Would you reveal your Facebook password for a job?

[roseofblack25]

Nope they wouldn't get it...That's like handing out the pin to my bank account it's really none of their business. While they are at it they might as well ask if I'm married, have kids, what my ethnic background is, and what religion I practice (all of which are illegal to ask). What I do outside of work is my business and not for anyone else to be concerned about. I have nothing to hide, but checking my facebook has nothing to do with how well I can perform the job they are hiring for. They need to stick to job related questions and leave personal stuff out of the interview process.

[cabmonk]

i have absolutely no problem with it - i don't have a real fb account.. lol..
but in this person's case, i don't agree with it - it's a total invasion of privacy! fb doesn't have anything to do with the ability to get the job done right.. the employer has no right to ask for any password for anything

I agree, but you should see some of the crap I see posted when I check out friends of friends fb pages.

"I have been going hard for 3 days straight now partying. Taking the day off then going hard again". Then in later posts lament the fact their ex wife won't let them see their kids or why they have trouble at work, duh you think, lol.

[Patty Smyth]

No I would never give my password. It's none of their business, that is "outside" of work activities.

[cabmonk]

No I would never give my password. It's none of their business, that is "outside" of work activities.

Like I said I agree that you should't have to give your password. But I do think your employer has a reasonable right to believe your outside crap doesn't effect your work. Like the guy that talked about going hard for 3 days(which included cocaine,etc) Then still showing up to work all screwed up every day, then wondered out loud why he was getting crap at work,lol. Especially the people that bash their bosses or talk about being drunk at work but conveniently forget their boss was a facebook friend.

[xbbx]

No, I would probably lie and say I don't use facebook. According to my boyfriend there's a billion people with the same name as me.

[FallenPixels]

I wouldn't give it to them, nor would I hire someone who would be willing to give me a password without question, it would make me wonder about company information they would share.

It is illegal to even ask if someone is married etc, asking for such information is a massive invasion of privacy, no matter how simple the info on your facebook is, why do they need it? Are they hiring you based on who your friends are?

I will fully admit we facebook 'creep' potential employees to see what they have public (not just facebook, but an online search) - we have never not hired anyone as a result but we have asked them to remove political leanings etc from public view and to make a separate account to add people they come into contact with through work if they want to keep it

[anisa]

Well for something like police work I would expect to be fully checked out so I think it is fair if the employer asks the prospective employee to login to their facebook page.

Demanding the password though I think is bullying. It's not necessary for them to have a password to do what they want to do. It is a tactic to see how the interviewee stands in the face of the authority of the employer. I dunno, some interviews are tough, is this fair play or not?

The other guy in the article was a statistician. Now in his situation I see absolutely no justification for handing over his password. As for his facebook page...how much public interaction does a statistician have? Where would public image ever enter into it? Why not believably say I don't have facebook instead of killing the interview? (Well, honestly he did the right thing)

yes, well things like security screenings would be a given for a police officer, but this is private business. it is like saying "you want a job? we are going to tap your phone".

[Darth Penguin]

Facebook warns employers not to ask for passwords

Facebook is warning employers not to demand the passwords of job applicants, saying that it’s an invasion of privacy that opens companies to legal liabilities. The social networking company is also threatening legal action.

[nightlite]

I just think it's sad that it's actually come to this point in society. As much as I appreciate social media, there are days where I wish the yesterday's of people not knowing everything about you the moment it happens. I deleted my FB account several years ago b/c it just got way too messy separating work from personal stuff and guess what? I survived. If anything it was eye opening to learn who my friends really are.

[macw1960]

No way.

[RSAS]

wah? No way would I give out my password. They can facebook creep me, google me, whatever. But no way would I give my password. We have a rental suite and we always facebook creep our potential tenants....Its not about what they can see if they have my password, its about what they could potential do with full access.

[coupongirl99]

Facebook warns employers not to ask for passwords

I'm not a facebook fan but I give the organization credit for that.

[ninna]

I would give them my password--and after they're done snooping, I would promptly change the password on it.

Why might i do this? I am a teacher. As far as society is concerned, I am a teacher 24-7 and everything I do--whether it's done at work when I'm wearing my teacher shoes, whether it's in the community where I wear my running shoes and walk my dog or whether it's in my own back yard where I wiggle my bare feet in the grass- I am ALWAYS on display. My behaviors both in and out of the classroom are considered part of my "professionalism" so how I also conduct myself online is also up for grabs too.

That being said, I never, EVER post anything that I wouldn't want my boss (the school board), other colleagues, or my students to read.

Do I think it's right that employers demand that information from prospective employees? Nope. However, I've trained myself to endure the invasion of privacy so it really wouldn't be a big deal for me. But I totally see other people's arguments. It DOES cross a line. The difference for me is that I accepted that line-crossing when I entered the field of teaching way back when.

[ashokia]

Wow, that is just mind boggling! I work at a bank, so I had to have a criminal check done. I think that is more than sufficient for them. I would never give my password to them! My Manager doesn't even have access to the password on my work account. If I forget it, I have to call a 1-800 number to reset it, my Manager has to give me a temporary password, then I have to change it to a new password. I'm sure they monitor my online activity anyway, but that doesn't bother me because I shouldn't be doing anything like FBing while I'm at work.

I should not be judged for what I do on my own time if it does not affect the quality of my work. That being said, I would never do anything that could reflect negatively on the company while wearing my name tag or representing the company in any other way.

[glowworm2k]

I would give them my password--and after they're done snooping, I would promptly change the password on it.

Why might i do this? I am a teacher. As far as society is concerned, I am a teacher 24-7 and everything I do--whether it's done at work when I'm wearing my teacher shoes, whether it's in the community where I wear my running shoes and walk my dog or whether it's in my own back yard where I wiggle my bare feet in the grass- I am ALWAYS on display. My behaviors both in and out of the classroom are considered part of my "professionalism" so how I also conduct myself online is also up for grabs too.

That being said, I never, EVER post anything that I wouldn't want my boss (the school board), other colleagues, or my students to read.

Do I think it's right that employers demand that information from prospective employees? Nope. However, I've trained myself to endure the invasion of privacy so it really wouldn't be a big deal for me. But I totally see other people's arguments. It DOES cross a line. The difference for me is that I accepted that line-crossing when I entered the field of teaching way back when.

Very good point about certain professions having lowered expectations of privacy. My sister is also a member of the Ontario College of Teachers, and I know that they have a social media policy for their members - including that you should never befriend your students on social networking, professional conduct on fb and the like. I think that this type of expectation is quite reasonable in general, regardless of any employer trying to get a password, etc.