I’ve had a few job interviews recently, and although the subject has never come up, it seems likely that, in this day and age, someone at one of these companies is probably going Google me, and the first thing they’ll find is this blog.
Uh-oh.
So…If you found this blog because I applied for a job at your company or because someone at your company is thinking of hiring me as a consultant, there are a few things I should probably explain…
I’m not like this all the time. I’m not that guy who just has to slip politics into every conversation. (“The project is over budget? Sounds like it’s run by a bunch of Liberals!”) I know how to turn it off. In fact, I really only turn it on for the blogosphere and for private conversations with other people who share my interests. I understand that some subjects are not suitable for the workplace.
I’m not going to blog about company business. I might end up blogging about some interesting things that happened while I was on the job (“I was in Phoenix on business and someone stole my rental car!”), but I’m not going to blog about company business unless your media policy permits me to talk about it. I understand that some things need to stay confidential.
I’m not going to blog on your dime. If reasonable personal use of the internet is one of the perqs of the job, I’ll probably take advantage of that to do some blogging or answer a few comments in my spare time. But other than that, I won’t be working on my own projects while you’re paying the bill.
I’m not a freak. As a matter of public policy, I think we send too many people to jail for a lot of things that should be legal. That doesn’t mean that I want to do those things. I can comply with your workplace policies.
We can talk about the blog. If something on this blog makes you uncomfortable enough that you’d consider not hiring me because of it, tell me about it. If I’m otherwise a good fit to your needs, it would be a shame not to at least try to work something out.
I look forward to working with you.
Thanks,
Mark
Try writing something along the lines of Kim du Toit’s Pussification of the American Male and see what happens – which is why I use a nom de plume. Why put up with the crap?
When I first started this blog, I thought about using a pseudonym, but the problem I saw was that either (A) my real name comes out, either because of a security failure or because I decided to drop the masquerade, or (B) my identity remains a secret forever. If it’s option A, then there was little point in having a pseudonym, and if it’s option B, then I never get any kind of recognition for my efforts, which seems silly. Also, keeping a pseudonym secure would restrict the topics I could post about. So I just decided to post under my real name.
When I started doing job interviews, it occurred to me that someone might someday ask me about my blog, and I wanted to have an answer ready. Eventually, I decided it would make a good topic for a post.
Most of these things seem pretty obvious to me: Don’t reveal company secrets, don’t talk about stuff that’s inappropriate for the workplace, don’t handle personal matters on company time, control yourself. However, I can imagine a concerned manager (or human resources person) reading some of my rants and wondering if I’d be a troublesome employee. I’d hate to lose a job prospect that way without a chance to state my case.