To be put off by potential employer sending friend request on Facebook?

[lobeliasb]

I recently applied for a role at small/medium sized company that has a couple offices in the UK. This is a professional, office-based role wand the company doesn't do anything requiring special discretion or clearance/background checking. They emailed me asking me to call them to set up an interview (why can't they call me...?), and at the same time a company Facebook profile (not a business page, it's set up like a personal profile) send me a friend request on Facebook. My Facebook page is pretty locked down and I rarely post on it and have nothing to hide, but I simply don't see why I should give this company/HR person/manager or whoever it is access to my personal profile.

I haven't even had a conversation with them yet! Isn't this kind of unusual and nosey of them? I don't think I'll be proceeding with the interview, as if they are being invasive already I imagine they are overbearing in other ways. In all my years working I've never encountered this before. I don't even like to add colleagues on social media!

They're 100% being nosy because your page is private. Don't accept the friend request.

YANBU, just refuse the request.

I bet they've added you by accident while having a nose about

Asking them to call you isn’t that unusual, I think it shows they acknowledge not everyone can answer the phone when they call, so it’s more convenient for you to call them. But the Facebook thing is weird. The fact it’s a profile not a business page, the adding you. Bizzare. I would perhaps ignore and if they ask you to accept say you don’t use social media anymore and the profile is old or something. If you go interview you can get a better feeling of them. They might be madder than a box of frogs and something to steer clear of, or trying to be optimistic, just a bit shit with tech?

It all sounds a bit bizarre, I'd move onto another opportunity.

My unpleasant, micro managing manager sent me a friend request on FB - I refused. She was definitely fishing about for ammunition (she made it clear when she took over as manager that I was on her hit list). Keeping work and social media separate is much safer.

The phoning then to arrange the interview thing is sensible and perfectly normal. You might not want current employers knowing you're looking elsewhere so them ringing you in the middle of your working day might be the last thing you'd want. Much easier for you to ring them at a time that's convenient for you.

But the Facebook thing, yes that's unprofessional of them.