What you say on Facebook can and will be held against you behind closed corporate doors. Kashmir Hill proved that when she posted in her recent Forbe’s article titled, “What Prospective Employers Hope To See In Your Facebook Account: Creativity, Well-Roundedness, & ‘Chastity,” the results of a survey that bring to light a simple truth we all try to pretend doesn’t exist: Your Facebook dirt will be discovered and used against you.
In the survey, this question was posed to employers: “Have you ever rejected a candidate because of what you saw about them on a social networking site?” 69% answered in the affirmative. Responses list red flags like posting inappropriate photos/comments related to drinking, using drugs, previous employers, discrimination, etc.. 11% of employers also looked to see if candidates lied about their qualifications or demonstrated poor communication skills (so watch your grammar on FB too?!).
Investigative background research on Facebook doesn’t stop with checking an employee’s record; it extends to checking anyone’s record you want to do business with. For example, a new vendor pitches a service or product. Modern day due diligence dictates that you investigate new contacts on social media sites like Facebook to check for all the previously mentioned red flags. The same red flags exist on Facebook as in the off-line world, except that drunk line you posted on Facebook five years ago can keep slurring into the present–in short, what you say on Facebook is permanent and traceable long after you’ve posted it.
If users think they can hide tracks on Facebook, they are partially right. There are numerous privacy settings on Facebook that can be toggled to cloak the user, but, with what some see as Facebook’s sadistic habit of changing everything overnight without notice, how can anyone feel secure about the setting they made yesterday? The obvious answer for professionals is that privacy settings can’t be counted on to save the day. Ironically, many times it is from a user’s inner circle that the most grievous subjugation occurs. Divorces have even been filed because of Facebook slips!
For ecommerce merchants, the lesson here is to use Facebook and other social networks when you can to investigate business relationships for red flags–but remember those cleared via social media background searches can still violate trust after you’ve brought them into the fold. Any well-developed corporate social media plan should include a social media policy contract for those you do business with, in order to prevent future damaging embarrassments.
