By Anna Gonzales |Staff Writer|
“Fifty-one percent of employers who research job candidates on social media said they’ve found content that caused them to not hire the candidate,” according to careerbuilder.com.
One Texas teen, known only by her Twitter name Cella, was given a hard dose of reality when the information she posted on Twitter was found by her employer, Robert Waple, according to Daily News.
“Ew, I start this f**k a** job tomorrow,” tweeted Cella.
“[Business owner] Robert Waple saw the message and swiftly booted the rookie pizza maker,” according to Daily News.
“No, you don’t start that FA job today! I just fired you! Good luck with your no money, no job life!” tweeted Waple shortly after.
Cella was fired before her first day of work.
It is not an uncommon practice for businesses to turn away job candidates or reprimand current employees based off posts on their social media accounts.
“Social media screening is one way to enhance the background check to determine whether a candidate should be hired,” according to Jonathan Segal, a contributing editor for the Society for Human Resource Management.
Some information posted on these sites can prove to be a lawful or beneficial factor in the decision process of hiring a potential candidate, stated Segal.
Five Coyotes were asked for their opinion on the story about Cella and if they believe employers should have the right to search through possible job candidate’s social media profiles. Students Cesar Perez, Alazzia Gaoay, Bryan Malagon, and Amanda Fernandez agreed that Waple was in the wrong for firing Cella over Twitter.
“I think he should have fired her in a more professional manner,” stated Perez.
“He should have talked to her first. One tweet doesn’t determine her character,” said Fernandez.
When asked if the students have posted anything on Facebook or Twitter that may have presented their job in a negative image, three of the five students answered yes.
There were mixed feelings from the CSUSB students about whether or not employers should be able to judge a prospective employee based off their Twitter or Facebook accounts.
“I don’t think it’s fair,” stated Malagon. “We have the First Amendment that gives us the freedom of speech and to express any feelings we want.”
Perez takes an opposing view on the matter.
“I think it is fair for employers to view people’s social media posts to get an idea of who they are hiring and how they might represent their company,” stated Perez.
Student Meisha Thompson also agreed that employers should have the ability to search through a person’s social media to ensure the company is not being harmed by any information posted on these sites.
While most of the interviewed students did not have viewing restrictions set on their social media profiles, they all agreed that people should take caution about what they post on the Internet.
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