Careful With The Web

I was having coffee recently with a good friend of mine who also happens to be involved in the recruiting and hiring of a major software firm here in Austin. My friend was telling me how he really resonated with my recent post titled Twitter Can Kill. It seems that the dark side of Web 2.0 is creating some unique challenges for his hiring of new employees.

As we talked he mentioned one particular candidate that he was gung-ho to hire. A vibrant young college graduate that on the surface fit every specific criteria that they were looking for at his firm. She sailed through the interview processes and the references she received from the two jobs she had held since high school were outstanding. There was no doubt they had a future super star in their midst and he and his team were excited!

He was stoked that they had found her and were just about to extend her an offer when the wheels came off the bus.

It seems Ms. ideal candidate had a Myspace page. Not just any Myspace page mind you, but a rather revealing look into this young lady's personal life. Apparently the site was complete with risque pictures, videos, and an over the top description of what she likes to do with her free time. She also felt compelled to share her opininated views of the world - including what she thinks of working for "the man." For her, my friend was "the man."

The more he and his assistant dug, the more their impression of her unraveled. The Myspace page led them to another website of even more questionable self-published content. Eventually their searching, which he admited was simply a few well place clicks, landed them at Youtube where this young lady had posted videos of her and her friends doing things that would in a word be deemed inappropriate.

Now I am not a prude. I know people put all sorts of crazy crap out there on the web. The problem is when you do that, it may come back to haunt you and that haunting may last for years to come! As I remind everyone that I ever speak to, train or coach, you are always on stage. That stage extends to and goes beyond your personal web habits. A lesson that I truly wish they would teach young people in high school and college. Just because it seems cool at the time and technology offers you a platform to share it with your friends, doesn't mean you should. After all your friends may not be your only audience. Theirin lies the bigger problem!

Because of this one candidate my friend is making it a standard practice to search all available avenues on the web as part of his background checks on potential hires. They even have gone so far as to see what might be out there on their current employees. So far he tells me he has discovered nothing that he can't live with, which of course is a huge sigh of relief. However their future super star didn't get that offer she was expecting and because of policy he can't truly tell her why. How sad for her.

Ripple On!!!