Main image of article 'Knozen' App Lets You Post Co-Worker Ratings
Do you have a clear idea of how your co-workers view you? If you don't, you might soon, if they take up Knozen, an iOS app--an Android version is in the works--that lets users rate their colleagues anonymously by displaying images of two people and asking yes-or-no questions such as "Which person is friendlier?" or "Who is more likely to leave work early for a date?" Click here to see iOS jobs. Sounds dicey. But the company says at least seven people from an organization must sign up (to protect anonymity) and all of the content will be positive ("Which person is friendlier?" as opposed to "Which person's the bigger creep?"). Users can view their own ratings, of course, plus the ratings of co-workers and even those of people at other companies. Knozen's team sees the app as becoming a "personality API" that companies could use to weigh candidates during the hiring process. Which begs the question: Is this another landmine in the social media landscape for job seekers? Probably, in the estimation of attorney Brad Shear. He told ABC News that, "Any information you put up there, they can use almost however they want. Just like with most digital platforms, be careful what you post." In that respect, the challenge is that you're not the one posting information about yourself. Psychologist John Weaver said that while he can see the app being "kind of a fun thing," problems could also arise, particularly "if you've got someone who is very emotionally sensitive or a target of some kind of bullying," he said. "Those kinds of interactions, I can imagine, could be used in a negative way to target that person and make that person uncomfortable."

Related Articles

Image: Knozen