Employer background check on facebook...

[Anubis]

I stopped reading after the first 30 or 40 posts so someone might have covered this but....man, for being such a tech savvy forum, you guys are shockingly bad at Facebook.

1) You can't claim its not your Facebook account...they can search by your email address. What, someone is hijacking your entire life?

2) That said...just accept them as a friend and give them no access. Its that simple. As far as they know, your public profile looks exactly the same as your private. Its not like it flashes on your profile "HEY, YOU DON'T HAVE SUFFICIENT PERMISSIONS TO SEE THIS!!" its just not there.

This is simple....

1) yes you can. my FB email is its own email that is ONLY used for facebook. the email on my resume is 100% different from the one for facebook. different email provider and it doesnt even end in .com

TBH you would have to me a pretty large idiot to not use seperate emails for various things.

 

[Golgatha]

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.

I recently created a 2nd Facebook page for this exact reason.

 

[Deeko]

1) yes you can. my FB email is its own email that is ONLY used for facebook. the email on my resume is 100% different from the one for facebook. different email provider and it doesnt even end in .com

TBH you would have to me a pretty large idiot to not use seperate emails for various things.

1.) You can change your e-mail address, plus that's if they have the right e-mail address to search for.
2.) Actually it does. It says "This user only shares some information". Its not like you can't tell what info you're not seeing either.

So...

Alright, relax on the email. Obviously if you don't have the email address associated with your account on your Facebook, they can't magically find it. I meant that you can't just say "that's not me!! Same name!!" if your email is attached, which I imagine for the majority of the job-seeking population, it is. Settle down.

As for the second point, no, darkswordsman, it absolutely does not say that once you are friends with someone. That message shows up for someone you aren't friends with, it doesn't persist after you've accepted, only to give you some big congratulatory message once you have complete, unfettered access. That would almost defeat the purpose of having the privacy settings in the first place.

Again...it's really simple. Set up a list that has very minimal access to your profile, and add the employer as a friend on that list. They won't know any better. Yes, they'll notice things aren't there, but that doesn't necessarily mean you are hiding it from them - you just might not have photos tagged, or maybe you don't have your hobbies filled out, as far as they can tell its the same. Frankly, if you have things to hide on your Facebook and you don't already have your privacy settings set up like that as it is, well, you already need to re-evaluate your Facebook usage anyway.

 

[Cuda1447]

Wasn't it in the news a year or two ago about some state or city government somewhere actually asking you for all your account information (email address/password, FB address/password, etc) on all their applications? Too lazy to search right now, but I remember a huge uproar and they finally relented and changed their application.

With that being said, I'd simply refuse to comply if they "required" me to accept a friend notice as part of a background check. Oh, and you guys saying "You can grant them access without showing them anything" are technically right, but if you go that route, you're setting yourself up because I am sure the "background check" requires full access and if they find out you didn't give them full access (through a mutual friend, for example), they might use that as grounds for termination. It just isn't worth working for a place like that -- you are entitled to a personal life.

Also, I know I don't need to tell AT this, but I'll mention it anyway. I had hiring access in our system (a VERY popular third-party portal used by hundreds of big companies), and the functionality is built right into the system to conduct web searches on candidates as a "background" check. So beware.

Care to elaborate on what type of information can be gained by this system?

 

[DrPizza]

Well, for those same reasons I'd take the opposite approach. I'd give them access to my facebook, without censoring anything, and tell them to go to town. There are pictures of me pretty wasted, or dressed in drag for RHPS, but nothing illegal. You have to be pretty damn stupid to advertise illegal activities on facebook.

If they have any kind of issue with my personal life it's grounds for a discrimination lawsuit. I double dare them to try.

LOLOL! Doing stupid things most certainly is grounds for not being hired. "Idiot" isn't a protected class. A couple years ago, I saw a potential math teacher's facebook page (though, not one that had applied at my school.) One of the tagged pictures of him was of him holding a beer in one hand, urinating outdoors with the other hand (penis not visible in picture, but the picture clearly made it apparent what he was doing.) Good luck getting a job as a teacher with that picture of you floating around online.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Care to elaborate on what type of information can be gained by this system?

It isn't anything major -- IIRC, there were links which would auto-populate the candidate's name into Google, Facebook, and some other search places. It makes it pretty easy for someone without good Google Fu skills (ie, HR people) to easily pull up info on people.

 

[mizzou]

I control my facebook, if anything, it bit boosts my rep when an employer scours it over

I'm funny, peaceful, considerate, laid back, and attractive. And I also like long walks on the beach and discussing anything from politics to the latest comedy on BBC.

 

[alkemyst]

I don't look anything like this guy. D:

Wow, can't believe that some companies use FB as a source for "reliable background checks".

The whole we all look the same is mostly on the japanese vs chinese vs korean differences.

To someone not familiar with a different race they do get confused though.

This was common growing up as black and spanish people started entering our schools. People would get them confused with another all the time. When the asians began filtering in they had it the worst since the 'white' kids still got them confused, but the black and spanish kids took out their previous frustrations on them.

One of our friends was an asian growing up in a predominantly white Texas community. She was miserable with all sorts of asian bullcrap being thrown at her.

 

[yllus]

I'd feel bound to turn them down on principle. Not being in a position of power or industry that requires a deep background check, I don't feel that my employer needs to intrude that deeply into my life. And I'd state exactly that hoping that they learn their lesson for their next applicant.

 

[Rifter]

Its shit like this that made me delete my facebook account. I dont miss it either.

 

[Corporate Thug]

I'd feel bound to turn them down on principle. Not being in a position of power or industry that requires a deep background check, I don't feel that my employer needs to intrude that deeply into my life. And I'd state exactly that hoping that they learn their lesson for their next applicant.

Well, OP's wife's area is not one such field so it's understandable.

 

[Sephire]

No facebook or twitter here.

 

[Mark R]

Accept the employer as a "friend" but use the privacy settings, to block them from everything.

 

[Bateluer]

Seems retarded to me, as any one with a half a brain is going to filter the hell out of that 'Sheriff's Office' friend.

 

[randomrogue]

I've never really played with the restricted list, let alone any other list, but I thought if you did the cog wheel on a post would show them that something is different. How exactly does it work?

 

[Red Squirrel]

It is bullshit, but sadly you pretty much have to comply with an employer. They are making you a favor by giving you a pay check and you are their bitch. That's how it works, sadly. If they wanted to they could even tell you that you need to paint your house green, or move... they are the boss.

What I'd do in that situation is remove everything I have on facebook, basically make it blank, then accept. Or, just delete the account.

On the other hand, they'll think you have something to hide and just not hire you. So sometimes it may be better to just play along.

She could always make another facebook account, make sure it's not searchable (there's a setting for that) and then readd all her friends and just not touch the old one anymore.

 

[0roo0roo]

probably should have to hit the supreme court on this sometime, it would be like your employer demanding to visit your friends or church.

 

[Deeko]

probably should have to hit the supreme court on this sometime, it would be like your employer demanding to visit your friends or church.

I've had employers check in with my friends, family, neighbors, etc. No different than them checking in on your previous employers. If you don't want to go through their background check...don't work there.

 

[AlienCraft]

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?

Yes. and Yes. She can be detained indefinitly now.Resistance is futile.

 

[Phokus]

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.

Dear god, some of you would bend over and let your employer stick it in your pooper if they demanded it, wouldn't you?