Generally when we think of marketing ethics, we think of large companies that wrongfully or unfairly push products to vulnerable consumers. With recent increased interest in the pursuit of personal branding, however, it may be time for us to shift our thinking from the relatively narrow and classical idea of big business marketing ethics into a broader arena of the notion, including self advertisement. Since personal branding has become a largely valued part of the aspiring business-person’s promotional outfit, there is an unexpressed, but obvious and enduring lust to differentiate and establish one’s self as a qualified candidate in the job market. In fact, in many cases, the allure of differentiation can be strong enough to lead people to falsely portray themselves on resumes and during interviews in attempts to get a step ahead of their competition. An article by Bloomberg BusinessWeek entitled Your Résumé: Imaginary Friends as Job References, outlines how the issue of falsely claiming references is becoming more common within the job marketplace.
The good news: Most employers (more than 80% according to Business Week) thoroughly screen job candidate’s references before giving out interviews.
The bad news: Some employers don’t. The consequences of failing to screen job candidates for their true work history are obvious. The consequences of a surge in unethical personal branding are not so obvious. While it may warrant stronger screening processes by employers (which can be a good thing) it also requires much more time and effort to carry out those processes. False personal branding also has a negative effect on the remainder of job candidates who are trying to create an honest personal image for themselves. It can lead to unnecessary distrust and wariness by employers or a heightened concern by job seekers that extraneous claims are needed on resumes in order to gain recognition from employers.
TL; DR: Good ethics aren’t only for big business. Employees and those in the process of creating an image and brand for themselves need to be aware that the ways in which they connect with their target market should be honest and forthright, as well.
- Article Link: Your Résumé: Imaginary Friends as Job References