CEBC - Rotary High School Ethics Essay Competition, 2007-2008

Grand Prize Winning Essay

Use Facebook…and Lose Your Job?

Paige Pribonic

Hudson High School ~ Hudson, WI

The employer of a large company sighs as he looks at two applications. It will be a difficult decision; both candidates seem extremely capable. Which one to choose? The employer clicks on his computer and searches Facebook until he finds what he is looking for- the two applicants’ profiles. He studies them both for several minutes before shaking his head sadly and ripping up one of the applications.

What did the employer see on the Facebook pages? Perhaps he saw pictures of inappropriate behavior, or something else that gave the employer insight on the applicant’s character. But is it right to search a personal Facebook profile to gain information about the applicant? Let’s look at the Rotary Four-Way Test to decide.  

In a hiring situation, employers have only a résumé and an interview to decide if an applicant is suitable for the position. From these limited resources, however, it is difficult to discern how responsible the person is, or how the person displays them self in a public setting. Facebook pages open to public view provide the employer with additional sources of information about the potential employee. Being caught in a lie told at the interview or in an inappropriate moment is a reflection on the person, so employers get a wonderful background check written by the applicants themselves. This is certainly an honest approach to the hiring process. 

Some may argue that looking at “personal” profiles is an invasion of privacy, and shows a lack of goodwill or fairness by the employer. A lack of fairness, however, is a weak argument. The applicants have chosen to display information on a public domain. The internet is not a secure place, and placing pictures that are “private” on a Facebook page is extremely unwise. Applicants should realize that when they post anything on the internet, they are volunteering information to everyone, and should use careful discretion.

Using Facebook in a hiring decision is not only honest and fair, but also has several benefits. For example, most workplaces require a number of people to work in close contact with one another. It is, therefore, important to have a workplace environment filled with respect and goodwill, so as to create friendships. In the best interest of all, the employer must hire not only those qualified for the position, but also those who can work respectfully and honestly with their co-workers; one look at a personal profile page may reveal whether the applicant is such a person. Nothing builds the efficiency of a business better than a group that works as friends.

Accessing a Facebook page may help the employer make the best decision, which will benefit everyone involved: co-workers, employers, and even the applicant who was not chosen. If the reason and the rejection of a job are looked at openly, the applicant who was turned down may learn some valuable lessons for the future. All in all, utilizing Facebook during a hiring process is not only ethical, but also extremely constructive.

Bibliography

Rotary International. “Guiding Principles.” 2006. 29 January 2008 http://www.rotary.org/en/AboutUs/RotaryInternational/GuidingPrinciples/Pages/ridefault.aspx

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