Daily Tickr: Klout Wants Employers to Consider Your Score Before They Hire You
Let me first start by saying that I agree with the TechCrunch article. This is the dumbest thing that I have ever heard of. Some of you are probably wondering what the heck is Klout anyway?
Klout is a service that ranks people based on their internet interactions and engagement on social networks like Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.
This whole thing came about when Klout CEO Joe Ferndandez, sent a tweet last week with a link to a job from Salesforce.com that required a Klout score above 35.
The reason that I feel strongly against this is that we are moving away from actually getting to know individuals. What Klout CEO is proposing is absolutely absurd. They would like a company to make a decision on you based on how influential you are in your social network.
Social networking isn’t real networking. Some of the smartest and most talented individuals aren’t spending their time sending tweets, and living vicariously through their friends Facebook news feeds. They are out there getting stuff done. Unless you’re occupation revolves around social media, you’re Klout score is meaningless.
We are networking with our screens and not getting to know people like we used to do. I could be totally off base, but I refuse to believe that getting a job or jumpstarting your career has really come to this.
If you have any thoughts on the matter, please feel free to share in the comments section below.
Via TechCrunch
The Daily Tickr is a collection of some of the more interesting stories that are being discussed on the internet. I provide brief commentary, and link out to the original article.
October 2, 2012 at 10:36 AM
@jobtrakr I’m pretty familiar with Klout and there are some advantages to being able to get metrics on who you influence and around what topics. As conversations continue to grow on the internet; being able to analyze who are thought leaders and people driving conversation around their area of experience can be a helpful tool. The article is right in stating that the an algorithm shouldn’t be the only factor in making a hiring decision, but this position was for a community leader which typically is someone who can drive conversation by curating great content, listening, and engaging (things @jobtrakr does very well). It seems like the Klout score was relevant in this case.
I guess it’s only right that I disclose my Klout score as well: 55