<p>To be honest, I’d probably do what cptofthehouse suggests. Or, to be more specific, I’d do that if I really wanted the job. I still think it can be awkward for employees/job-seekers and employers to be “friends” (LinkedIn is a more appropriate venue for this type of relationship, IMO). I certainly don’t fault employers for poking around publicly available information (Twitter feeds, publicly accessible parts of Facebook, blogs, etc.). Googling people is standard practice these days. We all need to face up to the fact that our Internet activity may be discoverable and act accordingly! Even if you don’t have two Facebook accounts, if you know what you’re doing and take the time, you can adjust your settings to restrict how different people and categories of people can view certain types of information. I don’t do that myself; I’m an open book, for better or for worse!</p>
<p>The caveat is: “that might jeopardize the security of your account.” Yes, it can be interpreted several ways- that’s the touble with even cautious (and even expensive) legalese. </p>
<p>Cpt- it also says: You will not create more than one personal profile.</p>
<p>Coolweather: of course, there are situations in which I would make (or have made) my displeasure known, assert my legal rights. But the tone of many posts here is to pretty much stand up and get aggressive about it. We can think of many other effective ways.</p>
<p>I know exactly what it says. I have one Facebook account. Anyone looking for a job needs to make sure that the Facebook account is CLEAN enough for employer perusal. . Giving the password is a crossing the line request by the employer, however, and I would demur for that reason, though offer access to the account. Enough employers are checking out these accounts and also googling email names and your name when checking you out. Better do it yourself first so you know what’s on line about you.</p>
<p>Employers are not supposed to discriminate against age, religion, political activities, sexual orientation,… Many people don’t have fb account with pictures or posts showing bad behaviors; but they do have plenty of things related to religion, politics,… Employers don’t really want to venture into those areas. And the first thing employers see on any fb account is the birthday which can lead to age discrimination.</p>
<p>Many good points made on here. I don’t have a Facebook, but what if I were applying for a job somewhere and they wanted to see my Facebook and found out (for example) that I was into motorcycles, was Muslim or that I’m a member of the Democratic Party.</p>
<p>I mean, the latter might actually come up on an application, if volunteering in a campaign might be an asset.</p>
<p>But here’s my germane question:</p>
<p>Will the prospective employer think I’m lying/hiding something when I tell them “No, really, I don’t have Facebook, Twitter or anything of the sort.”??</p>
<p>I would be telling the truth.</p>
<p>I guess you have to consider how badly you want the job as opposed to how upset and wrong you feel that the request to look at the Facebook is. It took a long time for certain questions to actually become against the law to ask and without a doubt it will eventually be illegal for interviewers to ask about a Facebook.</p>
<p>It is really strange though that a potential employer would even ask to look, especially to ask to have the user name and log in. For most people a social media site of any kind is just there to keep in touch and have fun with. They make it easy to share photos with family/friends and to let people know about upcoming get-together’s.</p>
<p>There are certain jobs that could be directly affected by Facebook and other social media site standing. If that is the case then looking at the site of an applicant would make sense. If the job is involving social media campaigns. </p>
<p>Maybe the best bet for a job applicant would be to get rid of the college days social media and either start something up that is pretty benign or don’t even have one at all. Telling an interviewer that you don’t have one of these sites, when you actually do is a bad idea. it is an easy thing to discover as well.</p>
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<p>Neither I nor my daughters have the year of our birth on our facebook pages. Just the month/day.</p>
<p>I use my fb so rarely and have so little personal information on it, anyone trying to glean information about me would be either very disappointed or really bored.</p>
<p>It is a violation of privacy, and I am glad facebook is supporting its users. Would the interviewer like to share his/her page and password with the applicant?</p>
<p>Thanks for your comment, jym626. Again, I point out that regardless of how you feel about your private information, you do not have the right to provide anyone access to your friends’ private information, which is what you would be doing if you handed over your Facebook password.</p>
<p>And, btw, employers managed just fine hiring people before the advent of Facebook. Sure, they made mistakes. And they always will make some, even those who think they’re doing their due diligence by poking around on people’s Facebook pages (either through authorized access to public parts of a profile or through coerced access to information they have no business knowing).</p>
<p>Yup, absweetmarie. It is a violation of privacy on multiple levels.</p>
<p>It is very poor practice on part of an employer. It is also illegal to even ask for it. It’s like asking a candidate for their age or marital status. Of course, age is federally protected, as are gender and race. Nevetherless, Facebook accounts are personal. What’s next? Asking candidates to share their email accounts? Any company with a half-@##ed HR department would forbid such unethical practices. Disgraceful and disgusting.</p>
<p>Don’t forget that creepy interviewers can abuse the power. They can peek to see whether the applicant is single or married, what the applicant like to do,… to satisfy their fancy imagination or make sexual advancement in the workplace later.</p>
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<p>You don’t have to put the year for people to figure out your age. A simple picture of the birthday cake or a simple birthday wish can reveal how old you are.</p>
<p>^^^^LOL, I don’t do birthday cakes or make birthday wishes. I’ve never been much of a birthday person.</p>
<p>Any potential employer could probably find out my age if they really wanted to without checking my facebook page. I always state the dates of my degrees, and the years when I have been employed at various jobs on my resume. It wouldn’t take a genius to figure it out. If they are of a mind to engage in ageism, they will do it regardless of a facebook account.</p>
<p>That said, I would never give out my fb password-even the mere request would really rub me wrong.</p>
<p>It is not so hard to find out how old someone is. Sometimes it’s painfully simple. I just googled a friend who spends less time online than anyone I know. This person’s correct age popped right up on MyLife.</p>
<p>^^^^I agree. Google makes it all so easy.</p>
<p>^^^Well, Nrdsb4, since I don’t know your real name, I’ll just assume you’re 29.</p>
<p>^^^^^Hahahahaha.</p>
<p>I remember distinctly my Mom having more than one 29th birthday. :D</p>
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<p>on the other side of the coin, why would a company hiring for any sort of position where the employee will be trusted with private information hire someone that is willing to give up private information if what the other side is offering is enticing enough (in this case, a job)? If the person does this, they are clearly open to industrial espionage, and from the federal government’s point of view, they might be open to actual espionage.</p>
<p>I mean, if an applicant is willing to compromise principles to get a job… it’s not a leap to say the applicant would compromise principles if they were offered $100K to pass information to someone that shouldn’t have access to it.</p>
<p>Pull a Nancy Reagan: just say “no.”</p>