Blogged Out of a Job

Meanwhile, according to the Society for Human Resource Management, 7 percent of human resource professionals read job candidates' blogs to gather information on them before the company decided whether to hire them.

But my guess is that number is actually much larger. Anything people write in a blog is public information -- that is, after all, the whole point. Even if they write under a pseudonym or if they write a blog on their personal time, their bosses or co-workers can easily find their online musings. And many employers and potential employers do spend time trolling the Internet for mentions of their company or their own names, particularly in blogs. (Do you Google someone before a first date? I thought so.)

Then, if something unseemly comes up, that person might not get a job. Is that legal? Absolutely. For the most part, unless a company is practicing discrimination based on race, sex, gender or national origin, that company can pretty much fire -- or not hire -- anyone for any reason. Even for items posted on a personal blog.

But, of course, not all blogging is a potential problem. Hirschfeld himself advises companies to not write a "draconian policy that prohibits" blogging. Those powers can be used for good, after all. This is evidenced by the fact a growing number of companies host space on the company Web site for company bloggers. The thought is these people are interested in the company and its products, and unless they reveal secrets, their blogs can be great marketing tools.

Tim Donnelly, a self-titled propagandist and stuff coordinator with Aquent Creative in Los Angeles, a staffing firm, started a company blog in July. Microsoft and Sun Microsystems had created similar spaces for such blogs, and they seemed to have a positive impact on business. Aquent decided it was time the company do the same.

Donnelly's blog ( http://aquent.typepad.com ) has resulted directly in more business, he said.

"We get a lot of visits each week," he said. "And we have gotten a couple companies who have come to work with us just because of the blog. Which means, then, I guess it works."

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