I’m Not Perfect and I Don’t Care Who Knows It!
July 15, 2008 by J.C. Hewitt
I’m still working on the next installment of my series on my technical writing career, but in the meantime I wanted to address an article by Deb Ng over at Freelance FWJ. She points out, quite rightly, that when you make a statement on the Internet, either on your own blog, through a service like MySpace or Twitter or in a forum, the statement you make lives forever. Simply erasing it from the site won’t make it disappear. I agree. Stupidity can come back to haunt you.
My problem is more with the issue that drove her to write the article. I’ll let her statement stand for itself.
An employer wrote me the other day and said she Googled the top candidate for a job and found some of the things she said here and on another forum that weren’t so complimentary about a past employer and changed her mind about hiring her. I think it’s a good lesson to be careful what we put out there.
Businesses now do a web search of potential employees. Not only do they run names through Google but they also check MySpace, LiveJournal, FaceBook and other places.
Deb presents this as if it is a cautionary tale. Don’t speak ill of former employers, future employers might not hire you because of it. I say good riddance to bad relationships. If a company reads my blog and decides not to hire me, that is fantastic. I don’t want to work for a company that objects to my blog or is afraid of an employee who speaks his mind. I’m not going to fit in at a company like that anyway.
I don’t mind a company reading my work to decide if I’m a good fit. They should read my work. It represents who I am and I am proud of it. I generally point potential employers to my web site and tell them to look around.
I do object to Orwellian HR departments that are in essence looking for reasons to rule out an employee. If they are looking for an employee who is always in a good mood, has no vices and never makes waves, best of luck to them. Perhaps they should limit their search to former cast members of Up With People. They seem pretty nice. I’m not sure if any of them can use a dozen different content delivery applications, read code, wade through multiple 200-page functional designs in search of significant changes or create a documentation plan that is acceptable to 10 different stakeholders, but if they can avoid any workplace controversies at least HR will be satisfied.
I’m not tilting at windmills. I don’t expect the business world to change to suit my needs. All I am saying is that I’d rather be turned down by a company that is a bad fit for me. If they think an employee should never be critical or discuss bad experiences then they are certainly not the right place for me. I would rather wait for a company that reads what I write and likes what they see. Meanwhile, I will continue to discuss my career. It includes a few bad employers and some poor work environments. It also includes plenty of mistakes on my part. Anyone who employs me in the future should expect plenty more. Perfection is not one of my life goals.
Amen, brother. While I admit to being a little circumspect about discussing past employers, there’s plenty of things out there with my name on them that would shoot me down with many HR departments…and I could care less. I, too, am proud of my work (even the stuff with–gasp!–salty language), and I’d rather be rejected by places that are poor fits than take a job and have to add another employer to my list of bad work experiences.
Hi Brandon,
I understand your position. I would never go out of my way to insult my past employers, but because I am writing a series about my career, it would be disingenuous for me to pretend I haven’t had poor work situations from time to time. If a potential employer reads the articles and feels as if they can’t work with me, that is fine. I am far more interested in an employer that reads my work and decides they do want to work with me.
I mostly agree. I do think people need to be careful what they put out there. I’m not about to go around Googling people, but if I knew of someone who badmouths everyone on the web I don’t know if I’d want to hire a chronic malcontent.
I do think employers need to take certain factors into consideration. For instance, if a 30 year old hasn’t updated a MySpace page since he was 15 and an employer holds those ramblings against him, it’s just plain silly.
If however, a potential employer has been giving away company secrets on his blog I might wonder if this is someone I want to hire to work for me.
So I mostly agree. Employers need to think before they make a decision around something said or done on the web – but on the other hand people do need to think about what they put out there.
Deb Ngs last blog post..Prevention Magazine Seeks Writers/Bloggers
Deb,
I agree with you. If someone behaves badly on the web, they should be prepared for it to come back to them at some point. It is a very public forum. I just hate the thought that you can never be critical of a former employer. I hear that advice a great deal, and I understand it, but I also think that is one of the reasons some companies have such poor practices. There’s nobody telling them they are screwing up. Nobody wants to say it while they are working there for fear of losing their jobs and nobody wants to say it when they leave because they need another job. In the end, everyone suffers when there is no communication.
I absolutely agree, John. Everyone complains about employers. Heck, when I worked in the boring office job that’s all we did. And yes, we should be able to discuss poor practices and shoddy treatment. That’s why private forums are so cool!
Deb Ngs last blog post..Prevention Magazine Seeks Writers/Bloggers
Hey John, I love the title of this post and your sassy attitude
I do agree that there seem to be a lot of HR departments or hiring managers that are actively looking for almost anything to disqualify a candidate. Too many of them have the idea that there is a perfect job candidate out there just as too many employees think there is that one perfect company.
Ah, nicely done John. I’m a big proponent of speaking the mind, especially on a blog that purports to be about the journey of writing and a writing career. It can’t be sunny all the time. And any employer that expects an entirely sunny outlook on a long career is asinine.
That said, I am careful about naming names. I think hard about it before doing it, and often defer to describing the type of client rather than the actual client. Now, if I was to come up against a client that was one I want to warn the entire world against? The claws are out.
Thanks John!
Quiet Rebel Writers last blog post..The Return of the QRW
@ Deb
I’ve been thinking about creating a private forum for a number of reasons. Thank you for coming up with one more.
@ Morgan
I’ve interviewed at a lot of jobs in my life. One manager once asked me how I handled conflict… six times. That set off alarms and I told the recruiter the next day that I wasn’t interested in the job. Sure enough, I later heard that the woman was hell to work with. I could have used the money, but I didn’t need a job like that.
