Wright State invited me to fill out this survey on that topic (and Facebook in general) and the last question was an open-ended one where I got to state just what the title of this note says. I am going to paste my answer and invite anyone who reads this to leave their two cents on the subject as a comment.
I feel the use of Facebook as a hiring tool can be quite ridiculous. For years people have had their work lives and their social lives with little overlap and without the fear of employers peering over their shoulders at every turn. Now, employers think the advent of Facebook gives them the right to do just that and it seems a little twisted. How many people that were hired in the past do you want to bet drank or partied or went to political rallies in their time off or before they found a real "adult" job? Probably just as many as do now, but with Facebook comes easier access to that information and picture proof. No, I don't think it is bad to use Facebook in a limited capacity for getting to know a potential employee, but even considering basing the hiring of someone off it is poor judgment. It is still the internet and as we've learned from sites like snopes.com, not everything you will read or see on the vast world wide web is the complete truth.
I feel the use of Facebook as a hiring tool can be quite ridiculous. For years people have had their work lives and their social lives with little overlap and without the fear of employers peering over their shoulders at every turn. Now, employers think the advent of Facebook gives them the right to do just that and it seems a little twisted. How many people that were hired in the past do you want to bet drank or partied or went to political rallies in their time off or before they found a real "adult" job? Probably just as many as do now, but with Facebook comes easier access to that information and picture proof. No, I don't think it is bad to use Facebook in a limited capacity for getting to know a potential employee, but even considering basing the hiring of someone off it is poor judgment. It is still the internet and as we've learned from sites like snopes.com, not everything you will read or see on the vast world wide web is the complete truth.
I don't care if you bugger cats in your free time (although I might report you to the RSPCA), as long as you demonstrate a professional attitude to your work.
If employers are referring to FB in any capacity, then they are being unprofessional, and I wouldn't want to be working for them.
Mind you, I do have a reputation as a killer interviewer. I brought someone out in a stress rash once! "So NurseEvy, tell me about a time when a project of yours failed. Can you analyse why it failed, and what you would do differently in hindsight?"