I just got back from an HR conference. Indeed, an exciting time was had by all.
One of the more interesting lectures at this conference concerned social networking and hiring best practices. Apparently, most of my colleagues use Facebooks and the Google to screen potential hires. Since your profile is considered public domain, there’s nothing illegal about using the Internet to conduct surreptitious research. I know that the perils of social networking isn’t exactly breaking news, but I hadn’t realized how many companies were using Facebook as a screening tool.
I’m not sure if social networking research is a best practice for my industry. Without stoners, boozehounds, watsteoids, hippies, freaks, geeks, and weirdoes, the service industry might cease to exist. Personally, I don’t think there is necessarily a correlation between what employees do in their free time and their job performance, particularly for entry-level service positions.
Public service announcement: if you’re looking for a job, a shot of you puffing your six-footer might not be the best choice for a profile picture. Even a grocery store might think twice before hiring you.




