Once upon a time, a boss (Mary) said to a young worker (Albert), “I am going to advertise for another new position here at XYZ Company, do you know a suitable young person“?
Albert said, “Yes, I might know someone (thinking of John – who he knew already had some training and was looking for work)”.
Mary said, “can you mention the new position to this person and ask them to come and see me?”
“Sure“, said Albert.
Mary went ahead and advertised the position.
When Albert saw John, he told him about the position and to go and see Mary.
John thought “Cool, I’ve got this!!” and, being the confident person that he was, straight-up put a status on his Facebook page to say he was working at XYZ Company. “Excellent work John!” thought John.
When Mary heard about this, she was livid, in fact (I believe) steam came out of her ears! Afterwards, she was not the slightest bit interested in meeting John or finding out anything more about him.
“Bloody cheek!” thought Mary.
Because John put this status on his Facebook page, a number of his friends didn’t apply for the position because they thought it was filled. This was unfair for them and made it harder for Mary to find a suitable person. Mary was not amused.
The names in this true story have been altered to protect the true identities of the people involved.
Facebook Etiquette:
Whilst it is exciting getting a new job, there is always a trial period to see if you are a good fit with the company. To save embarrassment or confusion, wait until your trial period is over and you have SECURED the position BEFORE posting your work status on FB.
Or, at the very least, ask your boss if is OK to put the status up.
NEVER be a John!
