The idea of employers asking employees to submit their social media handles before being given jobs doesn’t really sit well with me. If I were applying for a job today and I was asked to provide my social media handle, I would actually be caught off guard. The first thing that would come to my mind is, “Why do they need this information?”
For some people, their social media accounts are where they share their thoughts, connect with friends, or pursue hobbies and side hustles. Asking for access to that can make people uncomfortable, especially if their social media life doesn’t align with their professional life. Take someone who does part time content creation, they might not want their employer to know about that side of them. Not because they are doing anything wrong, but because they want to keep it separate.
Asides that, there is also the fear of being judged. Employers might look at someone’s social media and form opinions based on posts or photos that have nothing to do with their ability to do the job. For instance, Imagine someone who posts about politics or tweet on certain things inloving the government —they might worry that these things could be taken out of context. Even if they’ve done nothing inappropriate, the thought of being judged by it, is enough to make most people hesitant to share their handles out to their employers.
Personally, I would think twice before submitting my social media handle. It’s not that I have anything to hide—I don’t even post much on social media —but I value my privacy. Social media, for me, is more of a casual space where I occasionally scroll through content or keep up with friends. If I were asked for my handle during a job application, I’d want to know why. What do they plan to do with it? Are they trying to assess my character or just make sure I’m not posting anything that could damage the company’s reputation? I would actually need answers to this questions.
But then, if i felt that the request was for the greater good and the betterment of the organization, I will probably be willing to submit my handle. Even at that, I would still expect a clear explanation of why it’s needed and how the information would be used. I believe transparency is key in such situations. The employers should communicate their reasons openly and assure the potential employees that their social media activity will be judged fairly and respectfully and not taken out of context.
At the end of the day , I think this is a tricky topic. Even though I understand why some employers might see it as necessar, I also believe that people should have the right to keep their personal lives separate from work. Social media is a big part of who we are, but it doesn’t define our ability to do our jobs. Instead of focusing on that, they should just focus on what truly matters—the skills, dedication, and professionalism—and not on our online profiles.
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