Job prospects undone by girlfriend's blog

After four a half years of intensive studies, civil engineer Jonas Pihlström thought he had found a job for which he was perfectly suited - but his girlfriend's blog may have put paid to his ambitions as the company instead opted for a candidate with fewer qualifications.

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Pihlström and his girlfriend recently moved to a new apartment in Gothenburg.

She was keen to stay in their new home and displayed little enthusiasm when he put in an application for a job with Noss, a company specializing in fibre development systems for the paper industry. The company is located in Norrköping, over three hundred kilometres from Gothenburg.

At first, Pihlström did not think too much about the rejection when it arrived in the post. But then he took a closer look at the enclosed documents.

Inside the envelope he found a print-out from his girlfriend's anonymous blog. He read the relevant excerpt: "This week he is going to find out about the job in Norrköping. Hope he doesn't get it. As I've said before, I don't want to move".

On the printed sheet was a post-it note with the question: "What to do?"

Even now Pihlström does not know how the company found his girlfriend's blog. He also questions the significance of such investigations for a prospective employer.

"It could be friends writing or whatever. This is completely irrelevant information for the employer," he told news agency TT.

He added that most of the print-out focused on his girlfriend's guinea pig.

Despite his girlfriend's preference for Gothenburg, the couple are currently in the process of moving. Since being turned down by Noss, Pihlström has been offered work at a paper mill in Vänersborg, 100 kilometres from Gothenburg.

Noss has conceded that it was a mistake to send Pihlström the print-out. But the company does not think it did anything wrong when searching online for information about the applicant.

Personnel manager Tommy Jersenius would not say whether the blog entry was a deciding factor.

"When you hire somebody, there are a number of circumstances you evaluate. Other than that I have no further comment," Jersenius told The Local.