Bad Employers - Identify & Avoid

Read & understand job advertisements & offers correctly, ask critical questions in interviews, screen for grievances among employees when applying

Simone Janson, Simone Janson, Simone Janson

• Publisher: Best of HR – Berufebilder.de®
• Year: 2024
• ISBN:
  9783965962798
• Edition: 4
• Topic: Economia
• Subtopic: Teoria economica

In the 4th, completely revised edition of this groundbreaking guide, published by an award-winning publisher, renowned experts (overview in the book preview) combine their knowledge with interactive AI. This unique combination of decades of experience and state-of-the-art technology enables you to master challenges on a whole new level. Thanks to the innovative transfer of information, complemented by personal experiences of success, you can realize your goals and reach your full potential. Because this aspect still receives too little attention: A new job is often associated with a lot of risk and great uncertainty for employees: They have to terminate their previous employment contract and maybe even move, get used to new tasks and new colleagues. Therefore, it is important for applicants to find out at the latest during the job interview whether the high personal effort is really worth it. But how can bad employers be identified already during the application process? Do the applicants and their requirements really fit into the new team? Are the expectations raised by the employer branding fulfilled? This book clarifies these and many other questions and thus helps job seekers to avoid serious mistakes already during the job search. For its concept "Information as Desired, " the publisher won the Global Business Award as Publisher of the Year and received government funding. It is also a partner of the Ministry of Education and Research of the Federal Republic of Germany. The goal to give you the best possible content on topics such as career, finance, management, recruiting, or psychology goes far beyond the static nature of traditional books: The interactive AI Extended Books not only provide AI-optimized content in several languages based on data analysis but also allow you to ask individual questions and receive advice tailored to your personal interests. Each book contains detailed information and examples for your successful use of AI. You can utilize AI software for free, download e-courses, collaborate with workbooks, or engage with an active community. So you gain valuable resources that enhance your knowledge, stimulate creativity, and make your personal and professional goals achievable and tangible. Expertise and technical innovation go hand in hand, as we take the responsibility to deliver well-researched and informed content seriously, honoring the trust you place in us. Due to the unique combination of human expertise and innovation, we can publish works that meet your requirements in every aspect. And furthermore, we want to offer you the opportunity to make your journey towards personal growth and success even more unforgettable. We understand that true change occurs not just in the mind but primarily through personal experiences and application. Therefore, we've conceptualized special success journey experiences tailored to each book for you. Be inspired to elevate your life to an entirely new level. By purchasing the books, you can also do good: The publisher dedicates about 5 percent of book sales revenue to socially relevant or sustainable projects. We provide scholarships, support innovative ideas, and contribute to climate protection initiatives. Publisher Simone Janson is also a bestselling author and one of the top 10 influential German bloggers according to the Blogger Relevance Index. Additionally, she has been a columnist and author for renowned media outlets such as WELT, Wirtschaftswoche, or ZEIT - more about her can be found, among other places, on Wikipedia.

Social media in companies and as a professional tool: transparent applicants and employers with control frenzy?
// By Simone Janson

Companies want to control their employees by creating the transparent applicant. They are not even aware of this when hunting for the best job.

Open company in companies?

At re: publica, a young man once told me that he had just been released. Reason: He took two days to demonstrate against the castor transportation in Gorleben. Although this was not the official reason for the dismissal, he had been made clear that his political stance did not suit the company.

Elsewhere, a headhunter told me that of course there were always customers who wanted to exclude certain groups of applicants - for example women or foreigners. And that he saw his task in fulfilling the customer's wishes and preselecting the applicants accordingly. Understandably, both do not want to be named. The examples show two things: Discrimination when looking for a job also takes place without the Internet and social media. And: We have not yet fully arrived in the tolerant and open society that many social media enthusiasts want.

What are employers really interested in?

In November 2010, the Federal Association for Information Technology, Telecommunications and New Media (BITKOM) asked 1.504 managing directors and HR managers how they can find out about future employees online. Result: 49 percent of the companies surveyed find out about their applicants online. 45 percent of all companies use Google, Bing or special people search engines. 21 percent researched in online social networks with a professional focus, such as Xing or LinkedIn. 17 percent of all companies also search in social networks such as Facebook or StudiVZ, which are more private.

Employee data protection is being discussed time and again, according to which a Google check of the applicant is only possible if the employer has pointed this out to the applicant and which greatly limits the collection of data in public networks anyway. So far, however, § 28 of the Federal Data Protection Act applies, after all personal data that is generally accessible can be stored and used. This also applies to information that applicants openly share about themselves in social networks. So do applicants have to fear that their lives will be systematically examined? There are already service providers in the USA who: check applicants for their social media past in the past seven years sends the client a detailed dossier after completing the research. The life of the applicants on the presentation plate?

