Can potential employers see Facebook accounts if they are set to "private"

[JoeM]

Two 20-sumptins I know are in good jobs (one might be laid off) but are looking to change them. They have typical Facebook pages. Nothing too bad but they do contain partying photos, drinking and typical silly stuff in their status messages. I advised them to clean them up and tone it down before looking but was told not to worry as no one but friends can see them.

A lot being mentioned lately in the news about current employers using browser history to visit employee social networking pages or potential employers checking them.

I've read they can gain acces to some info through picture tags and through "friends" but I'm told potential employers can't see Facebook, etc. accounts if they are set to "private" unless they get in through something like the above. Is that correct?

(God, would I have been in trouble if I had posted stuff I did in my twenties during my music biz years:turbo: )

[Doc]

If a Facebook page wasn't private all along, there's almost certainly a cache somewhere.

Most employers probably wouldn't go so far as to dig through caches unless they had some suspicion about you already.

[C(-)ris]

If the account is set to private or friends then only friends can see it. Most people just leave theirs public I guess.

[AAA]

If I were an employer, I would have a couple of those accounts with sites that do background checks with an annual fee.

[As a matter of public disclosure, I am undergoing a federal background check as we speak. Previously, secret security clearance approved]

[pRICE cUBE]

Even if it is set to private it doesn't stop someone from seeing your goofy profile pic. If that pic happens to be of you with a beer bong then tough luck.

[JoeM]

pRICE cUBE wrote:
Even if it is set to private it doesn't stop someone from seeing your goofy profile pic. If that pic happens to be of you with a beer bong then tough luck.

I think you can keep your profile pic private too.

[NewtonMP2100]

....not if it is 'private dancer' mode.....

[hal]

In my experience, anyone that is 'into' facebook will leave their footprint all over the net. Even if you get nothing from facebook, a good google search will usually turn up something -assuming their name isn't John Smith. I do this every time I get a large ebay payment and before I ship.

Just their name "in quotes" and their city or even address or phone number (also in quotes). I can almost always get enough info to decide if it's safe or if I should be wary.

[Filliam H. Muffman]

It was not legal but one employer was having applicants log in to their pages.

[AAA]

I found a recent 'private' message on a php-type board just yesterday. These were NEVER public.