Your online activity may be costing you a job.

mattcanary

TonyMMM wrote: »

Checking ALL on-line activity is a very standard part of recruitment checks and has been for quite a few years now.

I have seen numerous examples of people who were not called for interviews because of something seen on-line (usually on FB)..... the candidate who had posted to all his mates about how he was going to stroll into a great job using made up qualifications, and how he was going to "wing it" in the interview (because they never check) was one I remember well !

And don't believe that setting FB to private stops someone who really wants to know about you - I worked with an HR consultant who openly boasted about how he got access to "private" FB accounts (and his remarkably easy method did work in about 95% of cases, and still does).

Just always remember that anything you post on-line is never private and can never be deleted.

With that attitude, they deserve not to have got the job.

Are we saying that people should not post on Facebook and other social media?
Or that they shouldn;t behave badly on Facebook and other social media?
Two entirely different things.

The problem is that people think lying and cheating pays.

Would parents be advising their own children to routinely behave in this way?
No, of course not

So why do some adults think they can behave in this way themselves?

AP007

paulineb wrote: »

I live in one of the worst areas in my home town. It never stopped me getting employment.

But what if the mployer googled your house and thought 'that looks rough'? You never know what employers do and if anyone thinks they don't do it then they are silly.

Flyonthewall

TonyMMM wrote: »

And don't believe that setting FB to private stops someone who really wants to know about you - I worked with an HR consultant who openly boasted about how he got access to "private" FB accounts (and his remarkably easy method did work in about 95% of cases, and still does).

If I was that HR consultant I wouldn't be boasting about that. The only way to get access to all private FB accounts would be through hacking.

gettingready

Prothet_of_Doom wrote: »

I currently have a linked in profile only, and am about 2 months from the end of a 12 month contract. It might get renewed, but I'd rather move on, so in a month I'll be actively looking, but I know I need to be careful about any posts on linked in I make. I wanted to post an open message to my contacts like "Looking for a role doing xyz from June 10th" but I know my current hiring manager will read it....so I'm going to have to identify those connections which might be able to help and send them private messages.

I had an open message like that on my LinkedIn profile for 4 weeks before my last contract was due to end - made it clear at work I did not want a reneval and was looking for something else. No problems with that

DigForVictory

Private should be private, but then I lead such a quiet online life (as well as behind the attempt at privacy) that anyone snooping my profile will get mummy-stuff.

It's only in person it becomes (very) clear that I'd be more suited to other employment...

TonyMMM

mattcanary wrote: »

Are we saying that people should not post on Facebook and other social media?
Or that they shouldn;t behave badly on Facebook and other social media?
Two entirely different things.

Post whatever you like - but always be aware that it may be seen by others, and be used to form an opinion about you.

TonyMMM

Flyonthewall wrote: »

If I was that HR consultant I wouldn't be boasting about that. The only way to get access to all private FB accounts would be through hacking.

There is no need to hack - people would give him access (without realising who he was) ... I'm not defending it, but pointing out it gets done all the time.

AP007

TonyMMM wrote: »

And don't believe that setting FB to private stops someone who really wants to know about you - I worked with an HR consultant who openly boasted about how he got access to "private" FB accounts (and his remarkably easy method did work in about 95% of cases, and still does).

Just always remember that anything you post on-line is never private and can never be deleted.

Willing to tell us how?

Flyonthewall

TonyMMM wrote: »

There is no need to hack - people would give him access (without realising who he was) ... I'm not defending it, but pointing out it gets done all the time.

So he adds them as a friend? Still not how things should be done in business.

Does he use a fake profile or his own? If you've applied for a job and some guy adds you who works for that company (assuming that's on his profile) I'd be thinking that's a little bit odd/dodgy.

AP007

TonyMMM wrote: »

There is no need to hack - people would give him access (without realising who he was) ... I'm not defending it, but pointing out it gets done all the time.

What fool adds people they don't know and never talk to? How odd.

It's never been done to me ever.