Self Exposure

Ms. Kelline Hendricks sauntered to her work station some time after ten. She didn't play the Nine to Five gig, and as she was good at her job no one would say a word which might ship her to a rival.

The files lay on the desk. Old paper folders with post it names stuck to the front. The folders would be reused until they were shreds.

Today, Ms. Hendricks would vet Applicants for the position of Financial Officer at a Name Brand company.

She was aware every applicant would have all the "on paper" and "hands on" qualifications required. These attributes had already been checked by a junior. Her job was to find out who they were, really, what they were really.

She started the computer, entered her name and password, and when the opening page came up, went to Facebook.

As the Page came up, she became Superkay. She didn't need to use her 'superpowers' to ascertain identities. In most cases. Applicants would have a Facebook page in their actual names.

If they didn't, she'd search for pages in the names of their referrals. This should expose the nick he used, or the version of his name as it seemed everyone had a Facebook account.

If she couldn't find the applicant on Facebook she would place the file on the bottom of the pile, but tilt it Ninety degrees and continue down the stack.

As most had a Facebook page in their real names, their 'real' identity was easily exposed.

Superkay's job was easy; she was to disqualify unsuitable candidates. Facebook was only the first step, but most often, the last. It was the reason many applicants were tossed.

There were Candidates who made posts to Facebook ten times a day. Most often, these persons were disqualified. To Post even three times in a day on Facebook was questionable at the least.

Superkay's question; what is being posted?

References to Academic/Social Issues? Condolences for Deaths? Communication with people in other parts of the World of the generic kind? Or political posturing, pointless debates on issues which prove the ignorance of the poster? Photographs?

Superkay loved photographs. One picture speaks ... how many words?

The First Candidate was quickly tossed into the reject file.

Sure, he had all the 'on paper' qualifications. Sure, he had work experience. But the number of photos he posted dancing with a female who looked like she had a price tag proved that this was not someone who should be dealing with the Company's finance.

The Company, any Company, wants a dead serious number cruncher, not a person who thinks, or more precisely, doesn't think, before posting these kinds of photos for the world to see.

This wasn't a private page of a blog Superkay had hacked. If it were it would
indicate the candidate knew how to keep his private and public life separate. No, these almost lewd images were posted on Facebook where anyone can see them.

To post such images on Facebook was a pure lack of judgement, hence, disqualification.

Applicant Two's Facebook page wasn't particularly interesting. Scanning down the first page there were posts from friends, nothing from Two, save a few comments.

She placed him into the pile of those, as the first candidate, who appeared to have no Facebook page. These applicants would be subjected to a wider Search.

Superkay needed to know if they were on dating sites, if they had blogs, belonged to message boards, or were virtually absent from the Web.

She moved to the next Applicant who also had one of those 'Look at Me' pages, so was disqualified.

Superkay went on until she had disqualified all but five of the Applicants doing no more than checking if they had a Facebook page.

She checked what she labeled as 'Whack Sites' whether political, social or the kind that a serious Financial Officer would not know exist much less join and participate.

At the end of her investigation, all five stood up to this level of scrutiny, and Superkay took her break.

Ms. Hendrick's completed files were returned to the Human Resources Department of the Company which had hired her to investigate. The applicants who had been disqualified would receive the standard ' regret' email.

The Applicants who remained viable, would be recalled by the prospective
employer and the choice made.

Candidates, as Applicant One, might wonder why he didn't get the job. And that is why he didn't get the job.

To post rather unsuitable images on Facebook would not be done by a prudent and thoughtful person. That Applicant One made these posts and did not realize they were of such a nature as to reflect on his character, or lack thereof, meant he was unqualified to hold any upper or middle management position.

Until the day he realizes this, he will never hold any upper level or middle
management position.

Ms. Hendricks completed three different companies before she left for the day
at Three fifteen.

She wondered if she should write a blog about Facebook, but then, it would make her job harder. She would actually have to use her skills and her ability as an investigator to disqualify unsuitable candiddates.

As long as all she had to do was visit Facebook and see people making fools of themselves, her job was easy.

Why make it harder on herself?