Niyah Dodd
April 9, 2022
COSC 1301
Signature Assignment
Are you looking for a new job? Employers scrutinize candidates' social media profiles to
ensure they are safe for work. What people publish on social networking sites could negatively
affect their careers. Employers have the right to ask about social media postings. It has the
potential to cost one's current work and future job possibilities, but it can also help someone get
hired for the job.
Employers want to make sure the person they are hiring will be the right candidate for
the position. According to Driver (2021), in "A 2018 CareerBuilder survey, 70% of employers
use social media to screen candidates during the hiring process, and about 43% use social media
to check on current employees." This quote shows that it is common to check potential
employees' social media. Because we consider our social media accounts personally, the
employer gets a sense of a candidate's personality behind the resume by looking at them. Hiring
managers are not just looking up dirt on profiles; they also look for information to help job
seekers. Others are selected to employ based on the profile's professional appearance.
In some cases, the job seeker's profile revealed that he or she is creative, well-rounded, or
has excellent communication skills; in others, it was because background information supported
professional qualifications. In others, other people posted excellent references about the
candidate. In still others, it was because the profile revealed that the job seeker is creative,
balanced, or has excellent public speaking skills.
Moreover, job seekers should focus on having an online profile that represents their best
attributes, skills, and experiences. Not having or removing inappropriate content from a profile
makes them suspicious. It seems that they have something to hide. But one should also be careful
about what they post when they are an employee. They are not immune to the consequences of
their actions because they work there. For instance, in 2013, Justine Sacco was a
communications director of New York-based internet empire InterActive Corp when she headed
on a flight to South Africa; she tweeted just before boarding the airplane: "Going to Africa. Hope
I don't get AIDS. Just kidding. I'm white!" (2013). This quote is a racist statement that caused her
to be fired after landing. Her actions reflected the company at the moment, and they chose the
best course of action. They did not want everyone else to think that they hired racists in a
position of power; if she could make a tweet so casually like that, who knows how she treated
Black people in her day-to-day life. Having the freedom of speech does not equal the freedom of
consequences.
Additionally, it is imperative to make sure you do not apply to a job you hate. It would
not make sense if you hated cats but applied as a cat sitter. The bias you have for cats will affect
how you take care of them. Kaitlyn Walls learned that lesson when she was working as a daycare
worker and posted on Facebook, "I start my new job today," she said. "But I hate working at
daycare. I just really hate being around a lot of kids." (Holley, 2021) It caused a lot of backlashes
from their parents, and she was eventually fired. I would not want someone who hates children
working with them because they could abuse them. Children are not the easiest to take care of,
but people should not post where parents and their company can see it.
Some may argue that it is illegal to go through potential employees' social media because
it is an invasion of privacy, but this is false as it has been proven that it is indeed legal. Some
jurisdictions even enable companies to ask employees for their social network identities and
passwords. Employers are limited by state and federal privacy rules regarding what they may and
cannot ask for. In conclusion, employers have a right to ask whether inappropriate things will be
on their social media because it can help determine if they are the right candidate for the job.
Driver, S. (2021, November 1). Social media screenings gain in popularity. Business News Daily.
Retrieved April 9, 2022, from https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/2377-social-mediahiring.html
Guardian News and Media. (2013, December 22). Justine Sacco, PR executive fired over racist
tweet, 'ashamed'. The Guardian. Retrieved April 9, 2022, from
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/22/pr-exec-fired-racist-tweet-aids-africaapology
Holley, P. (2021, October 25). Daycare employee fired for Facebook post saying she hates 'being
around a lot of kids. The Washington Post. Retrieved April 9, 2022, from
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/05/04/day-care-employeefired-for-facebook-post-noting-she-hates-being-around-a-lot-of-kids/