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Future Employers Searching Facebook

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Irotate360
Posts: 6836 - Karma: 22
Alright, so I feel this is a legitimate question regarding facebook and the trouble it could possibly get you in. I'm a senior in college and will be sending out my resume several different places in the upcoming months. In this this day in age, I'm not going to put it past most employers to put your name into a google search and see what comes up.

I've taken all the necessary precautions as far as deleting some video's on youtube and some pictures off webshots that may be offensive, irresponsible, ect. On the other hand, I don't want to be forced to sensor my fb page because of professional reasons. I should, but I'm not going to. So... I've put my privacy settings on the strictest it can go, in which case only my "friends" can see any of my content. While people may still be able to "search" for me, they will only be able to see a profile picture and my name.

So my question is this: regarding facebook, have I took all the necessary steps or do you think that universities or employers have anyway of bypassing these settings? or am I just being paranoid? I know alot of people have changed there last names on fb but I don't feel as if that is necessary.

Any help would be great guys, thanks.
Nov 24 2009 3:32PM
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Brenone
Posts: 4944 - Karma: 296
make you page private. dont leave your profile pic a shot of you doing a kegstand. and dont use the same email address on your resume that you used for your facebook. create a new one just for job searching. and you'll be ok.
Nov 24 2009 3:34PM
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prontocuts.com
Posts: 5244 - Karma: 42
^^^^


just dont be an idiot

sounds like you're in control of everything pretty well
Nov 24 2009 3:37PM
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canterbury
Posts: 2382 - Karma: 55
are you sending out resumes to the FBI? no? then your future employers aren't gonna be able to hack facebook.
Nov 24 2009 3:43PM
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cheddafries
Posts: 1016 - Karma: 52
im not sure about employers searching it but our school does.  if you have any questional matterial they can suspend you or anything else, which is complete bullshit since its your privacy.
Nov 24 2009 3:50PM
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T.L.
Posts: 4729 - Karma: 3,008
You should be good.  I'm fb friends with most of my employees and they are just as wreckless in their personal lives as I am so I'm not too concerned with what's on their fb pages. 
Nov 24 2009 3:54PM
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Irotate360
Posts: 6836 - Karma: 22
^ can they honestly bypass privacy settings though^ I find it hard to believe that universities and schools can do that
Nov 24 2009 3:54PM
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Ch3nna
Posts: 34 - Karma: 10

lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit

yeah, I'd sue them...

Nov 24 2009 3:56PM
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cheddafries
Posts: 1016 - Karma: 52
if you put what school you go to they can. so most people at our school do and don't relieve that the school can look at it and get in trouble
Nov 24 2009 3:57PM
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fujarome
Posts: 8630 - Karma: 1,561
they don't have to hack it. it's easy enough just to check.

and yes, employers can and will try to look you up.

but to the op-you're no fool, and it seems like you're taking the right steps. you should be ok.
Nov 24 2009 4:27PM
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t-roy
Posts: 4041 - Karma: 52
i read an article where it is actually illegal for employers to research employees on sites like facebook. that's all the details i know and can't remember where the article is. Try doing some research on your own. But still I would just make sure stuff is private. How much do you really have to hide?
Nov 24 2009 5:44PM
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Irotate360
Posts: 6836 - Karma: 22
bump
Dec 3 2009 10:19PM
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user098123
Posts: 6072 - Karma: 18
A lot of companies nowadays will hire you and have you submit to a background check.  Under these grounds they can look up EVERYTHING on you if you sign the paperwork.  If you don't sign the paperwork, you aren't hired, simple as that.  I guarantee that most businesses especially large corporations will look you up and especially look at your facebook. They want to know what kind of employee they are hiring and what you do in your spare time represents them.

I've interned at Pfizer for 3 years now and technically we are hired in as "full employees" that are let go at the end of the summer.  We have to do drug tests and background checks to start working, and yes they check your facebook.  Some kid after he got the job put some pretty bad information on Facebook about animal testing that was a blatant lie on facebook, he did it as a joke.  He was literally gone the next day, less than 24 hours after he put it up, so some places definitely watch you.

