Hiring the Internet
Internet Marketing news, resources, articles, and buzz.

Sometimes you get fired. Before you get hired.

That’s the subject of a recent article on CNN.com, titled “How social media can hurt your career.”

In it, gory details of how job seekers ruin their chances of gainful employment by prematurely posting unflattering status updates and sending Tweets that have led to rescinded job offers, reprimanding at work and pink slips.

Not all of the examples are tragic, however. Some are quite funny. Depending whose side you’re on.

Like this Tweet, for instance, from a potential Cisco employee who wanted the world to know about a recent job offer:

“Cisco just offered me a job! Now I have to weigh the utility of a fatty paycheck against the daily commute to San Jose and hating the work,” read the Tweet.

Not missing a beat, Tim Levad, a “channel partner advocate” for the company, responded: “Who is the hiring manger, I’m sure they would love to know that you will hate the work. We here at Cisco are versed in the Web.”

Ouch!

And the pain without gain doesn’t stop there.

Paul Wilson, a freelance/corporate Web marketer and blogger, compiled this list of the “Top 10 Tweets to Get You Fired.”

1. “hate my job!! i want to tell my bosses how dumb they are and how meaningless this job is, then quit, and be happy!”

2. “So my job was to test all the food at the new resturant, can I just say, ughew. I’m going to taco bell then twistee treat.”

3. “Workin… This job sucks worse then the economy!”

4. “I’m going to work! Walmart! Must find better job! I hate it when chicks there have a deeper voice than me and refer to me as foo!”

5. “Also I’m really bummed that I’m working today, i asked off so i could study but my boss is a ******* **** ***** ***** who can’t read.”

6. “Coworker smuggled out a chair for me. Currently being paid to SIT around and listen to John Barrowman on my iPod. I don’t hate my job today!”

7. “having sex dreams of people you work with makes for an awkward day.”

8. “smoking weed at work is so [EDITED] great ”

9. “It’s bad when you overhear the n00b programmer say “I used to work at McDonalds with him” and you wonder if he is talking about the CEO…”

10. “Huh, with my boss on twitter, maaaybe I should take down that sexy picture of her… but her reaction will be priceless!”

Notwithstanding poor grammar and misspellings, we have to admit that these sad, probably unemployed saps are sort of hilarious. Their Tweets made us smile, at least.

There’s plenty more horror-humor where that came from, too. Check out the entire article to read about how Facebook got some people fired (like the guy in the pic above who attended a Halloween party instead of the “family emergency” that got him out of work), and three of the top social networking don’ts.

Of course, if you have a story to share with us about how you or someone you know got the ax (or a stern talking to) from “The Man” (or Woman) about your online habits, let us know.

We promise to keep your identity a secret. Until we update our status.