Personnel wave them off

If you ask German HR managers what the practice looks like, they wave them off: Each recruiter receives several hundred applications on average for one job advertisement. There is hardly any time to review all submitted application documents, study and weigh up information - let alone accumulate further material. Googling, if at all, the last five shortlisted. Joachim Dircks, Managing Director of the Hamburg online personal marketing company Cyquest, knows from experience:

“Even though there are exceptions, candidate screening is not a popular personal sport. Like many recruiters - and we speak with a few ... - have repeatedly insured very clearly, firstly there is no time for this and secondly - besides ethical concerns - the benefits are simply not seen. Or as someone said: 'Why should the party photo of an applicant on Facebook scare me, we celebrated vigorously during our studies. Not everyone had an iPhone in their pocket ... '”.

At the University of Erfurt, “The influence of social network sites on the application and recruitment process” was examined. Applicants and HR managers were interviewed. Result: HR personnel compare a selection of applicants with the information available on the Internet to determine whether applicants are telling the truth or not and look for additional (personal) information via social networking sites to avoid "wrong appointments". However, the HR managers also know that they must not trust the data from the network without restrictions: on the one hand, they can be incomplete or outdated.

Applicants know how to present themselves

On the other hand, of course, many applicants know that and how they have to present themselves in social networks. This in turn can distort the picture - and companies know that too. In view of these disadvantages, searching for information on the Internet is considered by many to be (too) time-consuming, and the benefits are unclear. The search scope of the HR managers is based on the assigned “value” of the information or the curiosity to be satisfied.

However, whether and how applicants are googled ultimately depends on the personal surfers' own surfing behavior. So XING is perceived exclusively as a business network while studiVZ has hardly any relevance for professional matters. Facebook, on the other hand, is going through an interesting development and is, in a sense, a middle ground, which, however, tends to be used as a private network. And: Some personnel managers even feel guilty about not wanting to violate the applicants' privacy. However, they often even expressed understanding for it.

Personaler swimming naked

Wrong world? Or just the differentiated view of a topic that is always discussed hopelessly polemically? I have spoken to various HR staff on this topic for my research and the impression that it has to be weighed up on a case-by-case basis and differentiated is confirmed. Robindro Ullah from DB Service, for example, pleads for a change of perspective - after all, Googlen goes in both directions: “I also google the personnel managers with whom I will speak. Would I reject the employer if I found the personneler's nude swimming scenes? And is that the question at all? ”

Heiko Schomberg is HR Business Partner at the Detecon International GmbH consulting firm based in Bonn - an industry in which a serious appearance is mandatory and one would rather assume conservative views. In an interview Schomberg told me: “It always depends on the specific case. A 'drinking photo' on Facebook weighs less for me than mistakes or abnormalities in business profiles with Linked-in or Xing. But even there it depends on the type of job: I also ignored esoteric interests in the Xing profile when it came to a core IT position without customer contact to the outside. ”

Companies like to be open and tolerant

The Finnish Konsu Accountor Group advises companies wishing to do business in Russia and Ukraine. Konsu also has a more conservative touch; the financial management outsourcing service provider has not yet been active on social media channels such as Twitter or Facebook. The head of the Stuttgart branch, Konstantin Graf zu Dohna, says:

“Our activities in internet networks run through Xing. Basically, for me, every person has to be separated from private and professional life, which means that what someone does in their free time means nothing to me at first. Nevertheless, extremist statements or images, contributions and comments that suggest a doubtful character would already be included in the overall evaluation of the applicants. If someone publishes a party picture, that's completely ok, but whoever loudly announces that all Russians are corrupt will have a problem with us. However, we do not rummage through the internet to find or exclude such things. ”

It may of course be that some companies and HR managers are more open and tolerant than they really are. However, in times of employer rating platforms, Twitter and Facebook, the shot can quickly backfire, because even the statements of their own employees are increasingly difficult for companies to control. That is why, in the end, economically, those who are not only liberal and open - but who really live it, as Tobias Kärcher from Atenta Personalberatung writes: “The employer of the future will learn that his employees have a private life, and that this also takes place online. Many companies have already understood this and they are the ones who scare the "HUCH!" or "AHA!" call, snap the specialists away. ”

If you are good, google back!

Robindro Ullah and the Erfurt study have already indicated: applicants also google the HR managers before applying and interviewing. And they know that too! Tips on how to get helpful information.

