I was first outraged, then amused, by the March 21 Columbian story “Employers press for Facebook passwords” describing how employers vet job applicants by demanding their Facebook passwords. Having been on both sides of the job interview, I am well aware that HR people no longer use their own skill, knowledge, and good judgment to winnow out acceptable workers.
The entire goal of any HR person seems to now be “protect yourself.” This explains why employers resort to idiotic and outrageous tactics such as relying on Facebook profiles.
I am not currently in the job market myself; but if I were, I would definitely concoct a Facebook page that had been Photoshopped to show me constructing homes for Habitat for Humanity, me carrying two toddlers out of a burning building, me accepting an award from a grateful mayor for saving the city.
When people (employers, in this instance) set up a moronic game to catch the unwary, the wary invariably quickly figure out the game and play it back for all it’s worth. I hope that is what happens to this odious trend.
