The government may have banned employers from giving bad references but
according to Time magazine it doesn’t look like this will matter in a couple of
years. The magazine reported
yesterday on the launch of Unvarnished,
a site that uses Facebook connect to tag anonymous reviews against people’s
profiles.
The site’s creators are enthusiastic about the site’s potential saying it will ultimately ‘be more useful than the carefully selected job references or curated [sic] blurbs on someone's LinkedIn profile.’ This is interesting stuff considering the dreaded Google and Linked-in search that has become the pre-interview qualifier of choice for today’s employers.
This concept could easily take off with the meteoric rise of review sites for things like restaurants and attractions. Imagine it as Qype for the job market – scary and exciting at the same time. The ability to post real, un- censored ‘people reviews’ will be very attractive to employers and very useful in the recruitment process.
The article cites worries over the obvious potential for abuse, should someone exercise a personal vendetta by writing bad reviews for example. This is valid, but then the site is still in Beta and countermeasures will undoubtedly be developed for this kind of problem.
Another issue is the fact that more people tell others about a bad experience than a good; if this holds true with staff and colleagues, people could easily end up with more bad than good. The counter argument is, of course, that if you do well in your career and try not to ruffle too many feathers, you’re likely to come out looking pretty good either way. The whole point of it is to weed out the bad performers so why worry?
Aside from the possible negative implications, Unvarnished clearly continues the evolution of what could be called the ‘personal brand’. As the internet and its uses have evolved, you can chart a continued individualisation of the way brands and people are communicated.
This has an important effect on the way brands are developed and influenced. Marketing text books may have long extolled the importance of front-facing staff in shaping the way customers think about products and services. Now those people have the potential to influence a much greater audience either through what they write, or what people write about them. The more of a brand that individuals take on, for example through helping customers on twitter, the closer they bring their personal brand to that of their organisation. Sites like 123people are increasingly ensuring this individually-based information is aggregated and viewed as one. Organisations need to understand this as their online strategies are developed.
The other side of this is the way that people now need to be more aware of their own digital footprints. I know various people that have crafted their personal brand to the extent they can now make a good living from their skills, while their online persona increasingly attracts new buyers. Another side to this will inevitably develop as time goes on – a minor indiscretion made in a position long, long ago could conceivably haunt job seekers for a whole career.
These kind of sites aren’t going to go away either. So if you want my advice, look after that brand of yours. Polish it daily and keep it looking as healthy as possible – after all, you never know who is watching.
