Bad-mouthing your employer will hurt you more than your employer.

A recent survey by Harris Interactive, and reported by abcnewsradioonline entitled “Is Your Social Media Hurting Your Chances of Getting Hired?” revealed the following top negative findings about why applicants/candidates were not hired:

– Candidate posted provocative/inappropriate photos/info, 49 percent.
– There was information about candidate drinking or using drugs, 45 percent.
– Candidate had poor communication skills, 35 percent.
– Candidate bad-mouthed previous employer, 33 percent.
– Candidate made discriminatory comments related to race, gender, religion, etc., 28 percent.
– Candidate lied about qualifications, 22 percent.

The one that resonated with me the most was the one about bad-mouthing a previous employer. If an applicant for a job will bad-mouth a previous employer then he or she will probably bad-mouth your company when he/she is either hired or when they leave your company.  The message for applicants is simple:  Even if your current or previous employer deserving bad-mouthing it is best to avoid making negative comments.