Next time I interview someone for a position at my company, I'm going to ask them for their Facebook password. If they give it to me, they will be automatically disqualified from the hiring process for lack of common sense.
I don't think this is much better. I wouldn't work for someone who asked me this question, even if this were the rationale. Who knows why someone would divulge their password. I bet there are reasons other than being completely devoid of common sense.
Regardless, I bet that any predictive relationship between willingness to divulge a Facebook password in an interview and the ability to perform adequately as a software engineer is weak at best. To me, an employer who doesn't understand that shows poor capacity for unbiased reasoning.
If I were interviewing a candidate and had decided to ask this question, my response following their reaction would be "Just kidding. We don't do that here" followed by taking note of how concerned they initially appeared at the question.
The "just kidding" would probably need to be before I answered. If I start to get up and walk out and then they say "no, I was just yankin' ya!" I'm going to be really suspicious.
What exactly do you think their level of visible concern would tell you about them? An employer conducting jokey personality tests would be a huge red flag for me.
Well, for one, this was kind of a sarcastic comment.
Second, if I really did this, once the interviewee refuses to give out the password I would congratulate them, saying they passed my test of modern technological common sense: "never EVER give out your password to anyone for any reason".
Oddly, I don't find this idea too offensive, especially since so many companies have large security holes via social engineering. If the applicants are this lackadaisical in keeping their own data private, why would I trust them with the company's or my customer's sensitive information?
With that said, I definitely understand why an applicant would be offended by the question. In fact, I would hope they are! I guess the second test is seeing if they understand the logic of such a question then convincing him or her that I don't conduct myself this way.
In the right hands, this is a great tool, but in the wrong hands, it is a disaster.
In my case it would still backfire. I wouldn't know what the response would be if I _had_ given them the password. It would make me think the person hiring me was being manipulative and dishonest. And that is a best-case scenario.
Secondly, it would be setting the bar way too low. I don't appreciate being congratulated for not being an idiot. Someone congratulating me and actually being impressed of that fact makes me think less of that person.
A pretty bad start to a supposedly long relationship, if you ask me.
In a similar vein, it's not clear to me why I should be deprived of the knowledge that a potential future employer is a privacy-invading jerk. The censor not only infringes on the rights of the speaker, but also the rights of the would-be listeners.
How does your logic apply if the don't have a Facebook account?
What if your prospective employee asked you to sign a NDA with regards to any personal information he may or may not reveal, before the interview started. How would you view them then?
Reason I ask is there be companies that will find away around law's and will ask you to sign a NDA during the interview stages and this is accepted in general. Does focus the aspect of what happens at work stays at work and what happens at home stays at home, somewhat.
Can NDA overrule the law? For example, can burglar who broke into your house force you to sign NDA so you don't report this case to the police? IANAL, but probably law doesn't work that way; burglary is still a crime regardless of NDAs, and asking for Facebook password at the interview is a violation of law too, no matter what any kind of contract says.
