 |
 |
|
|
S P O N S O R
S
        Find out more About IBN Got a news tip? Got a news tip? Tell us at news@ interbiznet.com Articles
Presentations
Resume
Company Job
Listings
It is better
Reality It's better to
All material in this |
To subscribe or unsubscribe from
ERNIE, please use the form on the
linked page. It's a world in which no negative information is exchanged, a sort of
Stepford
Talent Market. Bland and superficial, one might imagine a Stepford Talent Market
Group that polishes hyperbole in search of market momentum. Like many
of today's consultancies, no real experience is required. Fluff, flattery
and upbeat obfuscation can take the place of results. It's not surprising that negative information wants to keep a low
profile. After all, how far would you get with a resume that said "I've
taken the computer at each of my last 4 jobs" or "I enjoy viewing my
collection of company office supplies" or "I prefer having my haircut in
the mid afternoon" or "I often forget to shut up when I don't know what
I'm talking about". At the same time, who'd apply for a job described as "Responsible for
loose ends; scapegoat potential is high" or "Boss has strong
inflexibilities regarding the question of who is right" or "Seeking third
CEO in a year" or "impossible deadlines with inadequate funds". But, the Internet has shuffled in an era when the cat is out of the
bag. It turns out that negative information is the foundation of early
trust. Before shared experience, negative information indicates the
strengthening of a relationship. Companies like Vault.com, WetFeet (before they leaped headfirst
into the land of hyperbole) and our favorite unmentionable layoff
tracker garner huge volumes of traffic by tracking and publishing the
"inside skinny". (Read the icplanet
story and see if you don't get a clear picture of corporate culture). The
stock market message boards (see Webhire, Kforce or CDI) provide
volatile conversation with strong swipes at senior management. We got to thinking about the importance of negative information after
laughing hard at the parody site, kfarce. The absolutely wonderful site
includes rich multimedia
presentations of xeroxing skills, interview techniques and, our
favorite, supervisory
skills (you'll need a media player). We can imagine that the
management and legal teams at kforce,
suffering under public scrutiny, have had lots of meetings trying to figure out
how to shut it down. We think that they'd be better off proudly pointing out the fact that
someone thought they were worth parodying. When you consider that the
alternatives are essentially self
parodying, this is a badge of honor. Were it our problem, we'd find
ways to celebrate and promote the negative stuff. Across our industry, negative information is freeing itself from its
shackles. It's a good thing, although it takes some getting used
to.
All material on this site is © 1995 - 2000 by IBN:
interbiznet.com |
FEATURES: - Daily Industry News - ERN in Email
ANNUAL REPORTS:
RESOURCES: ADVERTISING:
   Stocks We
Watch AOL
Pending IPOs
- None
Public Staffing Cos
Adecco |
