Is it fair for employers to judge a person by what they say on the Internet?

[_random_]

Given that I seem much more awesome on the internet than I do in real life, I hope to be judged by this persona.

 

[Oruc]

No it isn't fair, but the job I have now and jobs I will most likely have in the future if I lose it will likely not have background check on internet what with it being manual labour. Which is good as I don't have a facebook which is a red flag in itself.

 

[Heretic_Cata]

Where i work they don't have internetz lololol

 

[Commodore]

Is it fair for employers to judge a person by what they say on the Internet?

I've heard it said that some employers will look up people's names on the Internet to find out more about them before they hire them. Is this fair? Is this a good way to determine if that person will make a fit in the company?

Obviously this potentially effects me since I use my real name often when I post things on the Internet. HOWERVER I will be the first to admit that my Internet demeanor and my work demeanor are two RADICALLY different personas. At work I try to get along with everyone, I don't talk politics I just do my job and that's about it. I'm sort of the quiet type there. I'm generally the last person to rock the boat when it comes to my place of employment. That doesn't mean I don't have my own opinions which I keep to myself. The Internet is really the only outlet I currently have to express myself.

So is it fair to judge a person based upon what they do when they get home from work? Is it really the business of human resources to evaluate what I do when I get home. Granted if I were an axe murderer and human resources found out I should be terminated and turned into the police. However if I want to experiment with my beliefs and views is that fair? Is that the business of my employer?

Just a reaction to something I heard.

Thanks.

Yes it is fair since a person is held accountable for what they say whether in real life or on the internet. If you don't want to be held accountable then don't post it or say it.

Keep in mind that a lot of employers not only check up on your internet persona before they hire you, but also while you work for them. What does this mean? Don't complain about work on Facebook because it can and will get you fired; and it my opinon you should be fired for it.

 

[downtown]

No it isn't fair, but the job I have now and jobs I will most likely have in the future if I lose it will likely not have background check on internet what with it being manual labour. Which is good as I don't have a facebook which is a red flag in itself.

I hire manual labor all the time and I always do a background check.

I also think its fair, so long as the decision to hire somebody remains complaint with anti-discrimination laws (ie if i found out somebody is a jew from their postings online, i shouldn't be allowed to use that info to not hire somebody)

 

[Oruc]

I hire manual labor all the time and I always do a background check.

I also think its fair, so long as the decision to hire somebody remains complaint with anti-discrimination laws (ie if i found out somebody is a jew from their postings online, i shouldn't be allowed to use that info to not hire somebody)

I know they do criminal checks but they search their internet postings? to what end? The only stuff I can find of myself is my amazon wishlist. Of course i'm only using pipl.com I don't know what actual employers use.

 

[Commodore]

I know they do criminal checks but they search their internet postings? to what end? The only stuff I can find of myself is my amazon wishlist. Of course i'm only using pipl.com I don't know what actual employers use.

The purpose is to judge what kind of person you really are since all employers know you are putting on a show for them in the interview. So short of following you around during your daily activities, searching your internet postings is the best way to determine "real you".

 

[Oruc]

The purpose is to judge what kind of person you really are since all employers know you are putting on a show for them in the interview. So short of following you around during your daily activities, searching your internet postings is the best way to determine "real you".

Well how do you stop them finding out? It leaves me uneasy that they can do it, I don't like friends or family knowing anything personal about me never mind potential employers.

 

[Commodore]

Well how do you stop them finding out? It leaves me uneasy that they can do it, I don't like friends or family knowing anything personal about me never mind potential employers.

That's easy, don't post anything on the internet you don't want your employer to see.

EDIT: And like I said it's not just potential employers, your current employer probably runs occasional searches for your internet postings as well to make sure you're not saying anything bad about the company.

 

[Oruc]

That's easy, don't post anything on the internet you don't want your employer to see.

EDIT: And like I said it's not just potential employers, your current employer probably runs occasional searches for your internet postings as well to make sure you're not saying anything bad about the company.

But how? what are they using to do it? I haven't given them my email address and I don't have facebook.