This was one of the many reasons why I deleted my facebook as I am about to enter the professional world full time.
Dec 3 2009 10:25PM
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pounds.
Posts: 837 - Karma: 55
haha the way you said it made it sound like they just killed him
Dec 3 2009 10:36PM
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user098123
Posts: 6072 - Karma: 18
Haha as good as, he moved like 6 hours for the job and had an apt and stuff.  As soon as he walked in the door security was waiting for him and had him hand in his badge and escorted him out.  Had to move back home and pay what was left on his lease and all kind of crap, all cause of a joke on facebook.
Dec 3 2009 10:55PM
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selkirks
Posts: 1979 - Karma: 62
Just don't put anything on there that you woldn't want a future employer to see. Doesn't that solve your problem?
Dec 3 2009 11:02PM
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user098123
Posts: 6072 - Karma: 18
The problem is when other people put shit up of you that you have to untag, and then they can see later.
Dec 3 2009 11:18PM
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galang.
Posts: 69 - Karma: 30
someone told me that colleges can still see your facebook if you are on their network...? i don't know if it's true but apparently because you are using their internet they can see everything that is going on..idk just what i've heard.

i'm sure your fine.
Dec 3 2009 11:25PM
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SUPREMExDIPSET
Posts: 310 - Karma: 12
easy solution: change your name on facebook, like use a different last name, and use a different email on your application.
Dec 4 2009 12:06AM
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dirtymufuka
Posts: 19 - Karma: 10
Facebook needs to stop updating every 2 seconds and just let it get used. It pisses me off!!!
Dec 4 2009 12:25AM
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galang.
Posts: 69 - Karma: 30
but that's being shady, i mean i'm sure he has nothing to hide that could be detrimental. he's probably 22 or 23, so no illegal underage drinking.

just make your tagged pictures visible to only you so that way people can still tag you but your pics can only be seen by you. remove any pics that are confrontational and BAM!
Dec 4 2009 12:36AM
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selkirks
Posts: 1979 - Karma: 62
I would be pissed if anyone tagged me in a photo I wouldn't want my employer to see. I would demand that they pull it immediately.
Dec 4 2009 12:49AM
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user098123
Posts: 6072 - Karma: 18
Even if they untag you there are ways for them to view it.  There is still a history of the tagging.  Pretty much nothing you upload to the internet is private, get used to it.
Dec 4 2009 1:10AM
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TheButterHashira
Posts: 9691 - Karma: 1,702
Not saying it happens, but all that info is stored on FB servers, if someone wanted to buy that information I think they could.
Dec 4 2009 3:11PM
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lorida
Posts: 2833 - Karma: 46
Yea, I spoke with a partner at Ernst & Young about this.

Pretty much what he said, is they're not stupid.

They know younger people drink, they party, etc.

What they look for, when they scan you on the internet, is the real crazies. Pictures of illegal activity, reckless behaviour....just stupid things.

