I saw this on tv the other day.  I have mixed emotions about it.  As an employer, it must be really hard to find good, honest, reliable employees.  I see it when I go shopping or the doctors office.  Some employers have very high turnover for a number of reasons.

If an employer is looking for someone to fill a position that requires the employee to handle clients, money or an executive position, the employer would want to make sure the employee is fit for the position.  It is so easy to dummy a resume; they may need more information.

Someone may present his/her self as an honest, maybe family type of person, but on their facebook page, they are dressed provocatively and swigging from a keg.

On the other hand, a person does have a right to post what they wish on their page and shouldn't have it held against them because Facebook and MySpace are basically for fun.

I think it depends on what you're being hired for. If you're going to work flipping burgers at Five Guys, it probably doesn't matter if you have pictures of your tattoos or baudy poems you've written on MySpace. However, if you're applying for a job as an assistant district attorney or a financial analyst, then your potential employer has an obligation to screen out inappropriate candidates.

Employers often make a BIG investment when hiring new employees. In some cases, it can literally cost $10,000 to recruit and sign a new employee. Any employer needs to do "due diligence" when spending that kind of money. If they have two candidates with similar backgrounds but one of them has pierced nipples, goes to goth trance events and picks up girls at Miley Cyrus concerts, which would you hire? Investigators paid to look into the backgrounds of potential employees must find MySpace and Facebook quite the feast.

The bottom line really is: If you don't want people to know about it, keep your mouth shut and your fingers off the keyboard.

--Bob

I don't think we yet know all the ramifications of posting thoughts and pictures of ourselves on the internet. My understanding is that virtually everything gets archived and is ''out there'' somewhere, even if you deleted it. Think twice before hitting the 'submit' button.

"Everyone's gotta learn to make their profiles on these type of sites private. "  I could not agree more.  I used to keep my MySpace profile open until someone I know locally who turned out to be a psycho.  I didn't put anything skanky on there but I didn't want her knowing what I was up to in my life so I closed it down.  I'm now over at Facebook and keep that private as well. 

I'm always totally amazed at the stuff people put on their social networking pages.  My DH's niece who is 18 has the nastiest stuff on there.  She'd probably spin around thrice and drop dead if she knew me and her uncle were reading her nasty crap.  It literally makes me sick to see the stuff she and her friends say.

Buggheart said…

I'm always totally amazed at the stuff people put on their social networking pages.  My DH's niece who is 18 has the nastiest stuff on there.  She'd probably spin around thrice and drop dead if she knew me and her uncle were reading her nasty crap.  It literally makes me sick to see the stuff she and her friends say.

---

I always keep my profile(s) private (I have nothing to hide), but you never know who is lurking around.   

My friend's brother spreaded lies about his best friend on his MySpace page. Needless to say, some people found out including his family and the best friend. I can't believe some of the things people put on their MySpace pages.

If you don't want it out in public, do not put it online - public or private. You would not believe how many of your "friends" will show your private stuff. When you have 500 "friends," you are kidding yourself.

As far as employers, if it's posted in public . . . It gives them a pretty good idea as far as what kind of decisions you make. If they come and look in the window at your house, that would be odd. Probably wouldn't want to work for peek freaks anyway.

My spin. And, I have seen a lot and much that you could not pay me to do or to post.

Well I don't agree that you shouldn't put it online at all, instead you should be smart about who you add as friends.  I have only a few "friends" on those sites, and all of them are people I personally know and trust.

Those people who add everyone in the world need to get it under control and realize that they shouldn't add people they don't know just because they are funny or cute or have something in common.

As many of you have stated, I can see how employers would get a lot out of myspace/facebook if they are hiring for positions where they need someone they can really trust.  The funny thing is, I am 100% sure there is nothing on my sites that would incriminate me, but I still would rather they weren't looking which is why I stay private.  I've found some coworkers on Facebook but I haven't told them I'm there or added them, just to be safe!  What's innocent fun to one person may be considered bad to someone else.  Although I'd still think everything I do online is A-OK, but you never really know what people think is bad.  Maybe someone doesn't like my opinion on a certain topic, or maybe they think I shouldn't be friends with a certain person, that's why I stay private.

And Buggheart, I totally agree that I can't believe the stuff I find on these sites.  Ok so I found one girl that she was 17 and her tagline said: "I'm pregnant!!!"   Then a few days later it changed to "I'm pregnant and engaged :) "

Honestly that is NOT something I would be bragging about, but to her it was like totally awesome to let the world know.  This to me shows how life has changed in the world of the internet.  A lot of people think things are totally OK now just because they see it all the time online.

You were probably looking at my husband's niece's page!  Seriously.  Only I don't think she's engaged.  I look at some of the poses in her pictures on MySpace and I think OMG she's 17 and someone's MOM and she's doing this crap.  Ugh. 

My two cents is that things like a myspace profile and such should be off limits when determining a job hire. While I can see the point of wanting to pre-determine the kind of work ethic or professional demeanor of someone based solely by things they post online, I disagree with the practice.

A person's personal life is not their professional life, and there are more than a few of us out there who have two very different lives that they lead in and out of their respective places of employment and my personal life and internet life are directly related as well.

Just my thoughts at least.

I agree with you scorpio and I think you explained what I was thinking better than I could.  Something about them looking up and being able to see people just chatting with their friends doesn't sit right with me.  Once again, I think more people should keep it private and then they wouldn't even have to worry about it as much.

Well, I have a public MySpace and I wouldn't care who saw it because I carefully honed it to be a networking site in many ways. There are links to everything I do, my reviews, etc. I do not let people post sexual comments (I don't know most well enough for them to post any comments really.), and I don't get involved with people who seem to be friendly but whom I don't know. They can be "on my friends list" but I won't engage in personal chit chat with them.

I am careful about what I say but I have opened up in blogs in the past, never mentioning names but venting in a way that maybe wasn't so cool. I have since closed off those blogs for the most part.

The thing is, my son is one of the best kids I ever met. I don't say that because he's my kid either. But his MySpace page makes me cringe. Dumb pics, dumb friends, not so sweet language at times. If a potential employer saw that, I don't think he or she would get to know the person my son truly is. Those social sites encourage outrageous and dumb behavior, especially for younger people. I'm not so sure they should be used as a way to measure the integrity of a person. Then again...as you have all said, what you put out there in public can be seen by anyone and it could bite you in the tail. Luckily he never talks about anything or anyone. Oh oh, he may be reading this. DOH!

I write at MyLot (vivasuzi, you should see some referral money coming your way. I have been on a MyLot spree! LOL.) and often answer some personal questions in discussions. I have recently started to leave out certain facts because I have to stop being such an open book to the whole world.

I really don't care who reads my public stuff though. If they got into my email or something, then I would be ticked off because that's obviously supposed to be private.

See that's what I'm saying Patty, even GOOD kids do stupid things on Myspace, I don't know why!  My teen cousins go on there and through out the F word all over, but they would never say that to their parents or (when they get a job) their bosses!  OH and it seems to be the culture of teen girls now to take kissy face pictures (they are always pursing their lips).  I don't get that, I'm a smiler and think smiling is pretty, but they do it all over. 

Glad you are being more general when doing your discussions and such.  On mylot I always keep things general OR make up a story with fake names that basically explains what I'm trying to say without being anything anyone would be able to figure out.  Basically, although I complain about some ppl on mylot, they would never know it was them if they ever came across it!  Speaking of mylot, it's time I return!  I stay away during Big Brother season b/c I always end up hearing a spoiler or two, but now that is over!