MetaChat - What's the etiquette

MetaChat is an informal place for MeFites to touch base and post, discuss and chatter about topics that may not belong on MetaFilter. Questions? Check the FAQ. Please note: This is important.

28 January 2008

What's the etiquette for giving an informational interview about a past employer? I'm not really thrilled with the company, and I probably wouldn't recommend that anyone go work for them, mainly because the whole culture was dysfunctional. But→[More:] I've been away from them for a while, and the woman who wants to talk to me about them is a friend of a friend, so I don't know her at all.

I'm worried that she'll take a job there, go out drinking with my former boss and tell her everything I said. On the other hand, I don't use that boss as a reference, even though I think she liked me, because the whole company was just weird. Also, I'm changing careers, so it's not that big a deal anyway. And I would really hate to see someone go work for them without at least having a warning.

Any guidance? Is this one of those situations in which one is either positive or vague (as in a job interview), or one of those situations in which one is generally open and honest? I've never been on either side of one of these.

post by: occhiblu at: 10:25 | 9 comments

With past employers, or employees, the safe topic is "would I work for/hire this company/person again," answer that question with a yes or no, and just leave it at that.

Anything more can lead to trouble.

posted by danf 28 January | 10:40

Were they showing a profit? Black ink covers a lot of dysfunctionality and weirdness.

posted by Ardiril 28 January | 11:29

With past employers, or employees, the safe topic is "would I work for/hire this company/person again," answer that question with a yes or no, and just leave it at that.

If someone just said "yes," and refused to elaborate, I would start worrying about the chilling effect of the environment at said employer.

posted by grouse 28 January | 12:07

Well, of course a "yes" answer would beg elaboration, which would be appropriate. But there have been lawsuits around the "no" answer, at least when it comes to employees.

When we interview, and check references, the first and sometimes only question is, "would you hire this person again." If it's no, that is all we need to know, and does not lead to any concerns about defamation or libel.

posted by danf 28 January | 12:19

How formal is this? If it's just a friend of a friend, then tell him/her it's off the record and be honest. That's what I've done in the past and so far it hasn't come back to bite me. And by honest, I don't mean that I said right out that my former boss was a psychotic puppy eating demon bitch straight outta one of the less pleasant circles of hell, although she IS, but instead I said things like, "Well, their comp time and overtime pay structure is interesting and the boss expects a great deal from her employees and, oh, yes, there is a considerable amount of staff turnover and always has been" and I let them figure it out from there.

posted by mygothlaundry 28 January | 12:25

...I said things like, "Well, their comp time and overtime pay structure is interesting and the boss expects a great deal from her employees and, oh, yes, there is a considerable amount of staff turnover and always has been" and I let them figure it out from there.

Yeah, I guess I'm going to have to fire up the pointed euphemism generator.

Though it seems like she may want more information about the industry in general, about which I can probably be more candid (and I think some of the company's problems were due to wider industry problems, anyway). Or, at least, I can kind of frame things some of the dysfunction as difficulties that any player in the field would encounter.

Kinda.

posted by occhiblu 28 January | 12:41

Yeah, I was in a similar situation a few months ago. I met with her and gave my most neutral, diplomatic take on the company (which I still sorta worked for in a roundabout way). Like mygothlaundry, I said a few things that she could read through if she were perceptive, but on the surface I played nice.

posted by bassjump 28 January | 14:49

Well, I went with some sort of middle ground, though I did throw in a "OK, off the record, this may not be a match for you" because the reason she gave for wanting to work for them was the exact reason I left the company.

Ah well. I'll let y'all know if my former employers come hunt me down, or if I suddenly get sued. :-)

posted by occhiblu 28 January | 14:51

Too late to help, but when I needed to take care in talking about a former employer, I always prefaced it with "I didn't fit in with its corporate culture", taking it back upon myself. A little false modesty never hurts the cause.

posted by wendell 28 January | 15:23

← From the Bands That Never Got Their Due Department, || Flo? →

HOME || REGISTER || LOGIN