Should a candidate be forced to hide social media photos from a potential employer?
A job candidate was left baffled after a marketing agency she had applied for took a screenshot of her bikini photo on Instagram and used it as a warning to other applicants.
Emily Clow, 24, claimed the agency – where she applied for a part-time position – “objectified” her and called her “unprofessional”.
i was objectified earlier today by a company because of a picture of me in a bikini. they claimed it made me an “unprofessional.” they screenshot the photo, posted it on their insta story and called me out.
— Emily Clow (@emilyeclow) October 1, 2019
i am still baffled that the company handled it in such a manner.
In the Instagram screenshot, the agency said: “PSA (because I know some of you applicants are looking at this): do not share your social media with a potential employer if this is the kind of content on it. I am looking for a professional marketer – not a bikini model.”
“Go on with your bad self and do whatever in private. But this is not doing you any favours in finding a professional job.”
@kickassmasterm pic.twitter.com/rhVUhMTsZg
— Emily Clow (@emilyeclow) October 1, 2019
Clow immediately fired back on IG, writing “this is inappropriate and unprofessional to shame an applicant through social media”.
After Clow shared the incident on Twitter and gained support from the online community, the agency was allegedly forced to deactivate its social media accounts.
Some netizens reported the agency to the Better Business Bureau, while others argued the actions of the employer were more unprofessional than the candidate’s posting of a bikini photo online.
Should a job applicant have to hide personal photos on social media from a potential employer? Sound off in the comments section.
