Your Online Image #2
You are the young manager of a local ice cream parlor that is beloved by local families. You are looking to hire some teens for the summer when the shop is open late every evening. You require an application and at least one reference. It occurs to you that you could look on Facebook to find out a bit more about the applicants.
What might you find that would make you not hire someone?
Is there anything wrong with using Facebook in this way?
Below are a couple of articles that talk about how employers use social media to help screen applicants.
70% of employers are snooping candidates’ social media profiles
Employer’s using social media in hiring process: Why do they do it?
When you are looking for employees, I agree that you should look at their social networks. They may post badly about their current employer, information that they shouldn't let other people know, inappropriate photos, or videos and alcohol and drugs. Hopefully they don't post these things but it is a good idea to check, you don't want a a bad employee.
ReplyDeleteI agree you don't want to hire somebody that is a bad employee. Especially if they have a history of using drugs and/or alcohol, this could be bad for your company if people walking into your shop knowing about your employee's bad reputation.
DeleteI agree with Brooke you always have to be aware of who you are bring into you business or company, you can't just tell the person that they have the job. you need information about them and what they do and who they hang out because you don't want them to be dealing drugs or any of that kind of stuff.
DeleteWhen you're looking to hire someone you should look at their social media, you don't want to hire someone who's lazy and wont do the actual job. They might be on drugs or an alcoholic and if you don't want that in your store you probably shouldn't hire them.
ReplyDeleteI agree Harley, if you can tell someone is lazy just by looking at their Facebook, I would not hire them. If they're using drugs or alcohol they probably won't be a reliable person or someone you can trust with your store
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DeleteYou're both right Talia and Harley. Signs of a lazy worker show that he/she wont be energetic enough to get the job done right. Drinking a lot may also have an affect on how well they work. All employers look for an employee who will be responsible, be energetic and wiling to work, and put the job first.
DeleteWhen looking at an applicant's social media account, I would look for red flags such as swearing, smoking, drinking, drugs, and anything else that may make the applicant not a very good employee. Someone who has a good attitude and is willing to serve others are some character traits that would stand out to me.
ReplyDeleteJust because someone smokes or swears doesn't always mean they won't be a good worker, but double checking to make sure they are a good person is something that checking their social media account may reveal .
DeleteI agree, if someone smoked a cigarette or swore, it doesn't mean that they are a bad employe. I just would be cautious in the fact that they could swear at the customers which would result in bad customer service.(Swearing can become a habit) Everyone has a bad day, and makes mistakes, but as long as they can recognize them, and fix them, that is all manager could ask for.
DeleteIf I were lookng online for a new employee and I saw that they were posting inappropiate pictures or posts about them drinking or using drugs, that would be an automatic red flag. Also, if I saw that they were bad mouthing past employers I wouldn't hire them because that could be bad publicity for your business if they were talking badly about you. There is nothing wrong with checking your potential employee's Facebook profile. If they put it online, they should expect people to see it.
ReplyDeleteI agree, drinking and drugs are definitely a red flag. You also don't want someone talking bad about other employees because that could also bring a lot of tension into the business, making a lot of people unhappy.
DeleteWhen you are looking to hire an employe, you look online at social media to make sure they don't act a certain way. While looking, if you see someone who has applied that posts about drinking/drugs or posts or saying rude things about previous places they have worked or about other people would be a red flag.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Brooke, if you're just starting a coffee shop or something and you want to have good business you are going to want to have polite, respectable workers. If you look at their social media and they post rude things about people they're probably not the right fit for your business.
DeleteIf someone has drugs, alcohol, or inappropriate pictures on their page I wouldn't really want to hire them because they could turn the work environment kind of bad and can ruin its reputation. I don't think that people should be using facebook to post inappropriate pictures and content because you never know who could see it. If people are okay with the risk I think they still can but I wouldn't do anything like that
ReplyDeleteChecking the social media sites of the people the could be your future employees is a smart thing to do . You could find things that don't match up from their application to work their or you could find things from their past that make them untrustworthy or sketchy. People may think it is a violation of privacy, but don't post anything bad and you won't have any problems .
ReplyDeleteExactly. If you think it's a violation of privacy you shouldn't have posted anything in the first place. You should know that anyone can see your profile.
DeleteI'd say it is a very good idea to look at a possible employees social media when considering hiring them. often times, a person tries extra hard to make them self look good on applications and resumes because they want the job they're applying for. On social Media , however, they are usually more honest and you can tell a lot more about their real character or see their "true colors". You might very well see something on their account that might make you have second thoughts about hiring them. Or you may even see something good such as a post, education information, past experience, or qualification that may make you want to hire them!
