Chiming in on the "it's a small world and your reputation follows you" topic.

I'm not going to specifically mention names, but I'm currently in "mid-level" positions at a company, and I've heard (from multiple sources) the following phrases over the last few years, regarding a former co-worker from 10 years ago:<br><br>- "Is that guy still alive?"<br>- "Really hope he doesn't think about joining us, because he would be turned down instantly"<br>- "He was a terrible person, I hope he's doing better now"<br><br>This former co-worker was a contractor at the time, and completely useless for the projects he was on. Before long, he was moved to other projects, "managed" by a more senior engineer. He was then let go, and for the next few years, it was a running joke in our department, "I can't wait to see this guys' linkedin page in a couple years", which lead to the realization that it was impossible to track, since you can't see someone's linkedin page unless you're connected to it. <br><br>Fast forward about 5-7 years, and it's mentioned in a meeting, "remember that contractor we had way back... well, he's at XYZ company", which we learned was a competing division within a larger organization that one of our former co-workers now works for. <br><br>About 2 years ago, I saw a listing for a senior engineer role that I would have been somewhat qualified for, but didn't really think about it. <br><br>Then we hired a new senior engineer at our current organization, who mentioned in a discussion that they used to work at XYZ company. Their comment was something to the effect of, "I'd never work there again. As you guys know, I worked for XYZ company for a few years, and that guy is a Senior Manager there, maybe even Director level. I don't think he has any idea what he's doing." <br><br>So yeah... I'm pretty sure it's a small world, and word of mouth moves fast.