• In forums, evaluation platforms or social networks you can find numerous comments and reviews about many companies and their contacts. But be careful: Usually only those who are really angry speak up. And every thing has two sides.
• In social networks, such as Xing, you can search specifically for the company name as an "ex-company". If too many hits appear, especially for young companies, this indicates a high fluctuation and a bad working atmosphere.
• Another option is to write directly to employees and ex-employees. However, this is questionable under data protection law, especially since they are usually obliged to remain silent by means of an employment contract.
• Especially on Twitter and Facebook, photos and personal messages can be used to get a pretty good picture of the personality and interests of a contact person and also benefit from it in an interview: There are applicants who approach their HR manager about their favorite football club . But be careful: not everyone likes that!
• The company's website, its Facebook page or the official Twitter account also offer pointers to the people who work there - albeit hidden behind a lot of marketing stuff.

Trust is good, control is better?

Companies that are business customers of Vodafone are unlikely to belong to the group of cosmopolitan, tolerant companies. Because the telecommunications company advertises on its website that companies can control and monitor their own employees. All that is required is the right mobile phone equipment so that the mobile phone can be located using GPS or mobile radio: “Control your mobile employees or vehicle fleet with the Vodafone Locate location platform in the Vodafone network. Questions like "Where's my vehicle shipment?" or “When does the fitter arrive at the customer?” are now a thing of the past. With the Vodafone Locate location platform, you can see at a glance where your employees or vehicles are or are arriving at the customer appointment. ”

It may sound tempting to some bosses to be able to monitor around the clock where their employees are. Finally, nobody can stroll around during working hours, go shopping or put your feet up. But apart from the fact that the cloud-based infrastructure for this all-round carefree monitoring is questionable under data protection law, because although it practically does not require any investments in your own IT infrastructure, it also runs entirely via Vodafone: such control attempts can affect the company's image that become known to be devastating. In 2009, for example, Deutsche Bahn had to admit that in 2002 and 2003 it checked around 173.000 of its 240.000 employees without their knowledge. Probably from such scandals and the constant discussions about the collection of applicant data, the group drew the consequences in November 2010: In the future, only the data that the job seeker sends along will be used in an application. Deutsche Bahn has voluntarily banned googling for applicants. And if employees are suspected of corruption in the future, company law has a right of veto against in-house snooping.

Control frenzy of companies: sniffing at work

The control anger of many companies is particularly evident in the use of social networks in the workplace. After all, apart from wasting time, employees there could ultimately ruthlessly divulge secrets or commit legal violations, for which the company would then be liable. A quote from the well-known investigative journalist Hans Leyendecker at a TAZ media conference in April 2011 showed that such fears are not entirely unfounded: “It is common practice for journalists to search for people on Facebook who have expressed dissatisfaction with your company Get information about the company. ” Leyendecker, editor at Süddeutschen Newspaper, made it clear that it is by no means utopian for important information to get out through social networks unhindered and quickly picked up by the media there. And of course that can seriously damage a company.

The measures taken against it are often wrong: In many places, firewalls prevent employees from using social media services such as Twitter or Facebook at all. Such regulations can be easily circumvented with Blackberry and Iphone - unless you also carry out bag checks. In addition, employees can throw up their employers after work. Employer rating platforms such as kununu.com/ even invite you to do the anonym. And last but not least, companies naturally cut themselves off from the flow of information on the Internet. So there have to be better solutions.

Social media guidelines: loss of power in installments

So far, communication has worked like this in many companies: for every message that is given outside, the blessing must be obtained from above. Depending on the size of the company, this often means long approval chains in which the report is passed from Pontius to Pilatus. If the news is brand new, such delays are particularly annoying - for the company, but also for the media. And sometimes reports from personal sensitivities are even delayed. In large companies in particular, PR departments often still see themselves in the role of preventing communication rather than communicating. And social media now meets these conditions. The PR departments are pissed because they fear for their benefices. And the bosses are afraid of losing control and thus losing power. And now? In many companies, the solution is to allow social media in small doses. Loss of power in installments, so to speak. For example, numerous companies have created so-called social media guidlines. These are clearly defined rules about what can and can not be set on Twitter and Facebook. This enables employees to act independently, without having to ask questions every time. But how does that work in companies?

At the chemical company Bayer, employees in social media may only speak privately, but not on behalf of the company, as Lothar Oppenhäuser, head of the Electronic Media department in corporate communications, explains: “Every employee knows the guidelines for dealing with Web 2.0 and knows that official use of the Internet and the security of IT systems come first. We trust our employees to handle private internet use responsibly. The fact that no one is authorized to tweet or “facebook” on behalf of Bayer or on behalf of Bayer who is not authorized to do so is just as natural as protecting corporate know-how. Most employees therefore always express their private opinion. Restricting access to social networks does not seem to make sense to us, because only those who are familiar with the social web will be able to tap into further communication potential for Bayer and to share it with others. ”

Respond to criticism in good time

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