This question is way out of line!
The manager asked “is singing more important to you than your professional career?” I never mentioned my signing interest or that I do singing gig’s on the weekends so how did she find out about this? I fail to see the relevance this question has on my skills and ability to perform the job anyway. Not to mention that it’s none of her business how what I do with my time off. She probably did a google search on me or looked into my facebook and social media accounts where my friends and I often share pics and comments about the band. I don’t remember signing a waiver to give her permission to look into my social media accounts. Is this automatically part of the background check now for hiring new employees? When do employers cross the line between professional and personal questioning during a job applicants vetting process?
Exactly! This is exactly my point. :-)
They also like to know your hobbies but I agree that question was a little out there
The rule of thumb to remember today is that employers will look at all available channels to learn about you before calling you in for an interview or offering you a job. Anything you make public is fair game---Google, public Facebook posts, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc. That's why it is really important that you set your privacy settings to help ensure prospective employers won't see what you don't want them to see. The other caveat is to avoid posting anything that you wouldn't want a prospective employer to view. Even when you set your social media settings as private or "friends only" it's possible someone in your network is friends with someone who works at a company you're interviewing with and could share or comment on one of your posts you'd rather stay hidden from them. I agree that they were probably trying to gauge your commitment to the job and whether your priority would be the job or your singing interest. Interestingly, I've also participated in multiple interviews where the hiring manager or team member asked me directly what I did in my spare time, my hobbies, interests, etc. In one case, they were clearly evaluating my personal interests to determine whether I was a "cultural" good fit for the company. If you're one of those who believes and work and personal life should be kept separate, then these kinds of questions are red flags. You'd probably not be happy working there anyway. But please take care in how you set your social media settings and what you post. Good luck!
I understand, Nancy, I've been asked such things myself! They likely want to make sure you're not just searching for something to pass the time until you make it, and that you're not going to be skirting along doing the least possible work while you focus on your passion. It's absolutely okay to have a passion outside of work, but you should make it clear to them that you are willing and able to focus on more than one thing in life. When you are at work you will pursue doing your job to the best of your ability there, and when you are pursuing music outside of work you will do likewise. You can focus on more than one subject and, more importantly, you can excel at both if you put your mind to it! Just show them that you're willing to go above and beyond in everything you do and they'll be impressed. Nobody knows what the future will bring, so it's important to give it your all! Good luck!
it's sad nancy but people will go to any length to try to dig up dirt on others, especially in this age... i think that's why profiles on this site only have 1 photo and only work related info!!
Out of line