Asked for my social media accounts?

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Hikes&Bikes

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Had my third and final nomination interview today! One thing I found strange was that when I arrived there, I was handed a sheet to fill out all of my social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter). Does anyone know what they may use that information for? Of course, all of my social media is filled with military/academy stuff and I have nothing to be worried about, but I was just wondering if anyone knew if it was for background check purposes or if they would somehow notify us anything via the accounts. (Might sound silly, but just last night I read an article about a college using Snapchat to send their applicants notification of their acceptances.)
 
I suspect that the congressional liaisons or nomination committee members will spend time looking at competitive candidates' social media accounts to see whether their public posts are appropriate. As long as your accounts do not contain offensive posts or materials you should be fine. This is another lesson for the millennial generation to be careful regarding how they use social media.

The applied standard should be: Would I be embarrassed if my minister or grandma saw my social media accounts?
 
The question is, why should Congressional staffers be monitoring that? They're not trained and will likely be searching social media on the clock.
 
This is very common now. My youngest 2 have had to submit the same thing for non paid internships. I am with superior rocks this is about being appropriate at all times.
 
LineInTheSand said:
The question is, why should Congressional staffers be monitoring that? They're not trained and will likely be searching social media on the clock.
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When we went to a Service Academy Forum Open House, the coordinator from our congressional district said that checking candidates' social media accounts are "fair game." I don't think they're "monitoring" them per se, but taking a look at a candidate's social media account (whatever is public access) will give panel members/admissions board members additional information about a candidate.

This is also true for private and public sector employment selection. It is commonly done for security clearance investigations.
 
I've had a number of security clearances and I've been employed by the federal government. Not once have I been asked for a social media account.

A congressional coordinator saying something is "fair game" doesn't make it so.
 
LineInTheSand said:
I've had a number of security clearances and I've been employed by the federal government. Not once have I been asked for a social media account.

A congressional coordinator saying something is "fair game" doesn't make it so.
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I agree, LITS, but the MOC is signing the nom slate. If a candidate wants a nom, he or she is stuck with compliance.
 
My daughter was asked by her MOC last year, but not the senators. I suspect it's asked because they are mostly teenagers and social media can tell a lot about a person.

I also guess that by the time you're trying to get a security clearance you are past the "teen" years and have already been prescreened either through a SA, ROTC or OTS/OCS.
 
I've definitely heard of colleges/employers searching applicants' online presences, but at the same time, I was surprised that they so directly asked me for my accounts. Perhaps it was simply for convenience of looking up candidates? However, I was also told that if I didn't use one of the forms of social media, I could just write down that it wasn't applicable. I suppose I should've asked one of the staffers while I was there.
 
LineInTheSand said:
I've had a number of security clearances and I've been employed by the federal government. Not once have I been asked for a social media account.

A congressional coordinator saying something is "fair game" doesn't make it so.
Click to expand...

Agreed. They don't ask for your social media accounts when they perform background clearance investigations. I have had clearances from several different federal agencies. They have never asked me for my social media accounts. However, I was once questioned as a character witness for a co-worker of mine who was renewing a security clearance. The investigator said that she noticed that my co-worker traveled overseas based upon the co-worker's facebook account but the trip wasn't reported in the security application. The investigator asked if I knew about the trip. So it was evident to me that the investigator checked the co-worker's social media account.

Also, there are numerous stories of civilian colleges revoking acceptances because the accepted students had photos of underage drinking or objectionable material on their social media accounts.
 
They ask for the accounts because many teens do not use their real names on Facebook, Snapchat, etc. They use either random names like "Taco Bella" or a spin on the real name such as "Peet Jonezzz".

I don't have a clue if they are hiding from their parents or they think they're internet savvy and hiding an internet trail.
 
EOD/SEALmom said:
They ask for the accounts because many teens do not use their real names on Facebook, Snapchat, etc. They use either random names like "Taco Bella" or a spin on the real name such as "Peet Jonezzz".

