Job applicant 'shamed' by agency for bikini photo on Instagram

Should a candidate be forced to hide social media photos from a potential employer?

Job applicant 'shamed' by agency for bikini photo on Instagram

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”.

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.”

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.

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