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I just wanna ask if it's possible out there for my application to be rejected or skipped if I became to critical before on the company now I applying for a job? Like in application process, do they snoop on applications perception, free speeches and criticism on them out there such as social media? Is that common, right or even ethical?

You might be thinking, why would I want to work on a company I mostly dislike and critical before, it's because mainly I am determined to bring the change myself to those problems I once noticed and criticized before on this company.

And what could I do to prevent being rejected and still exercise my free speech for the company now I want to work for, or now work for? If this is ever asked on application process, is it still possible to defend it based on my true reasons I said above?

PrinceKickster
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    Possible duplicate of Why is it not a good idea to "badmouth" a previous employer? – Walfrat Sep 04 '17 at 09:01
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    @Walfrat - but this is a potential new employer...? –  Sep 04 '17 at 09:03
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    Free speech doesn't protect you from the consequences of your speech as this xkcd famously explains. But based on how you've worded this you want to apply for a job at a company and continue to trash talk them online even after being hired? Does that really not seem contradictory to you? Why could you possibly want to work for a company you despise? – Lilienthal Sep 04 '17 at 09:17
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    @Pete Considering that the argument about not badmouthing a previous employer is that they'll fear you'll badmouth them the problem from the employers side is quite the same. – Walfrat Sep 04 '17 at 09:36
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    @TobiaTesan The point is that if OP's morals are flexible enough for him to work for the company, they should presumably be flexible enough for him to stop trash talking his employer publicly on social media so as to avoid jeopardising that paycheck. That's why I'm utterly confounded by this question. – Lilienthal Sep 04 '17 at 11:18
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    If you call me a jerk I won't try to stop you from doing so (free speech). Doesn't mean I'm gonna like you either. Yes, it's possible for your application to be rejected for that reason. At the very least you'll have to answer why do you wanna work for a company you don't think very much of. – rath Sep 04 '17 at 11:30
  • Thanks for all your answers. I was mainly talking about the tweets actually, those small things of tweets of anger, sometimes outrage & disappointment, criticism through like a company like Microsoft. I was talking about their bugs, and their design choices that nobody liked, as also a UX designer and a Microsoft fan you can't help it... – PrinceKickster Sep 04 '17 at 15:00
  • ...Yes I am flexible enough to work on this company even I don't like most of it's big corporate mess, but also because I want to work with them to fix the problems I myself notice or criticize before, that's my main reason to those that are asking. Also it's also my dream to work on Microsoft.

    Will my previous sentiments vs what I'm determined to do for the company, could really hold back getting accepted on this such big company? Also could still that be defended if that ever asked or noticed on application process? Is there any hope for acceptance?

     – PrinceKickster Sep 04 '17 at 15:07
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    I see too many question on this post. Just the title itself has 2 questions on it. @IanStevenMancera could you please reword it or condense your question into one? – DarkCygnus Sep 04 '17 at 16:06

3 Answers3

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A company you're applying for may well take a cursory look at your social network feeds to find out what kind of a personality you have.

Of course, what they look for and how deep depends on the company and the role that's being recruited for.

If they see you bad-mouthing the company, then obviously they'll lean more toward other candidates.

That being said, it's perfectly ok to be critical of something as long as you do it in a respectful manner, or spin that criticism in a positive way ("Wouldn't it be great if product ABC did XYZ"). A critique that smells like trolling will inevitably be treated as trolling.

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Criticism or general views of your chosen industry may instead prove to your prospective new company that you are keeping yourself up-to-date with industry trends and practices. If you are directly criticising one particular company, they may wonder "Why do you want to work here in the first place? You clearly don't like what we do.". Which I'm sure is a question you have pondered yourself, given the circumstances.

If you have posted on a public blog or social networking site, it's an assumption that your future boss may take a look at it (whether they admit it or not). If your tone is professional, and your content open to feedback, they may not take it too personally. If you are genuinely concerned, you may want to play it safe and either make these posts private or temporarily take them down.

I would first consider what it is about the company that makes you want to work for them in spite of your criticisms, and how your work elsewhere can reflect the positives as well as negatives.

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I just wanna ask if it's possible out there for my application to be rejected or skipped if I became to critical before on the company now I applying for a job?

Yes, it's possible to be rejected for any reason that isn't illegal (at least in most locales).

No hiring manager that I know would hire someone who is known to be publicly critical of the company.

I always do a quick Google search on a candidate while reviewing their resume. If I found that you publicly criticized my company, I'd discard your resume immediately. As a hiring manager, you would be a problem I don't need.

Like in application process, do they snoop on applications perception, free speeches and criticism on them out there such as social media? Is that common, right or even ethical?

A lot of that depends on the locale, the work domain, the specific company, and how public your criticism was.

Some companies would dig in deeply before hiring and look specifically for "protesters". Others would not.

And what could I do to prevent being rejected and still exercise my free speech for the company now I want to work for, or now work for?

It's not clear why you would want to work for a company about which you were so critical that you fear you might be caught.

At least in my part of the world, you are free to express your dislike for any company. But that company is also free to never hire you.

If you are planning to continue to criticize the company once you are hired, that may be rather difficult to accomplish in some parts of the world.

Joe Strazzere
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