Do companies screen their prospective employees social networking pages? The real question is, why wouldn't they? What we post online reflects our personal and professional interests and often give others a chance to get to know us better. We are judged by our friends and family based on our online behavior. So why wouldn't prospective employers look at us the same way.
But what would such judgement look like? Do you make politically charged statements on Facebook? Do you like sparking controversy on Twitter? Do you feel comfortable sharing hundreds of pictures of you and your friends drinking at a club? Do you share a bit too much personal information with the wrong audience? What are the things that you "like"? Whether you are a hard core social media enthusiasts, or someone with a minimal profile, employers could judge you based upon your online activity.
About a year ago, I read a number of articles about employers evaluating the social media profiles of prospective employees. The prevailing theme appeared to be paranoia. People were scared that their online behavior, however innocent could potentially cost them a job. When you add in additional fears about privacy settings, particularly with facebook, it naturally gives someone cause for concern. I thought that there was an opportunity to turn that paranoia into comedy.
When I looked online, it was easy to find numerous parodies of Facebook, Twitter etc. But those parodies were focused more on making fun of Facebook, Twitter and MySpace, rather than making fun of how people use these websites. That's when I decided to write "Have I Shared Too Much". This short film shows a job interview where a prospective employee is grilled on his Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn Profiles. Over the course of the interview, we discover that the interviewers have their own issues with each other because of social media behavior.
Here is a link to the ten minute film. I hope it makes you laugh!
Sameer H. Acharya is a Writer/Director living in Los Angeles.