@ QRG
My ongoing story fudges the names a bit. WTW was a real company, but eventually was merged into oblivion. PHPS has also been merged out of existence so it doesn’t matter who they are. The next four companies I worked at are all well-known and intact, so they present a bigger problem, but I have a solution for those in mind.
hmmmm, I was just talking to a fellow freelancer today who hired a well known company and wasn’t satisfied with the work.
However, since this well known company had badmouthed clients in their blog at times, he was afraid to say that he wasn’t happy.
So I guess that worked in the badmouthing company’s favor.
On the other hand, after reading such things in this company’s blog, I must say I wasn’t surprised by their lack of a satisfied customer.
Allenas last blog post..Introducing: Query Letter Critique!
Wow,,,this is indeed a timely article, especially for social media users. When I plurk or twitter, I am conscious that what I say will end up in search engine results, friend feed, etc. Does it scare me? Well, I don’t really talk about employers, but there are things I *think* about mentioning, but ask myself If I’m I comfortable with the twitterverse knowing it. It’s a good question to ask.
I’m with you, John. In my life, not just on the Internet, I’m careful about badmouthing anyone. There are always two sides to a coin, and I try to see why the other person is a jerk before calling him a jerk. Even when I do, it’s in my head or to a close friend and never in public.
My blog reflects my life, my work and my personality. This is the person people hire, and I don’t particularly censor myself (save the swearing) anywhere. I want people who like me for me to be my clients. I don’t want people to wonder if I’m just putting on a face to save my ass.
@James Chartrand:
As usual, you have a way of summing up a conversation nicely. All I can say to your little ditty is . . . I humbly agree.
Nice post John.
Yuwanda Blacks last blog post..How to Stretch Free Articles into Dollars
Timely indeed – I just had an experience with this. My blog certainly doesn’t bash any employers as I’ve been blessed with fantastic workplaces (seriously – no schmoozing here). However, I regularly Google myself just to see what employers see and, well, it’s ME! I’m a liberal. I like libraries, archives, riding my bike, drinking beer and a bunch of other stuff.
I was recently cautioned by a coworker that follows my blog. I had posted about my trying to quit smoking and how I fell off the wagon when I had a few adult beverages on the 4th. He said, “I don’t care about the drinking, but others might.” Frankly, if my would-employers have a problem with me having a few pops – I don’t know if that’s really a right fit either. I’m grown, dang it.
Eva G.s last blog post..My 50-page Reading Rule
@ Allena
It can be difficult as a freelancer, because reputation is important to getting new business. You don’t want to be seen as difficult, but you don’t want to be taken advantage of either. It is a tough line to walk when you get wronged.
@ Alexandra
Twitter does open up a new can of worms. The urge to pop off about a topic is strong. I have so much web content with my name attached though, I don’t worry too much about Twitter. If they are looking that hard for problems, I doubt I could handle working with them.
@ James
You get business because of your personality, not in spite of it. I think you’ll do fine.
@ Eva G.
Alcohol, God forbid! And on a holiday! You are virtually unemployable now.
@John – Should you ever open a private forum, do let me know.
@James, well said. As always.
Deb Ngs last blog post..Why You Should Add Blogging to Your Freelance Writing Portfolio
I agree with the general consensus: I wouldn’t want to work for a company that objected to my talking about previous work experiences. On the other hand, badmouthing a company or person is not appropriate.
You handle it well, John – a sort of “just the facts, ma’am” style that doesn’t sugarcoat the situation but shouldn’t offend a reasonable person either.
@ Deb
I certainly will. I have a dozen or so domains sitting around, so I’m sure I can convert one of them.
@ Lillie
Thank you Lillie. I am trying to present situations without judgment.
I see that most people who join big corporations have to kill their creativity and innovation to fit into the mould. And once they are well settled, its this “fitting into the mould” that hurst them the most. I work with a top technical soultions company, but speaking your mind and tlaking about rela issues is something that’s alwyas swept under the carpet. So while a good reputation does help in getting a job, but what the company does to you may force you to change yourself, and ultimately affect your reputation
John — Thanks for writing this article. I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one in the minority about this issue. I do understand the general concept of “don’t act like an ass, or someday it may come back to bite you in yours,” but on the other hand I refuse to censor anything I might have to say out of fear of what a potential employer might think of me. And, like you and others have said here, I wouldn’t be a good fit for that type of company anyway. Best to find that out before getting hired, eh? Save us all a lot of trouble.
Amy Derbys last blog post..Progress Not Perfection, a Fine Freelance Writing Career Mantra
Great post, John, and great comments! I haven’t used my blog or MySpace, etc. to complain/criticize former employers mainly because: (1) I can’t imagine that anyone would care (especially since I’d be writing about state government and most people also have opinions about that already); and (2) I live in a relatively small city. I frequently cross paths with former coworkers and employers. Writing about them could literally come to bite me
As far as my political leanings and extra-curricular activities, all anybody has to do is take a look at the back-end of my truck. The bumper stickers say it all!
@ Augustu
I do feel like corporate life had changed my personality somewhat over the years. There are certain skills ant attitudes that you adopt so that you can succeed. Many of them are actually beneficial, such as learning to negotiate, but I’m not sure how many people would say that working at a major corporation made them a better person.
@ Amy
It sounds like you have the right attitude.
@ Marie
My political leanings tend to upset both liberals AND conservatives. Luckily, I avoid most political blogging.
I view the risks here as the same as in any other walk of life. Anyone that acts and behaves responsibly has nothing to fear from being visible online for all eternity. Those that don’t should not be surprised if they don’t enjoy the consequences of their own actions. There’s a world of difference between exercising the right to express an opinion and, say, making groundless libellous comments online..