In the past, when employees wanted to “dish the dirt” about
their company they would congregate at the water cooler. Today, though,
this water cooler has expanded to the size of the world. You only have
to casually search the Internet to find a host of people talking about
a host of companies -- and not everything they are saying is fit for
polite company.
The Good and the Bad
Like everything in the world, there are both good and bad aspects of
this increased communication. If you are looking for a new job, inside
information about a company can be very helpful. Any information that
can help you avoid a bad company or find a good one is an important
advantage in today’s job market. Such information can also help
you develop points for negotiations once you have been offered a job.
If you know that there is a desperate need for your talent in the company
you can negotiate a higher salary or other perks that another candidate
might not have thought about.
Frank discussions on the Internet can also help you spot industry-wide
issues that you might be able to use to your advantage. Is everyone
suddenly looking for techs that understand BlueTooth? Perhaps you
can direct your attention there and expand your career options.
Finally, the Internet water cooler can allow you to see that you
are not alone in your work concerns and problems. Sometimes just
knowing
this can help to ease your mind. It doesn't solve the problem, but
it lessens the feelings of isolation and fear.
The Ugly
There is a dark side to all this communication, though. While there
is a lot of information being thrown around, the veracity of this
information may be in doubt. Each of us has our own bias and an
agenda that we
are trying to forward whenever we post a message online. Some of
these agendas are more calculated than others. Many people are
simply venting
their frustration while others are consciously trying to manipulate
your opinion about a certain company. When you read a message online
(or anywhere, for that matter) you need to think about not only _what_
they are saying but _how_ they are saying it.
Too often, employees end up blaming their companies for problems the
employees themselves created. This isn’t to say that companies
and their managers don’t make mistakes, only that the individual
must be included in any examination of a problem. A person who blames
all their ills on their employer raises a red flag in my mind. What
other issues are at work here? What is the other side of the story?
You have to dig deeper in order to truly understand what is going on.
A general rule that I apply when reading “watercooler” messages
is this -- the more vociferous the message, the less likely it is representing
the complete story. Surely, no one is totally unbiased, but when a
person resorts to verbal mudslinging and under-supported accusations
you need to look more deeply into what they are really saying.
Of course, the same is true of glowing recommendations and descriptions
of jobs. Every job has its good and bad aspects. I am inherently
suspicious of any job posting that
seeks to paint an overly-rosy picture of the company. Too often employees
get a rude awakening on their first day of work.
The Dangers
Should you decide to engage in some water cooler chat of your own,
there are few important points to remember.
Be careful what you say in a public forum. It is easy today to search
large parts of the Internet. It is possible that anything you say online
could be found by someone at your company, either by accident or on
purpose. Perhaps your company is monitoring Internet opinions as part
of an on-going public relations program. You don’t want your
comments, positive or negative showing up on the CEO’s desk.
You need to be careful even if you are talking about someone other
than your own company. In the most extreme cases some people have
even been sued for libel when companies disagreed with their opinions.
Many companies are now performing Internet searches as a regular part
of the interview process. You want to be sure that the face you are
presenting to the Internet world doesn’t impact your job search.
If you are posting messages to controversial newsgroups you may want
to consider developing a different online persona to distance yourself.
While the company water cooler has expanded in scope, it is important
to remember that everyone is listening now, not just your peers.
The comments you make today live on in cyberspace and anyone can
dig them
up at the worst possible moment.
- END -
Career
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