Regret - Insight That Comes A Day Too Late.

So I woke up this morning to find out that, after a few days of umm-ing and err-ing about the matter, Tourism Queensland have finally decided to remove Julia Yalovitsyna from the shortlisting for the Dream Job.

Sucks for her.

On the one side, I really do feel sorry for her. Ok, so she's made some errors in her past - granted large ones - but what she did then doesn't affect her position now. Ironically, her time in the adult film business quite possibly improved the media skills she used to make the shortlist! Here she had a chance to break away from that past, and make a living in a respectable job - one that would certainly have helped her in the future!

BUT...

This is a job, and any employee will be representing the company employing them. Tourism Queensland cannot have someone with a past like that - because let's be honest, at LEAST a quarter of the people reading this blog will have already googled her name in the hope of finding proof of her 'previous employment'. What sort of a message would that send out for Queensland? Answer - A bad one.

So sorry Julia - you made your own bed in this one.

However, it does highlight a good point...

No matter what you do with your life, ANYTHING and EVERYTHING can potentially come back to haunt you...so you have to think through any action you choose to make.

Three weeks ago I was just a normal student - Shopping trolley racing, excessive double vodka jaegerbombs, vandalising property after a night out...all standard for university students - could have been attempted. I never did any of them, but was often around those who did. What if I had chosen to join in, and been caught or recorded doing it? Would I now be in the same boat as Julia? Would I have even made the shortlist?

Almost all employers have clauses in their employee contracts allowing them to dismiss employees for poor conduct. They have done for ages - it's nothing new, and it's nothing surprising. If you act like an idiot at any point you represent your employer, then you can expect to get kicked out!

The reason it matters more now than ever is the rise of the social network - take 2 minutes right now to google your name and see what you can find on your profiles.

Go on, I dare you.

'til next time