If your facebook page looks like everybody else's, you're fine.
Dec 4 2009 4:50PM
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Download-My-Apps
Posts: 5069 - Karma: 1,017
if a company doesn't hire me because of facebook then fuck them, would you want that as your employer anyway?
Dec 4 2009 4:57PM
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BrewskiJr
Posts: 5738 - Karma: 1,478
If you read the user agreement you have to agree to when you make your facebook, you agree that everything you post on facebook could/will be made public and that facebook has the rights to EVERYTHING you post/upload. My sister got seaarched online when she applied for a couple teaching jobs. There are literally companies out there that get paid to literally store all the data that every facebook user uploads. Yes. That means that even if you upload a photo, is tagged to you, then is deleted, the information is still out there.  Employers will pay these companies to run checks on you. So even if you have the strictest privacy settings, it doesn't matter. That is why i have been very careful to make sure i am not tagged in any photos that include me and any illegal activity that I have been included in. Just thought I would let you know. The service is somewhat pricey so if its a basic job, chances are they won't waste their money to run that extensive of a background check on you.
Dec 4 2009 5:05PM
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LMPJibbin
Posts: 1607 - Karma: 17
yea thats pretty retarded, fb is kinda like your property i guess? or idk what the fuck im talking about
Dec 4 2009 5:59PM
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aPoulin
Posts: 65 - Karma: 13
I dont ever want to work for a company that search for they future employee on facebook to see if they are retarded, because you can obviously be a guy that likes to party, do stupid things at party and stuff, and be responsible as a worker and be very organised. Theres a line between those.
Dec 4 2009 6:05PM
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Snowgoner
Posts: 5047 - Karma: 966
i always though that they can see what you make public.  they can't see what you make private(i.e. what only your FB friends can see).  i mean; they're not secret agents.  they can't hack your fb account.

can anyone confirm this?
Dec 4 2009 6:21PM
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BrewskiJr
Posts: 5738 - Karma: 1,478
read my post above. When you agree to the user agreement you say that ANYTHING (public or private) you post, facebook has the rights to. They have HUGE databases that store every single thing you post whether you delete it or not, and save it. So yeah. Public/private doesn't matter.
Dec 4 2009 8:07PM
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appleguru
Posts: 172 - Karma: 86
While I wouldn't worry about future employers too much if you're responsible and put good privacy settings on things, etc, it is worth noting that Law Enforcement Officers and anyone with a private investigators license can access *any* content posted to facebook, privacy settings be damned. I can't verify the bit about PI access, especially since PI licenses aren't exactly hard to come by, so take that bit with a grain of salt, but LEOs certainly can access it (in most cases even without a valid warrant, though any evidence obtained without a warrant would be thrown out in court). I've even heard of some companies that attain a PI license/hire a PI just to keep tabs on their employees...
Dec 4 2009 8:12PM
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appleguru
Posts: 172 - Karma: 86
Looks like I could be wrong. Here's facebook's compliance guide for LEOs: http://www.pacga.org/downloads/training/conference%20materials/2009_winter_conference/using_the_internet_facebook_legal_compliance.pdf
Dec 6 2009 2:52PM
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Motes
Posts: 1840 - Karma: 90

hasnt happened at my school but a football team we played had half of there sienors suspended games because they had pictures on facebook of them at a party.

If you worried about someone seeing them just untag you self from the picture

Dec 6 2009 2:56PM
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yojimbo
Posts: 3631 - Karma: 27
why on earth would you want to work at a place that takes shit that serious. fuck corporate jobs.
Dec 6 2009 3:05PM
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Static
Posts: 8581 - Karma: 4,053
you don't even need a private investigators license/cert in colorado

i'll also note that doing surveillance is awesome, while the research part of PI work is very boring
Dec 6 2009 3:08PM
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superpoluha
Posts: 1986 - Karma: 10
and i am putting mine on strict as we speak

Dec 6 2009 3:10PM
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dbstar
Posts: 2038 - Karma: 20
sounds to me like your looking in the wrong places for a career.... welcome to the organization
Dec 6 2009 3:46PM
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thegoat
Posts: 518 - Karma: 11
Just a heads up, facebook has many loop holes that you can go through to look at stuff that would otherwise be 'private'

For example.
say a friend of mine is tagged in an album, or replies to a photo or album. I can then go through that and gain access to the whole album, regardless of its privacy setting.

As a general rule of thumb, if it is on the internet it is not 'private.' No matter what you may think, your facebook profile is not private.
Dec 6 2009 5:16PM
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galang.
Posts: 69 - Karma: 30
not necessarily. it depends if the album is visible to ONLY friends.
Dec 6 2009 5:17PM
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thegoat
Posts: 518 - Karma: 11
no, I can almost allways get in.

sometimes I just have to go around more corners first.
Dec 6 2009 5:28PM
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