Professional Part of Facebook Project

Since its premiere in 2004, Facebook has grown to be one of the most popular social networking sites. With an estimated 150,000 new users a day, Facebook provides the ability to connect with friends using pictures, applications, and messaging allows for a new type of communicating for all ages. What most students don’t realize however, are the implications of what they send out into cyberspace while using Facebook. Not only are more and more employers using Facebook as a tool to screen potential employees, but uploaded pictures from users are being sent out into a network so large that it’s virtually impossible to trace where they go or who will see them.

Facebook gives the following warning in their privacy policy:

“When you use Facebook, certain information you post or share with third parties (e.g., a friend or someone in your network), such as personal information, comments, messages, photos, videos, Marketplace listings or other information, may be shared with other users in accordance with the privacy settings you select. All such sharing of information is done at your own risk. Please keep in mind that if you disclose personal information in your profile or when posting comments, messages, photos, videos, Marketplace listings or other items, this information may become publicly available.”

When Facebook was first created, it was aimed solely available for the use of college students. Beginning in 2006, Facebook opened itself to the public, and created an atmosphere of connectivity and an access to all types of personal information. A popular feature of the site is the ability to make your profile private, so that users who are not “friends” or within your network are only able to see your profile picture, but none of your information. This is a great way to protect your information; however, there are exceptions to this privacy setting. Facebook’s privacy statement says the following:

“We may be required to disclose user information pursuant to lawful requests, such as subpoenas or court orders, or in compliance with applicable laws. We do not reveal information until we have a good faith belief that an information request by law enforcement or private litigants meets applicable legal standards. Additionally, we may share account or other information when we believe it is necessary to comply with law…..This may include sharing information with other companies, lawyers, agents or government agencies.”

While Facebook will not disclose your personal information to a prospective employer, it’s not uncommon for many companies to have their own network set up through Facebook and therefore be able to view it your profile through that network. This has become a growing trend, with some companies like Ernst & Young Consulting Co. having nearly 16,000 employees on their network. Citigroup is another large company on Facebook with an 8,500 employee network.

When it comes to hiring, some employers believe Facebook has the tools to aide them in finding the right person for the job. Confirming background information is one of the major reasons employers might check your profile for information. When applicants include their interests on resumes, employers can look at their online profile to see if the information online supports their resume. It’s also a great way for employers to get a sense of your personality. Some can argue, however, that the information available through a Facebook profile could potentially cause a prejudice which could cost applicants a job. Information such as sexual orientation and political affiliation should remain discreet, and with a surge of employers checking their profiles, that information is readily becoming available.

On the reverse, there are many companies who frown upon not only using Facebook to screen applicants, but web use as a whole by employees. A poll performed by Cnet.com found the following:

• 53% of businesses currently restrict employee web surfing via automated web filtering systems
• 65% of businesses expect to enforce web surfing restrictions in 2008, a nearly 23% growth from year to year.

You may wonder why a company would do this when so many new and helpful resources are now available on the internet. The same poll delivered the following responses:

• 70% of businesses do so for virus or spyware protection
• 52% restrict web surfing due to employee productivity drain.

Products like Barracuda Web Filters are used to prevent employees from having access to certain sites, and the Cnet.com poll showed that Facebook has a 26% block from Barracuda’s users. This makes sense when you consider that Facebook draws close to 30 million visitors every month, and according to an article on msnbc.com, office workers represent the fastest-growing demographic.

While Facebook can be harmful if you are not selective about the material you choose to share, it also provides several helpful professional applications for its users. As of May 2008, Facebook had 1,122 Business applications, with some of them having thousands of users daily. One fantastic application actually allows students to apply for select colleges without ever having to leave the Facebook site. Looking for help with your resume? Facebook has three Resume applications; “My Resume”, “Resume Factory” and “Resume Central”. All three applications allow you to upload your resume and share it with friends and possible employers. Friends can submit your resume for you once it is uploaded and personal recommendations often land users jobs or internships. Another application aimed at job seekers is “Job Interview Questions,” which contains some of the more common questions asked to allow user to prepare for their next interview.

While some can argue that Facebook is hurting its users who don’t realize that the information provided is not just shared, but widely spread to all edges of the virtual unknown, it also contains several helpful assets that users can take advantage of. The main issue that users of any social network need to be aware of is that what goes online stays there. It doesn’t matter if you take it off, somewhere; somehow, it can still be made available to other users. If you are cautious about the type of information you share within these networks, you have nothing to lose, and a lot to gain from these useful pieces of technology.

Timson, Lia. “Employers block Facebook at their peril.” iTWire.com. 16 April, 2008.

http://www.itwire.com/content/view/17690/50

Loten, Angus. “Employers pulling the plug on Facebook.” MSNBC.com. 6 May, 2008.

http://www.msnbc.com/id/23749011

“Employers Look at Facebook, Too.” CBSNews.com. 20 June, 2006.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/06/20/eveningnews