We all know the facts - when applying for jobs, you must CLEAN UP YOUR ONLINE PROFILE! Everyone knows a horror story about a friend of a friend who didn't get a job because their boss had a quick Facebook stalk of them pre-interview, then bombarded them with questions about 'their lads' night out in Malia 2008' and 'what actually happened in Carpe Diem nightclub in Magaluf last summer?' But is it right and, more importantly, lawful for our future bosses to be accessing our private profiles and information intended for our friends only?
Luckily, many employers dislike the idea of intruding into the privacy of employees or candidates. Audrey Bevan, the recruitment adviser for UK Power Networks, said: 'My view is any candidate's private life is precisely that: private and therefore should not be used against them in the professional world. I have several reasons for this: The private life of an individual has no link with their skills.' Many employers feel uncomfortable researching their potential employees this way, accepting that there is often a disparity between how someone acts at work and how they act in their personal life. However, sadly, Facebook posting is often seen by employers as a 'public communication', even if only one's friends can see it. Recent statistics have shown that 20% of employers have admitted to rejecting at least one applicant on the basis of their Facebook profile. For this reason, it is important to be as careful as you can online - and not put anything on your profile that could be detrimental to your reputation.
It is important to remember that not all companies use Facebook to penalise. BT have been said to 'use Facebook to share an insight into life on the BT graduate scheme and help people considering the graduate path, [although they] don't use it to help with any part of the recruitment selection process.' This is an example of using Facebook to inform, but not to intrude. That said, anyone worried about their Facebook page sending out the wrong message should increase privacy settings and considering cleaning up their online profile.
Kate, GRB Journalist
