I have not experienced the case of an employer asking for the password before but I have heard of a case whereby the employer had to open FB just to view another person's page. Though, he will not have so much access to stuffs on the web page but also to some extent, he would be able to see some few things.
Time and again I am advocating that the social media like Facebook should remain something on personal basis and no connection with business.
If at all a company want to see what is posted on facebook they an always look at what has been posted by an individual for public. Why should they be asking for your password?
If Facebbok has become such popular as also a tool for businesses , then it requires partioning between business users and personal users .
Very nice Post Barbarba , At first I want to say that Facebook suffers from privacy gaps and sometimes these gaps can cause security "holes" also. If I remember well I have seen the privacy setting to be changed three maybe four times causing a mess to the users profiles. At second as you said we must be very cautious what we are posting and where.......
@Adeniji: I would argue that privacy is a thing of the past. Anyone with a cell phone can record what you are doing without your permission. Kids in school used to act up and they were dealt with in the privacy of the principal's office. Now, this stuff goes viral and a single mistake will follow you for the rest of your life. There is a difference between the things you can control--such as the things you post on your own Facebook page; and the things you can't (other people posting a photo of you). Just like there is separation of church and state, there should be separation of public and private.
Bolaji: Before Facebook, potential employees were asked to fill out applications that asked things like "have you ever been convicted of a felony?" More often than not, employers took this at face value. Now, there are services that provide background checks (I'm not sure the private detective route is cost-effective). Another miracle of outsourcing.
I would hope a past afro would not disqualify an applicant ... anyone who lived through the 1970s could be ruled out for poor fashion judgment...
I get your point @ companies want to know about a candidate over and above the resume and interview interaction. But there should be some boundaries to the sources they can utilize to evaluate a candidate's character. A view to a facebook account might suffice. Its fair if the company tells you to accept them as friends on facebook as they want to view your activity. But asking for a password and keeping it as a mandatory requirement for getting recruited; I wont buy that.
Barbara, I am curious. What did companies do before Facebook, etc.? How were they getting the skinny on potential employees? Maybe they had private detectives track employees, riffle through their trash cans or call up the credit bureau for a credit check -- some companies do this even now.
Imagine the titilation of the guy who gets to read your Facebook postings and comments/responses from your family and friends. What's the value to employers in seeing potential employees with braces on and pimples from high school? Or me with an afro on -- yes, I used to sport an afro hairdo but thankfully no pictures survived from my high school ... or did any?
I think the password issue maybe going too far, but an employer checking a potential employee's facebook page (if access is granted) could in some very rear cases be of value to the employeer if the he/she things the person's social life could be important to the job.
But to demand for that also is another matter entirely.
EBN Dialogue enables and encourages you to participate in live chats with notable leaders and luminaries. Not only editors and journalists, but the entire EBN community is able to comment and ask questions. Listed below are upcoming and archived chats.
Archived Dialogues
Thailand Stages a Comeback Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Euro-Crisis: What It Means for High-Tech Firms Join EBN Editor in Chief Bolaji Ojo and Contributing Editor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday, July 12, at 10:00 a.m. EDT for a Live Chat on high-tech and Europe's economic difficulties.
Microsoft Surface: Potential Winners & Losers What are the implications for the electronics industry supply chain of Microsoft Corp.'s decision to launch its own tablet PC? Join industry veteran and EE Times' systems and OEM expert Rick Merritt on Tuesday, July 3, at 12:00 pm EDT for a Live Chat on this subject.
Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Peter Drucker famously said "Trying to predict the future is like trying to drive down a country road at night with no lights while looking out the back window." Yet in the razor's-edge world of electronics—with a lean supply chain and just-in-time demands—the need to know the future is vital.
While no one really can accurately predict the future, we can take guidance from another Drucker saying which is the best way to predict the future is to create it.
You've heard the saying "the No. 1 supply chain risk is your people." That hasn't always been the case. But today's complex global supply chain requires a new type of multitalented employee. It's one who understands, finance, marketing, economics, is savvy with technology, graceful with relationships and can think analytically.
Where are these people? Are universities properly preparing the next generation supply chain professionals? How do train your existing workforce for these new, demanding positions?
Brian Fuller, editor-in-chief of EBN, will lead a 60-minute Avnet Velocity panel discussion that will ask and answer these and other questions swirling around today's supply-chain talent challenges.
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