Recruiting With Facebook? Hell No!!!

Wow!!! That’s the word that came to mind when I read the article Plea to ban Employers Trawling Facebook in the Times Newspaper. I wouldn’t know why a person looking for a credible referee for one of its potential employees would go to a site like facebook to search for it. I’m thinking, suppose if it was possible to get information from the virtual world concerning someone who you have known for a while. Do you think you could relate this person to whom you know in real life? I don’t think so. I would think that most of the people who visit sites like second life want a certain level of anonymity which they don’t have on SNS like Facebook. Maybe their regular everyday life has been one of pretense. Letting go where no one knows who you are could be their idea of living in another life.


Facebook has had lots of issues just like other SNS sites like MySpace, hi5, Cyber world and so on. Go on Facebook now and find out how many young children have joined because it’s the thing to do. Most of them don’t get to read the agreement before clicking the “I accept” link. I am perplexed that someone would use the information on these sites as a credible source for employing people. I totally agree with Margaret Moran, the Labor MP for Luton South. In the article, she says,

“Social networking sites were never intended as a factual reference point for young people.The technology allows unverified content to go up very easily. It is simple to load up spoof profiles and meddle with images. Companies have no way to verify what is up there.”

Furthermore, during the wonderful carefree days of our youth, we tend to be adventurous and less “responsible”. That’s why when we are mature; there is a distinction between the two times. Why then should someone pay twice or more for the same youthful exuberance? To reiterate what I have been saying, Deborah Fernon, the resourcing adviser at Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) has advised companies saying “

But we would warn companies that in the quest to find the right person for a job, social networking sites could be at best irrelevant and at worst misleading. Also, good practice requires that every candidate is treated equally, which means all candidates would have to have similar profiles before information is used, otherwise it would be discriminatory

”. This to me says it all.

The Awful Truth About Facebook

Facebook: Success or Trial?

Before the advent of social network services like facebook, MySpace, hi5, the world was really a very boring place especially for the youths. In American University of Nigeria, Yola, facebook has become the site for the latest gossip and happenings on campus. This would be cool for those that liked that sort of thing.



I remember over a year ago when everybody was on my case to join facebook. I wasn’t ready to hook up with old classmates, and the likes. Even those you wanted to give a wide berth would surely fish you out. It brings this stalker scenario to mind. I totally agree with Paul Saffo in The Economist where he said that social networks tend to lose value when they exceed the expected size. Facebook would be the perfect example.


A few days after joining Facebook, someone from my class in high school added me as his friend. I accepted!Well that was one mistake i vowed not to make again. While we were in school, we didn't communicate or move in the same circles. After adding him, he started hitting on me.I told him in no uncertain term that I was not interested. I guess he wasn't used to being refused. He went further by offering money as incentives for me to change my mind. My God!!Was I insulted? I was so angry that I deleted him instantly from my friends list. That taught me to be careful of creeps, even those under the disguise of social networks like Facebook.


After this incident, I have been very sceptical about adding even people I know to my friend list. I know social networking is important and I ask, am I wrong to be overly cautious?