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Ask HN: Ex-Employer gossiping I “hacked” their platform – what to do?

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Re: Ask HN: Ex-Employer gossiping I “hacked” their platform – what to do?

#71

Post by ghaff »

gdy wrote: post #50
laumars wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Great advice there. As a hiring manager myself I really hate it when candidates slag off their current/former employeer. It's a real put off. However if you can turn a negative experience into a positive then it shows that you're not just bitter and/or a bad team player but rather that you use all experiences to help enhance your capabilities as a productive employee.

"As a hiring manager myself I really hate it when candidates slag off their current/former employeer. It's a real put off. However if you can turn a negative experience into a positive then it shows that you're not just bitter and/or a bad team player but rather that you use all experiences to help enhance your capabilities as a productive employee." What's wrong with being bitter when you are wronged by your manager…

Feel free to be as bitter as you want with your friends over beers.

But a job interview is probably not the time or place.

Furthermore, there are often two sides to a story. It's entirely possible that I'll read your complaints as reflecting more about you than your current/former company.

Re: Ask HN: Ex-Employer gossiping I “hacked” their platform – what to do?

#72

Post by ghaff »

gdy wrote: post #69
jacekm wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Think of it as complaining about your ex-partner, when you are on a first date with someone you've just met. No one says that your previous company (or ex) wasn't bad and that you are to blame. It's just that people are not interested in your past but more in the future they are going to have with you. If you have 1 hour, you better spend it on advertising yourself and your skills instead of bashing others. You can c…

Okay, I didn't have in mind a situation when an applicant volunteers such information without any need for that. In the setting you've described I agree with you.

My assumption was that this was volunteered information. No, I normally wouldn't ask someone why they left/are looking to leave their current position. Not sure I ever have. It's not really relevant and I wouldn't really expect a straight answer in any case (given that I would mostly not give one).

Re: Ask HN: Ex-Employer gossiping I “hacked” their platform – what to do?

#73

Post by gdy »

ghaff wrote: post #72
gdy wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Okay, I didn't have in mind a situation when an applicant volunteers such information without any need for that. In the setting you've described I agree with you.

My assumption was that this was volunteered information. No, I normally wouldn't ask someone why they left/are looking to leave their current position. Not sure I ever have. It's not really relevant and I wouldn't really expect a straight answer in any case (given that I would mostly not give one).

I've never asked that either. I guess we won't be having an argument today :)

Re: Ask HN: Ex-Employer gossiping I “hacked” their platform – what to do?

#74

Post by gdy »

ghaff wrote: post #71
gdy wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"As a hiring manager myself I really hate it when candidates slag off their current/former employeer. It's a real put off. However if you can turn a negative experience into a positive then it shows that you're not just bitter and/or a bad team player but rather that you use all experiences to help enhance your capabilities as a productive employee." What's wrong with being bitter when you are wronged by your manager…

Feel free to be as bitter as you want with your friends over beers. But a job interview is probably not the time or place. Furthermore, there are often two sides to a story. It's entirely possible that I'll read your complaints as reflecting more about you than your current/former company.

Yes, there is always two sides of the story, I just don't understand where presumption of an employee's fault is coming from.

Re: Ask HN: Ex-Employer gossiping I “hacked” their platform – what to do?

#75

Post by tyingq »

unlinked_dll wrote: post #59
tyingq wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Varies by state, but legal in most places. Big companies have automated reference checking. Via truework or theworknumber, or similar. Which can also verify salary...urgh. https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/free-books/employee-...

>Which can also verify salary...urgh. Isn't that illegal in several states, including California?

They can't ask the candidate in California, but they can use a service. San Francisco has a law that they need permission from the candidate first, but it seems fine anywhere else in the state.

Re: Ask HN: Ex-Employer gossiping I “hacked” their platform – what to do?

#76

Post by ghaff »

gdy wrote: post #74
ghaff wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Feel free to be as bitter as you want with your friends over beers. But a job interview is probably not the time or place. Furthermore, there are often two sides to a story. It's entirely possible that I'll read your complaints as reflecting more about you than your current/former company.

Yes, there is always two sides of the story, I just don't understand where presumption of an employee's fault is coming from.

I'm not sure it's a presumption. But if someone, say, volunteered that "no one at my company sufficiently values my contributions," it at least raises the thought that maybe your contributions weren't nearly as valuable as you thought they were.

More generally, raising gripes about teams/managers/work mostly don't use your interview time to raise positive aspects about yourself and your work even if they aren't necessarily negatives.

Re: Ask HN: Ex-Employer gossiping I “hacked” their platform – what to do?

#77

Post by PostPost »

mkhpalm wrote: post #65
_u844 wrote: post #43

Op here, Thanks for all the advice, its honestly be helpfull and eye opening. To clear up a few things. - The comments from the ceo were via text and more "I would of called you if i thought you did something" and "ill talk to them but I dont know what more I can do". TBH I was angry and not exactly cordial in my communication. - From what I understand the "hack" wasn't my credentials but someone logging in near wher…

Why would you know the CEO's credentials? Even if you did I would start pointing that out very loudly. At least until any blamers backed back into their holes.

Yeah... geolocation or IP addresses can be spoofed. But if it was the CEO's credentials, why in the world would you be getting the blame?

Re: Ask HN: Ex-Employer gossiping I “hacked” their platform – what to do?

#78

Post by trhway »

throwaway527694 wrote: post #55

I don't know if this was your intention, but you posted this under your real name. Under the same account you posted an article that gives away your ex-employer. If it is intentional, then why not say the company in the post?

interesting coincidence that their product can be viewed as basically a professional gossip platform :)

Re: Ask HN: Ex-Employer gossiping I “hacked” their platform – what to do?

#79

Post by ChuckNorris89 »

kelnos wrote: post #58
dman wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

#3 can also backfire badly. Personally I would avoid it.

I think the point is that if #3 backfires at a particular company where you're interviewing, then you probably don't really want to be working for/with those people anyway.

Yeah but unless you're some rockstar engineer living in a high demand area with lots of quality job openings you can quickly find yourself running out of quality options with this strategy backfiring a lot since the top employers can also afford to be as selective as you and go for someone else without your "baggage".

Just keep your dirty laundry private would be my advice.

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