1. Public Social Media: Is
It Fair Game?

2. Hired or Fired?
Whether we like it or not,
“hirers are using social
networks to screen job
applicants. This means it
is important to carefully
manage your image on
these types of sites”.
It is important to be
aware of the privacy
settings on your social
media sites. If it is open
to the public, don’t be
surprised when your
boss or grandparents
comment on that
embarrassing photo or
crude status update.

3. Some Stats
From Reppler study of 300 randomly
selected individuals who are involved in
the hiring process at their company
91% of the 300 interviewed use social networking
sites to gain perspective on potential employees.
61% of employers have rejected candidates based
on what they saw on an online profile. 13% of
candidates were rejected because they lied about
their qualifications.
68% of employers have accepted candidates
based on online profiles. 39% were hired because
their profile gave a positive impression of their
personality and organizational skills.

4. Legislation
In a 2012 summary done by the
National Conference of State
Legislatures, “Six states--
California, Delaware, Illinois,
Maryland, Michigan and New
Jersey--enacted legislation in
2012 that prohibits requesting or
requiring an employee,
student or applicant to disclose a
user name or password for a
personal social media
account. California, Illinois,
Maryland, and Michigan laws
apply to employers. California,
Delaware, Michigan and New
Jersey have laws that apply
to academic institutions. In all,
fourteen
states introduced legislation in
2012 that would restrict
employers from requesting
access to social networking

5. Bottom Line
It is important to be aware of what you post online. Make sure you have
the privacy settings set up so that you don’t have to deal with confused
grandparents when your status on Facebook gets hacked and proclaims
your newfound homosexuality. You may get some worried, confused
phone calls that can be avoided very easily if you are simply conscious of
who can see what is online.
Privacy settings may even get you a job. If the embarrassing photos and
crude comments are hidden from prying eyes then you wont have to
worry about who may stumble across those internet gems.

6. References
Greenberg, P. (January 17,2013). Employer
Access to Social Media Usernames and
Passwords. National Conference of State
Legislatures. Retrieved July 12, 1013.
http://www.ncsl.org/issues-
research/telecom/employer-access-to-social-
media-passwords.aspx
Sundberg, J.(2013). How Employers Use Social
Media to Screen Applicants. The Undercover
Recruiter. Retrieved July, 12, 2013. From,
http://theundercoverrecruiter.com.