I don't have a clue if they are hiding from their parents or they think they're internet savvy and hiding an internet trail.
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Of course, I'm a teenager, so I've seen many people create these secret accounts for a variety of purposes. I have friends who do this for the sole purpose of hiding from college admissions officers... but since it is supposedly a private "anonymous" account, wouldn't the applicants just not list these accounts? I feel like that's the whole point of it. If someone is going to create a username called "Peet Jonezzz" and post their party pics, I highly doubt they'd willingly list it out for the Senator's office to scrutinize.

Personally, I think if congressional staffers are going to look me up, I better give them something good to see. :) And so my photos are from air shows and SA campuses and whatnot.
 
LITS I have never been asked by an investigator about social media until my last interview. I was one of the people listed on a buddies paperwork. The investigator did mention she had reviewed her Facebook and how much she traveled.

Not sure what anyone is doing with all this info from MOC staffs but it's a great lesson for candidates. I know many employers are now checking these accounts prior to hiring. Our company also has a social media policy. It's becoming more and more engrained in private companies as well. Bottom line, don't post it if it could be questioned.
 
Two observations.

(1) In the civilian world, lawyers and HR personnel advise executives NOT to review social media accounts of job applicants. The concern is that discrimination may ensue if the reviewer applies bias in response to what they see (race, gender, views, etc.). The situation changes, however, once that applicant is on the payroll. Like it or not, they represent the company in everything they do personally as well as professionally. This is the reason that often times you may see ("This is a personal account. Posts here solely reflect my own views." Etc., etc.) An employer cannot force an employee to change something online; but the savvy employee operates under the presumption that everything they post can be read by the public - including their employer.

(2) In the public service / military world, especially for those who seek a security clearance, it is a different matter. I know many who have applied for various positions requiring such clearance, and ALL of them were not only asked to share their social media accounts userid's but in the case of Facebook, were asked to print out the list of "friends" and send the list along. File this under the category of "Your mother was right. People judge you by the company you keep."
 
This wasn't a DoD clearance but another agency. Actually doesn't surprise me they asked for the position they were applying for. Wasn't for a secret squirrel position but one that could have a great deal of forward facing domestic and foreign interaction with growth to higher visibility. So actually not surprised and even makes sense.

I do a lot of interviews. The only social media I review is their Linked In. If it's blank I don't care, just mostly use it to bounce a resume and see if it matches. I won't do that until after I interview the candidate and if they are in the running for the position. I don't review other social media. I know some companies have even asked for passwords to accounts. This is over line. If I was applying for a company and they asked for this I would refuse.

Bottom line to candidates on this site... be aware social media can and does get reviewed from this point forward in your life. Your parents have been telling you this for years and it's true. You are finally at that point that it's happening.
 
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My husband has had multiple security clearances and upgrades for particular jobs. I was interviewed as part of his clearance and the investigator asked me about my husband'a LACK of social media. They were trying to find his "alternate name" etc for his accounts. They had a hard time believing that he simply didn't have any... no FB, no twitter, no Instagram or snap chat, and not even a linked in at that point. He hates social media and wants nothing to do with it. I now maintain a linked in for him! So... while they may not ask specifically about your social media... they ARE looking at it.
 
LineInTheSand said:
The question is, why should Congressional staffers be monitoring that? They're not trained and will likely be searching social media on the clock.
Click to expand...


Why wouldn't they be on the clock if they are researching at the request of the MOC?
 
As a partner in a large law firm, every time I prepare to take a deposition, I ask my paralegal or an associate to search the web for information on the deponent. Several years ago, I conducted a search myself. I even looked at the deponent's teenage son's FB page. Interestingly, the deponent's son had this post: "My parents don't put me in timeout; instead, they whoop my a**." It gave me insight into the deponent's character. I elected not to ask the deponent about his son's FB post.
 
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