Burning Bridges.

Unless you are caught in the energy and resources cyclone, the economic landscape can be challenging when it comes to the job market. You need every contact you've ever made, you need every friend you've ever had and you need every opportunity to showcase your talent and skills. On the flip side, you will not have abused any of those friendships or relations, ever, so that everyone you talk to is willing to help you succeed in finding your next great career. Today a lot of those showcase opportunities are web based because no matter how many functions, dinners and events you attend, you could never reach as many people as you can with one high profile online splash.

So it still amazes me that people are prepared to reveal their under belly of snarkiness and leave inappropriate commentary in online feedback sites. Sure, not everything posted on the web is worthwhile and we all agree the dross far out weighs the quality but why even take the time to live on the negative side when it comes to replies and comments that could, will, come back to haunt you? I mention this in light of a trend occurring in the job market where unsuccessful candidates have been caught out slagging companies that did not employ them. Slagging the company product and vision in forums, feedback sites and social media to make themselves feel better about not achieving the desired outcome of being hired by said company.

From an ethical and moral stand point it lessens the character of the commentator but more importantly is taints them forever as someone, somewhere, will always remember their footnote of infamy and as we all know, the net never forgets and comments can never be wiped. The burning bridges analogy seems lost on the net generation and it's likely because they work on the many fishes in the sea analogy with so many relationships online, they know, there is always another person out there willing to connect for a job or a connection to a job.

I know everyone has had similar experiences feeling slighted by who they saw as a future employer of choice. Everyone interviewing for a job has forecast themselves into the corner office way before decisions had been made and become disillusioned when disappointed by the decision not going their way. Yet most move beyond the disappointment because the human spirit is nothing if not optimistic and next time, next year, next job are the catch cries that keep people moving forward.

Ranting and raving online can certainly be considered moving backwards as it achieves nothing and provides future employers with ammunition to shoot down prospective employees who have not thought past the last net post. With a tightening of job markets everywhere except the quarry called Western Australia, it behoves people to put more thought into releasing their disappointments in other areas. Other areas of release such as alcohol, kicking the dog, punching the wall and beating on a family sibling are outrageously inappropriate but they won't be known by your next employer, unless you post the pictures on Facebook. Think before you print.