Jobs Magazine January 29 – February 4, 2016 | Page 9

JOBS RESOURCES

this question, “No.” Respondents justified their
answer with rationale ranging from “I have a
right to privacy” to “the blog entries relate to
their personal life.” How stupid can these people
be?
One of the reasons any employer – whether
the CEO of a company or a homeowner seeking a reliable dog-sitter – performs background
and reference checks is that a person’s behavior
tends to be consistent and predictable over time.
Unlike a mutual fund or stock, the past performance of a person is a reliable predictor of future
results. Prior learning, established habits and
values coalesce to determine behavior, and unless
a person gains insight into their motivations and
behaviors and exerts their will to override reflexive behaviors, then their behavioral patterns
won’t change. If this were not the case, psychologists, psychiatrists and life-coaches would be
unemployed. In short, this means once a criminal, always a criminal. If, in the mind of a person,
it were perfectly acceptable to steal music or
vandalize property, what would stop them from

stealing money or sensitive information from an
employer? No reasonable person would leave the
door open if they knew a burglar was outside,
and no intelligent employer would knowingly
hire someone who has no regard for the law or
the property rights of others.
Another point raised was “the right to privacy.”
When someone voluntarily publishes something
on a web page, they have put their information
within access of potentially one billion eyeballs.
Where does “privacy” come in? This would be
like someone stripping naked in the middle of
Times Square in New York City during rush
hour, and then being upset because a lot of people stop and stare. The bottom line is, if something needs to be private, don’t share it, period.
Perusing a blog is a little like observing a
person from a distance and when they are less
guarded in their actions. This can provide
more information to a prospective employer
than would those overly-rehearsed, cut and
dried answers given by eager job applicants.
Imagine reading a profanity-laced, irrational blog

authored by someone seeking a customer service
or sales position. Would anyone want to turn a
potty-mou Y[