Is it fair to spy on Facebook when recruiting?

Dear Aunty B,

I am recruiting someone for our marketing team and everything checks out. Her resume, three references and two interviews were great. But then I checked her Facebook. Honestly. You would not know it was the same neat, polite, “skirt to the knees” person!

We are a fairly conservative accounting firm with a lot of male partners and although we live in the real world, I was shocked. In a few posts she looks drunk and is hanging off men. I really want to hire her but am concerned she is a party girl or worse.

What should I do? Keep looking or take a chance? Can I ask her about it?

TF,
SA

Dear TF,

Is that all? Gee. I’d snap her up. Besides if you want to hire someone who has never been drunk and hung off a man and not appeared on Facebook you’ll probably never hire anyone under 30.

And no you can’t ask her about it. One it is rude. Two, it is naïve. And three, you may be breaching one of our trillion laws that stop employers finding the right people for the job.

So here is what you must do. Go back to her referees and ask more specific questions about “party girl”. Is she late for work? Does she ever appear the “worse for wear?” And how does she behave at corporate functions?

Add a few other questions into the mix so they don’t think you are some crazy on a witch-hunt because you just discovered Facebook.

And one more thing. I am not sure what your male partners think of the implication that “all hell will break loose” if party girl arrives. Don’t they have any say over their actions?

Good luck!
Your Aunty B

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