As many of us are anticipating graduating from Laurier it is evident that we would all like to find the perfect job. For many this includes a position that pays us well for our labor and allows us to enjoy the labor we are performing. In order to get hired we often submit applications and send resumes with the intention of getting an interview to show how we can benefit a company. But the information we provide while applying or in the interview no longer markets who or what type of worker we can be, our online presence does.
Mark Andrejevic speaks of how our labor or work ethic is often shown through our online presence and the unpaid labor we produce through social media. He adds how this unpaid labor can often be used during the hiring process. Within his writing he mentions how many employers are now using social networking sites in order to analyze applicants due to the quantity of useful information they receive for minimal or no fees. Having potential employers using online networks for this is a constant discussion of whether it can harm individuals more than it benefits the employer.
Businessweek.com wrote a short article with Greg Fish and Timothy Lee providing the pros and cons to this newly popular procedure in the workforce.
After reading the article do you agree with Greg’s opinion of thinking that employers using social networking during the hiring process should not be done due to the concept of personal privacy, keeping personal and work spheres separate and the risk of gaining inaccurate information? Or Do you agree with Timothy that employers should use these social networks to not strictly use them as another resume, but rather to ensure that the individual will not pose a potential threat to the companies image and that putting information online for the world to see means that sometimes it may be used to judge you?
I definitely agree that while it could be considered an invasion of privacy, employers looking through their potential candidates' Facebook profiles is to be expected, and can also be beneficial to the candidates. If someone is careful and productive with their social media accounts, it can act as part of their resume and definitely give them an edge in applying for jobs. I do also think its important for employers to know what kind of people they're hiring - if people are comfortable posting racist speech or misogynist insults on public platforms, obviously employers wouldn't want a person like that representing their companies, and that's important in the hiring process.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that while it could be considered an invasion of privacy, employers looking through their potential candidates' Facebook profiles is to be expected, and can also be beneficial to the candidates. If someone is careful and productive with their social media accounts, it can act as part of their resume and definitely give them an edge in applying for jobs. I do also think its important for employers to know what kind of people they're hiring - if people are comfortable posting racist speech or misogynist insults on public platforms, obviously employers wouldn't want a person like that representing their companies, and that's important in the hiring process.
ReplyDeleteI would first like to say that not everyone keeps their profile public on Facebook. Without paying Facebook to release your information, a basic search by employers may not turn up any results if the user’s privacy settings are set high. I would say that it’s okay for employer’s to research their candidates on social media, but take the results they find with a grain of salt. For example, that potential intern with party photos on Facebook doesn’t mean he’s like that all the time. He most likely knows when it is and isn’t appropriate to get wasted. I also think that using social media to research potential employees is beneficial for finding similar interests among candidates and hiring managers. Of course as the article mentions there is the chance to find something on the candidate that you aren’t big on, but there is also the chance to find common interests that demonstrate the candidate fits well with the workplace culture and would get along with their manager.
ReplyDeleteI think it's alright for potential employers to check out their candidate's profiles, particularly if they inform them of their intent to do so. If someone is using their social media as a platform to spread hate speech, like Alannah mentioned, employers would be unlikely to hire such a candidate and in my opinion losing a job over hate speech is well deserved.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I think other than that it would be unfair of employers to pass character judgements on their candidates based on a photo that appeared on Facebook.
I agree with Greg’s opinion regarding how social media sites should not be utilized by potential employers during hiring processes. If social media plat forms are used to obtain information about potential employees, it risks inaccurate information being consumed and judged as part of the potential employees “resume”. Along with this risk and many more, one especially comes to mind. I think that if employers sought out this form of decision –making, it can be used as a way to judge a potential worker based off of their age, gender and sexuality. As one can see, stigma and biases can be used against hiring certain individuals over others. When handing in a resume, in general, it does not state, nor does it have to state, ones sexual preferences, age or gender.
ReplyDeleteWhen Timothy uses the terms, “to ensure that the individual will not pose as a potential threat to the companies image,” makes me directly think of the case of Holister. It is often said that this clothing company hires floor sales staff based off of looks, and once entering a store location this immediately becomes a reality. So what would stop this sort of company from using social media to suit their economic interests? If Holister received an intriguing resume or referenced person without meeting the individual in person, then Holister might seek out their information on various social media plat forms. I am not mentioning this because I believe in what this sort of company does, but rather it is interesting to note how what is there to stop some sort of hiring actions to occur?