ReplyDeleteI agree most of the time people are more open and honest about themselves online then they would be on a job interview. Then again if it was a post about them 5+ years ago then I feel like it would be ok to hire them because they were probably young and immature, people can change.
DeleteYeah that's true to Cady, people do change! and employers should take that into consideration!
DeleteIf I was a boss and I seen that the person that was trying to get a job for me was posting drugs or them drinking or inappropiate stuff on social media I would definitely not hire them. That shows me they aren't responsible and they aren't to smart because they are showing every body these pictures.
ReplyDeleteI agree because, why would you post drugs or alcohol online, I mean it looks bad and who's gonna trust you.
DeleteIf I was a boss googling someone would be one of the first things I do, because you can see news headlines that would have their names on it. After the google search I would start to go threw their social media, so you can get a feel of what kind of person I might be hiring.
ReplyDeleteYes, a person's social media posts can reveal a lot about them. They may have information that would make them a good employee, or you may find info that will make you think twice about hiring them. This is why it is always good to check their social media accounts.
DeleteI agree, googling someones name would be a good idea. finding out if their name has been written about is a good idea. You could see what they involve themselves in thats in the public. If its good or bad things could help make your decision on hiring them or not.
DeleteI agree. Googling someone I'm pretty sure is something a lot of company's that are hiring do. I would too, you can find out a lot about someone by looking at their facebook page or social media. You have to watch what you put out there because you never know who is going to see it. Information that is put on the internet never goes away.
DeleteI'll look on their facebook page and see that their posting inappropriate that'll be a red flag because I wanna hire someone who's gonna be mature, and if there posting inappropriate stuff, they could talk bad about my business and make me look bad.
ReplyDeleteThat' a very good thought Jacob. If they are immature online then it's more likely that they will be immature in the workplace and not responsible enough to do the the job well. And if I'm going to pay someone for doing something I'd want it to be done right or at least see that the employee is doing their best! If they're posing inappropriate stuff then it my be best to to pass them up!
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ReplyDeleteIt is a good resource in my book. If I'm hiring someone to greet customers I don't want them to be a jerk to everyone they meet. There's a surprising amount of info you can learn about someone just by their Facebook. If they have a problem with people looking at their Facebook they shouldn't have made the account. The whole point of Facebook is to create an online image and share moments with friends. Wether that means posting things they will regret later, criticizing politicians, or just posting about how much you loved your recent trip to Florida. The bottom line is you shouldn't expect me not to look at your Facebook when thinking of hiring you.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Joe I think that you should be kind to the people that come into the store or anything in that matter and it is a no brainer to check all of their accounts on social media.
DeleteThat is a good point, the whole point of social media is to share your memories and opinions. But criticizing people on your social media one way to show that you might not be the best employe if you are working with people.
DeleteI think that it would certainly be appropriate to check somebody's Facebook because it can say a lot about their personality. Also you need to be able to know your employs before you hire them, sure they are interviewed but somebody could easily lie or by over confident with themselves and you wouldn't want to hire somebody that is not hardworking.
ReplyDeleteYes and checking the background of a future employee is smart. If you notice something off about them or if they are lazy do not hire them.
DeleteYes I agree, if you're looking to find help at your store or something you should look at the peoples social media that you want to hire, before you actually hire them. If you don't you might regret it later.
DeleteI agree, It's never a bad idea do second guess if someone wasn't who they seem to be during their interview. By checking their social media you can get a good idea of who they really are.
Deletei think it a great idea to check there facebook and instagram because it tells you how they communicate with their friends and family and what they do with their free time. you can also learn about the stuff they don't tell you in the interview and if they are really qualified for the job.
ReplyDeleteGood idea about finding the stuff they didn't say in the interview. I didn't think of that, and it's a great example of how Facebook can help with the hiring process.
DeleteI think that is a good idea Amelia, you can see what they are like by social media, you never know what they may lie about on a resume or interview.
DeleteI agree, it a very good way to learn more information about someone who is applying for a job.
DeleteI think that when you go for a job interview that they should look at all of you social media accounts. still you shouldn't post that kind of stuff any who like, pictures of you vaping, drinking, and doing drugs.
ReplyDeleteI agree Mackenzie, you should watch what you post. You shouldn't post anything you want a future employer to look at. Those are good examples!
DeleteI agree Mackenzie, you really shouldn't be vaping and posting videos of you doing it on your facebook page because your future boss could see it and not hire you
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