Before I get to these, one quick distinction. It doesn't look like anybody is actually defending giving up a password anymore. You are all correct that it is against the Facebok ToS. I think I had misread the OP a little.
The broader question, and the general principal of the OP I suspect, is whether you would show a facebook page, even if it was "private" in an interview if asked. I.E I'm not your FB friend but I'd like you to pull up your page real quick so I can verify your picture isn't you doing a kegstand or spouting racist stuff.
If the job would involve you using your personal facebook account, and that ends up being tied to the company on a day to day basis, then I see that as the only legitimate reason for somebody asking you to log into your facebook account and show that the content is not objectionable in some way.
But how many jobs like that exist? Your initial OP seems to ask the question in a much much broader context.
It isn't super uncommon in marketing. Creating multiple FB accounts for the same person is also a technical violation of the Facebok ToS. You're right though, there aren't very many.
I can think of a few industries where people will still want to ask though, especially related to politics or campaigns, because that stuff *can* come back and damage a candidate.
If your job description involves managing a firm's facebook account, or their social networking accounts in general, why would that make their asking for your account information legitimate? It's rather like asking for the key to someone's personal post office box because their job is to check the firm's own post box -- or am I not understanding your meaning?
So let's strike away the asking for the password bit, and limit it looking at the account. The idea around asking to see it 1) verifies that you know how to manage an account and develop followers over time, and 2) shows that you can be trusted to operate an account with good judgement (i.e you're not posting racist or farmville every 7 seconds)
What level clearence? I've never heard of that before.
To be honest, I don't remember the title, and since it was a state job, it might have had a different name?
I worked for a state AG office handling documents that were used for organized crime investigations. I remember the process took 2 months, and involved them checking my FB account, interviewing all of my landlords, credit and transcript checks.
If they want to make sure you know how to use FB, just go there and make a "test" account that will be deleted immediately after you prove you know how to do it. That way there's no privacy to invade, since the account would exist for only a few minutes. And even then, don't give them the damn password you use.
Making a "burner" account is also a violation of the Facebook ToS, and would also not provide any useful information at all. Professionally managing a facebook account has nothing to do with knowing where the Events button is. It's about your proficiency in publishing and curating content over time. That could only be proved by showing an account that you manage.
Excellent question. Downtown, if I were considering hiring you, would you give me the keys to your house/apartment? Just so I could inspect the contents, make sure you know how to use everything and that you have nothing objectionable... And I TOTALLY promise not to do anything mean with the information I learn about you, your family, your friends, and your acquaintances!
No, because I don't publish the contents of my apartment on the entire internet, and there is nothing in there that could be related to really any job description. If you'd like though, you can ask to drug test me.
That analogy doesn't make sense.
