account in a heartbeat or create a seperate account just for this purpose and never use it.

Are they looking to see who you are friends with or what you wrote on your facebook page? Any lawyer will tell you this is a invasion of privacy.

On my facebook account, i have no friends on it cause i dont want to be bothered with comments and chats.

 

[Macamus Prime]

Am I overreacting or is this some bullshit?

Yes - you are overreacting on something that is bullshit.

It is a bullshit job requirement. So, it's your choice; do you smile, nod and take it? Or, do you tell them to fuck off and go find another job that won't bother you with this bullshit?

The county sheriff wants to maintain a certain image it seems. And, if you are it's employee, they want to make sure you aren't posting stupidity to the general public, i.e., members of the community you/they will be servicing (your friends).

Many employers have been bitten in the ass over some asshole's stupid public behavior being displayed on FB.

Again, it's bullshit, but - it's their required bullshit.

 

[MichaelD]

I'd delete all questionable content and "unfriend" "those people", then give them access. Of course, I'd personally contact the friends and explain why I'm doing it. AND if those people can't understand that business and money comes FIRST, then you really don't need them as friends, now do you?

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

That's going a little too far IMHO. If her account is private then they're looking into her personal activities. Maybe she can accept the request but limit her profile.

If it was set to public, then snoop away.

 

[OutHouse]

yea its bullshit to me its the same as them demanding that your wife stetup a gmail rule that forwards all incoming/outgoing mail to the sheriffs dept.

bullshit like this one of the reasons i will never have a social network account.

 

[FelixDeCat]

"We dont have a Facebook account." :sneaky:

 

[HAL9000]

Well that's insanity, I'd have deactivated my Facebook account.

I probably wouldn't have agreed to the psychiatric evaluation of the polygraph either.

 

[Zeze]

She played her move wrong already.

She should've said she has no FB. If they ask, "Isn't that you?" You simply say no, someone else with same name.

They have like 12 matches of my name.

 

[Cuda1447]

I'd delete all questionable content and "unfriend" "those people", then give them access. Of course, I'd personally contact the friends and explain why I'm doing it. AND if those people can't understand that business and money comes FIRST, then you really don't need them as friends, now do you?

basically what's going to happen tonight.

 

[Cuda1447]

She played her move wrong already.

She should've said she has no FB. If they ask, "Isn't that you?" You simply say no, someone else with same name.

They have like 12 matches of my name.

She wasn't quick on her feet and a fault of her personality is she's ridiculously honest. That said, there are exactly 0 people with her number other than herself. She can thank me for the stupid last name.

 

[Macamus Prime]

bullshit like this one of the reasons i will never have a social network account.

:thumbsup: x 1,000

People need to get off of the social network craze.

I don't care if Facebook assisted in giving Egypt it's freedom or that MySpace delivered a baby in the back of taxi cab during a traffic jam. It all needs to be tossed out.

But, every mother fucker with a computer wants to be an internet star/sensation.

 

[HAL9000]

basically what's going to happen tonight.

How are you going to explain to Facebook friends that they are undesirables...?

 

[HAL9000]

:thumbsup: x 1,000

People need to get off of the social network craze.

I don't care if Facebook assisted in giving Egypt it's freedom or that MySpace delivered a baby in the back of taxi cab during a traffic jam. It all needs to be tossed out.

But, every mother fucker with a computer wants to be an internet star/sensation.

It's nothing to do with fame, it's a better than average way of keep in contact with people.

 

[highland145]

It's BS but it's a job.

But I've been tempted to use it to track some of my deadbeats. Not quite sure how much access I'd have.

 

[Zeze]

:thumbsup: x 1,000

People need to get off of the social network craze.

I don't care if Facebook assisted in giving Egypt it's freedom or that MySpace delivered a baby in the back of taxi cab during a traffic jam. It all needs to be tossed out.

But, every mother fucker with a computer wants to be an internet star/sensation.

Get over it. FB is not a fad. It's not going anywhere. It's one of the ways people socialize on top of phone, text, in person, etc. Who gets it to be an 'internet star'? WTF?

Again, get over it and embrace it.

FB or something like FB will always exist from now on. 20 years from now, not using a social network is like that old fart dinosaur who doesn't know how to use a PC when it's become a neccessity, no longer just a novelty.

Who gives a shit about online privacy? It all start with you. You don't post stupid crap to begin with, you won't have problems.

 

[Fingolfin269]

This is why I no longer have a 'real' account.

 

[Fingolfin269]

Again, get over it. FB or something like FB will always exist from now on.

This is true but that doesn't mean people shouldn't be more careful. It's really not a good idea to have a profile pic of doing a keg stand while searching for a job.

 

[Cuda1447]

:thumbsup: x 1,000

People need to get off of the social network craze.

I don't care if Facebook assisted in giving Egypt it's freedom or that MySpace delivered a baby in the back of taxi cab during a traffic jam. It all needs to be tossed out.

But, every mother fucker with a computer wants to be an internet star/sensation.

I know it's fun/easy/popular to hate on social networks right now, but let's have a moment of honesty. There are plenty of legitimate, quality reasons to use one. I'll give you mine.


1. I keep in touch with a lot of former co-workers/friends through daily chit-chat.
2. My fantasy football leagues have groups on facebook for good shit-talking
3. I have a group with close friends/family where we can post funny shit we find on the internet, its a source of entertainment, just like anandtech.

Now, do I agree with the idiots who post "going to work" on their stream or post have naked shots of themselves? No. But just because a ton of dumbasses use social networks for the wrong purpose, doesn't mean there aren't people who have legitimate quality reasons to use it.