Social Media Stalking by the Employers

The Ethical Dilemma of Employers Stalking Your Social Media

It’s no secret—potential employers will look you up online. Whether you like it or not, your digital footprint is part of your résumé, whether it's LinkedIn, Twitter, or even some old posts on Reddit from 2012 where you ranted about pineapple on pizza.

But here’s where the ethical concerns start to pile up:

1. The Hidden Bias: Judging Candidates Beyond Qualifications

Employers claim they just want to ensure you're a “good fit” for the company culture. But what defines a “good fit?” Is it someone who keeps their opinions sterile and corporate-friendly, or does it become an unspoken political, ideological, or social litmus test?

• What if a hiring manager disagrees with your political views?
• What if they don’t like your social activism (or lack thereof)?
• What if they judge you for harmless memes or even a past joke taken out of context?

You could be the most qualified person for the job, but if your potential boss doesn’t like what they see, you might never get the offer—without ever knowing why.

2. The “Legal but Unethical” Problem: Discrimination Without Saying It

Employers legally can’t discriminate based on race, gender, religion, age, disability, or political affiliation. But what happens when they Google your name and stumble upon something that makes them reconsider?

• Maybe you liked a political post they disagreed with.
• Maybe you shared an opinion on a controversial topic.
• Maybe your weekend party pics made you look "unprofessional" in their eyes.

Since there’s no real accountability, they don’t have to justify why they ghosted you. They can just silently move on to another candidate.

3. The Double Standard: Employers Do It, But You Can’t

The irony? While they scrutinize your digital past, try digging into theirs.

• If you Googled your boss and found some problematic tweets, would they be okay with it?
• If you judged them by their Facebook likes or old Instagram posts, would it be fair?
• What if employees had access to their hiring manager’s social media history before accepting a job?

Employers demand transparency from you, but they rarely offer it in return.

4. The Privacy Paradox: The Internet Never Forgets

We tell people to be careful about what they post, but should we have to sanitize our entire online identity just to be “hireable”? At what point does this erode authenticity?

• Should people have two separate identities—one for “real life” and one for the workplace façade?
• Does social media policing create a world where we’re too afraid to share opinions at all?

Because let’s be honest—if perfect digital behavior becomes the standard, we’re all unemployable.

So What’s the Solution?

Since we can’t stop employers from social media stalking, here’s how to level the playing field:

✅ Use different emails for job applications vs. social accounts.

✅ Lock down your privacy settings—make accounts private where needed.

✅ Google yourself and clean up anything that could be easily misinterpreted.

✅ Create a “professional” online persona if needed (separate from your personal one).

✅ Know your rights—while they can research you, they can’t legally discriminate.

At the end of the day, should your job application be about your skills—or your social media history? If the latter, then we have to ask ourselves: Are we hiring workers or curating personalities?