Recently there have been a number of reports in the press about job candidates being asked for their Facebook login password by prospective employers. While employers and recruiters routinely now check the public profiles of job applicants, it is still rare that a potential employer seeks access to an individual's private information.
Hopefully, this will not become a common practice, even though it is probably not illegal, per se, to request that information under New Jersey law. According to Dena Calo, a partner at Genova, Burns, Giantomasi & Webster: "In the private sector, an employer may currently request an applicant's Facebook password during the hiring process, but such a practice is fraught with legal risk. The biggest risk is the employer's exposure to a discrimination claim for information obtained on the applicant's Facebook page. Typically, a would-be employer cannot seek information pertaining to an employee's gender, age, religion, political affiliation, national origin, medical conditions or other categories protected by federal, state or local law. Facebook profiles are filled with such personal information. When the employer later rejects the applicant for legitimate business reasons, it is exposed to claims that the decision was based on the employer's knowledge of these protected categories because of the exposure to the applicant's Facebook profile."
In the event you are asked for access to private information, however, when you are seeking employment, how should you respond? Attorney Vincent Antoniello at the Resnick Law Group suggests that you "just say no." He adds "you don't want to work there anyway." You certainly can politely decline to provide that information and hope you are selected anyway. Employers, of course, have the right to choose someone else, which is the likely outcome if you do not handle your unwillingness to provide that information tactfully.
Most career experts suggest that, instead of simply refusing to provide your Facebook password, you offer other ways to obtain the legitimate information that the employer might be seeking. For example, Ms. Calo suggests that you ask "if there's anything specific that you would be looking for if you were to search my Facebook account? I would welcome the opportunity to have an open discussion now about any reservations you might have for hiring me based on those criteria."
Jeremy Goldman, AVP Interactive at iluminage Inc.,cautions not to "appear to be obstructionist or that you're hiding anything." He suggests that you "offer to show your prospective employer the 'public view' of your profile" and explain how you use Facebook to share "specific information with specific groups of contacts, demonstrating that you're savvier about Facebook usage than most, and as such can be a benefit to the new company." You might add that your Facebook password is the same one you use for your bank accounts and credit cards and disclosing it exposes you to the risk that it accidentally gets into the wrong hands.
Duncan Ferguson, managing director of leadership development at HR Consulting firm BPI Group, also suggests offering them an alternative source of relevant information such as your LinkedIn profile or your Facebook-linked professional profiles on Branchout or BeKnown. He notes "LinkedIn has become so integral to the recruiting process that most hiring managers would find that answer acceptable."
Management consultant Sally Mounts, president of Auctus Consulting Group, suggests that, after noting your concerns about privacy, indicate a willingness to compromise. For example, you could say "If you tell me that I am the prime candidate for this position, I would be willing to reconsider my stand." This puts "the onus back on the interviewer, who should never have made the request to begin with" and it avoids "giving out private information unless there is a real benefit" to doing so.
If an interviewer insists that you provide your Facebook password, you need to really consider whether this is a company where you want to work. As Ferguson notes, "Every interaction with a company during the interview process is a window to the company culture. Asking for Facebook passwords should raise at least a yellow flag that trust might not be part of their culture."
Always bear in mind that what you put up on the internet, no matter how much you attempt to keep it private, may become public, say, by way of a friend.
Once it does, it is out there forever to be found if someone "Googles you," as employers are now doing routinely for prospective candidates. So even if you are never asked for your Facebook password, don't ever put anything on the internet you would not want a potential employer to see.
A veteran human resources executive, Lee E. Miller is a career coach and the author of "UP: Influence Power and the U Perspective — The Art of Getting What You Want." Mail questions to Lee@YourCareerDoctors.com
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