Should Employers "Stalk" Potential Job Candidates FB Profile?

We are quickly changing how potential employers decide who to hire for their job openings. Many are looking at the potential employees FB Profile, Status Updates, Photos, etc... and other Networking Sites to see what kind of a person they really are. Three questions come up for me? 1) Is it legal? 2) Is it good etiquette? 3) Is there any possibility that this might work out to a candidate's favor vs. detriment?

Legal? If you are not allowed to ask questions that would cause discrimination in an in person interview - why would you be able to "ask" the same questions by looking at their FB information. An example question would be "Do you have children"? So what do you do if you go look at a candidate's profile and you see they have children and then you decide not to hire her because you believe that will be a drawback to doing the job. The problem here is - how would anybody know why they weren't hired for that reason. They probably wouldn't. I don't ever remember being told too many details or specifics of why I wasn't hired for a job other than the other candidate had more experience.

It is clear that it is unclear the legal ramifications for somebody to examine a person's FB profile in the Job Interview process. And we also know that once you post something public (even if you are trying to keep most things private) you have to be prepared that a potential employer will possibly be peeking or stalking your FB Profile. So you can not be on it at all, or have 2 profiles public and private or just keep your profile clean and job interview worthy.

Etiquette? If an employer can legally look at your FB Profile, the other question is how cool or not cool is that? And if its not cool, then would you want to work for that company anyway. I suggest that you ask up front when you apply for a position about their Social Media Policy and the looking at potential employees FB/Other SM Networks for more information. Then you can decide to either clean it up and hope for the best or move on and apply to another company.

Could It Be To a Job Candidates Advantage? When I discuss this topic of companies "snooping" around on FB, I always get mostly feedback that it is wrong. That companies shouldn't be in their personal lives. 

I would like to play Devil's Advocate: Is it possible that they actually find something that they like about you that they would have never known in an interview or on a resume? You are uniquely you and that is hard to see in a stuffy, formal interview. Most people's profiles and status updates I see (of my friends) there is nothing a potential employer would be upset about instead they would find a lot of really redeeming qualities. 

So instead of the knee jerk reaction that it is a completely bad thing, take a step back and consider it might be good and helpful to your job chances. I know that many times I have thought after an interview, that I didn't do great or that if they could only get to know me for more than a 30 session, they might really like me and want to hire me. So I think that FB is advantageous for many people. And if they don't hire you because they saw something they didn't like - do you really want to work for them?

Before you start applying for jobs, I would do a little clean up work on your profile, adding some cool things that would help with the job application process and you might even offer that they take a look at it. 

Social Media Leadership Keynote

I am offering a new Keynote starting in 2013, first one is for a company called CarMedic (a Paintless Dent Removal National Company) January 4, in San Deigo, CA. This new Keynote is to help organizations leadership to understand how to incorporate an overall company strategy to use Social Media as the next big Communications Tool for not just their Marketing Department but for all Departments. 

Using Social Media as an overall company communication's strategy is oriented towards more listening, sharing personal items of the people behind the company, creating communities or clubs with their customers and prospects. Social Media is not only a communications tool - it is creating a cultural shift within and between companies. Just like when Microsoft Office and  Emailing was introduced to the business world there was resistance and then acceptance due to their competitors were incorporating it - then Strategy & Training for widespread company adoption.

I will be offering this Keynote to Companies, Associations, Conventions, Meetings in 2013 as well as Consulting and Turn Key Social Media Strategy. 

Here is my Introduction for my upcoming Keynote.

Franny Knight has a Master’s in Psychology, Doctoral Candidate for Behavioral & Transformational Change and owns FK Inc. a Human Capital Consulting Business helping organizations to grow through Leadership Development, Advanced Communications & Technology, Employee Engagement and Innovation.

Franny believes that Social Media is an amazing communications tool set for companies to better listen and respond to their customers, vendors, suppliers and employees. It allows for radical transparency and personal information about the people behind the company. All companies are or will be strategizing how to incorporate Social Media into their Communications, Marketing, Branding, Customer Service and Employee Engagement just like when Microsoft Office and Email came on the scene. She believes we will be better companies because of it.

What Stage Is Your Company In With Social Media?

We at Franny Knight, Inc. are working on a Ethnographic Study of what stages are companies at and going through with the use of all Social Media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Blogging, et....
Here is what we have so far:

Stage I: Blocking Social Media platforms like Facebook from all employees, i.e. head in the sand approach - hoping it will go away. Guess what, 800 million users on Facebook over 50% of U.S. population - over 75% who have a computer and growing. Its not going away! And...you are being discussed on Social Media both negative and positively - one bad comment on Twitter or Facebook could cause a very messy crisis management issue - just ask United: www.unitedbreaksguitars.com. BTW just because you block it on your company computers doesn't mean your employees aren't on it all day on their SMART phones.

Stage II: One Person Has Been Assigned to Deal With It. Its usually an intern or the youngest person on staff, which is a recipe for disaster. Not having a more seasoned employee working with social media messages from your company is just not smart. It is no longer going to work to have one person working on a Communications Platform that is the largest, fastest moving shift in communications we have ever seen. All employees should be using Social Media on behalf of your organization - you do this through creating a Social Media Policy and train employees. If you are afraid of what your employees are going to say - then you have hired the wrong employees.

Stage III: Marketing-PR Department are Handling It: At least its a department and not one person. Still this a very naive and beginners way of using a Very Large Shifting Communications Tool. And...its not designed to be a Traditional Marketing Tool. Traditional Marketing is like a Megaphone and it is Interruptive. Social Media is more like a telephone, conversation - not interruptive. You can't just plop your Marketing Messages, Videos, Annual Report, etc....onto Social Media. You ask anybody on Facebook or Twitter if that is what they are using it for - they do not want to be sold to.

Stage IV: Marketing Department Understands Its Traditional Marketing Limitations: The Marketing Department gets it has to be done differently - that a community has to be built, interaction, trust and participation from customers or followers. Their Social Media Marketing Campaigns are designed correctly with no Traditional Marketing plop ins.

Stage V: Entire Organization is Involved in Social Media as a Communication Tool: The company  has in place a Social Media Policy and Strategy. Employees have been trained on how to use the tools and encouraged and rewarded to do so in the correct way. It is used for all departments, sales, product development, customer service, employee relations, teams, pr, marketing. Two great examples are Ford and Zappos.

We are in the same place companies were when the telephone was invented and salespeople were trying to sale companies on buying them to use in their operations. Companies originally resisted the use of them because they were worried that their employees would use the phone to call all their friends and family memebers and waste time. They were also afraid it would allow for more release of trade secrets than without it. But just as it was then, companies cannot ignore new communication tools that are powerful and creates a shift in communication in very big ways. They will lose market share eventually because their competition is using the new tool and gaining and retaining more customers.