Scared Tactics

"I promise, it won't happen again." These areexactly the words laid-off dotcommers want to hear from you in theinterviewing stage-they're looking for some guarantee thatthey'll never be forced to endure a companywide pink-slip partyagain. But you probably can't realistically commit to thosewords. How much, then, do you have to reveal about your company togun-shy layoff victims? You don't necessarily have to spillevery detail to prospective employees, but, according to experts,you'd best be truthful in all your dealings with them."It's far better to provide realistic information and letthe applicant make an informed decision than to provide inaccurateinformation that unduly raises [his or her] expectations,"says Caren Goldberg, an assistant professor of human resourcemanagement at George Washington University.

In that sense, a laid-off dotcommer isn't much differentfrom other applicants. "If you're afraid your businessplan may scare off a dotcommer, then, in all likelihood, that sameinformation would scare off other applicants as well," saysGoldberg. And you should let job candidates see your businessplan-showing it often will give you incentive to keep itup-to-date.