 

[Commodore]

But how? what are they using to do it? I haven't given them my email address and I don't have facebook.

I don't know how they do it, but I know they do it because I know people who have been fired from their jobs because they bad-mouthed the company on Facebook.

If you don't have a Facebook then you are probably pretty safe since that is the main thing they search.

 

[Tahuti]

How about things you said when you were a minor?

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

Things one says on the Internet might be related to what things are said when the employer turns their back. An employer will use this information to gauge your personality and whether it would fit within the company.

 

[Gary Childress]

Things one says on the Internet might be related to what things are said when the employer turns their back. An employer will use this information to gauge your personality and whether it would fit within the company.

1984, here we are! Big brother is watching!

 

[illram]

@Gary

Me personally, I am not looking at great depth into what you're saying, I'm just looking for basic things that might speak to problems that will affect our work together. For instance, if your facebook account is not private (why is it not private? strike one), are there pictures of you being a drunk moron? This is a red flag for numerous reasons, e.g. you're prone to being a drunk moron (strike two) and you're putting it out there for everyone to see, which means you're either dumb or you want to cultivate that persona (strike three). Either one is bad enough and either one means I do not want you handling the work I want you to do.

Saying that is Orwellian is a little ridiculous. What you put on the internet is your business, I am only looking at whatever it is you put out there yourself. If you want things to be private, do it anonymously or maintain adequate privacy settings. It's not that hard.

But how? what are they using to do it? I haven't given them my email address and I don't have facebook.

Google yourself. Commercial background checks check criminal records and your credit report. The employer's own informal internet search will probably just be using google. For instance I type in the person's name with quotation marks around it, and viola, there is my internet search.

 

[Defiant47]

Yes it is fair since a person is held accountable for what they say whether in real life or on the internet. If you don't want to be held accountable then don't post it or say it.

But is it fair for them to be held accountable in this manner? Simply because someone can abstain from an activity, doesn't justify imposing any conceivable penalties and repercussions for engaging in the activity.

I hire manual labor all the time and I always do a background check.

I also think its fair, so long as the decision to hire somebody remains complaint with anti-discrimination laws (ie if i found out somebody is a jew from their postings online, i shouldn't be allowed to use that info to not hire somebody)

The problem is that it's not possible to determine that. If you dislike Jews, you can do an Internet background check, realize it's a Jew, and simply not hire them. If you can justify abstaining from hiring them based on an "Internet background check", you can make up any sort of reason then - I didn't like the way they acted online in this circumstance (though I actually don't like Jews).

The issue therefore becomes placing an undue power in the hands of employers for using a seemingly arbitrary metric of assessment. My Internet persona is entirely different from my real-life (even behind-boss's-back) persona. I would certainly think it unfair to suffer (or benefit) from my casual Internet activities in a professional context.

 

[Mise]

Fortunately for me, my real name is Lorenzo von Matterhorn.

It kind of takes care of itself.

 

[Old Hippy]

As I've stated. I'm a very good employee at work. I get the job done without complaint and I give it my all. That is all I owe my employer. I DO NOT OWE IT TO MY EMPLOYER TO BELIEVE IN WHAT HE WANTS ME TO BELEIVE IN WHEN I AM NOT ON THE JOB.

HAVE YOU TOLD YOUR EMPLOYER THIS....
because now it is there forever more, for your employer to see, presuming your persona is real of course

 

[Bestbank Tiger]

But is it fair for them to be held accountable in this manner? Simply because someone can abstain from an activity, doesn't justify imposing any conceivable penalties and repercussions for engaging in the activity.

Well, that depends. If (for example) you're dumb enough to post pictures of yourself with a bong on the Internet, and link it to your real name, that would tell an employer you don't have a lick of sense.

 

[Oruc]

Google yourself. Commercial background checks check criminal records and your credit report. The employer's own informal internet search will probably just be using google. For instance I type in the person's name with quotation marks around it, and viola, there is my internet search.

Almost nothing (just a list of Amazon wishlists of people who share my name) good good.
Of course I've heard getting nothing back is also a redflag.