Please Feed The Animals

Chances are pretty good that if you’re reading this, you’re also following me on Twitter. Chances are also pretty good that you know about the #PFTA hash tag I created so that Animals could pass along job opportunities to other Animals.

The basic premise is this: We have each other’s backs. Maybe you’re too junior for one role, or maybe it’s located outside of your geographic sweet spot. No matter. Animal spirit dictates that you pass along jobs using #PFTA so that some other kindred spirit can scoop it up.

However, #PFTA is not for other job boards to use every time they want to broadcast their own gigs. It would be like Career Builder putting #monster on their tweets because they were too lazy to build their own brand on Twitter.

Now, here’s where it gets nuanced. It is entirely within Animal code – encouraged even — for job seekers to pass along openings from other sites using #PFTA. It’s an act of kindness for one human to tell another human about a job. But when a “reputable” career resource uses #pfta to broadcast their jobs and only their jobs, it’s called hijacking.

Moreover, if you’re going to create a fake Twitter character and pretend you’re just one us unemployed adfolk looking for a job, it’s downright duplicitous. I hope I’m wrong that this is the case. But, honestly, I’d be shocked if Samantha is who she says.

Bush league.