Online presence effecting your job search?
Earlier this week I talked about how the job market is something that changes. One of the things that's changing is the increasing importance of online communication for hiring and maintaining employment.
Wall Street Journal Article: No More Résumés, Say Some Firms
While the specific firm they're referring to has more valid interest in web presence than most, new employers are more and more likely to google you before they consider hiring. The interenet also creates new job opportunities; the Code Foo approach was particularly interesting...train gamers to build better games.
While in the past I think I've linked a few articles about being careful what you post on facebook (since people have lost their jobs over FB posts), there is a positive side to this attention. You can use websites like LinkedIn, Twitter, even LiveJournal, to show that you have more to you than will fit on an 8 1/2" by 11" sheet of paper. This can work on a client as well as a full time employer level. For instance if you wanted to earn more money giving piano lessons, it might not hurt to write a regular blog on the subject, dabbling with music theory and/or finger exercises. If you wanted to get hired as a teacher, you might make sure your web presence displays a desire to connect with parents and students or shows more than passing interest in your subject matter.
Personally, I keep all my fandom activity under pseudonyms, because I don't want my interest in Star Wars or Harry Potter to overshadow my original work. (Though I must say, my fanfic is pretty solid, and I'm well out of the geek closet.)
If you send e-mails to contact a potential employer or do anything professional, make sure you monitor what's in your signature. You may be a die-hard fan of slash or Jersey Shore or a particular political candidate, but that's not necessarily the first thing you want a potential employer to know about you.
Wall Street Journal Article: No More Résumés, Say Some Firms
While the specific firm they're referring to has more valid interest in web presence than most, new employers are more and more likely to google you before they consider hiring. The interenet also creates new job opportunities; the Code Foo approach was particularly interesting...train gamers to build better games.
While in the past I think I've linked a few articles about being careful what you post on facebook (since people have lost their jobs over FB posts), there is a positive side to this attention. You can use websites like LinkedIn, Twitter, even LiveJournal, to show that you have more to you than will fit on an 8 1/2" by 11" sheet of paper. This can work on a client as well as a full time employer level. For instance if you wanted to earn more money giving piano lessons, it might not hurt to write a regular blog on the subject, dabbling with music theory and/or finger exercises. If you wanted to get hired as a teacher, you might make sure your web presence displays a desire to connect with parents and students or shows more than passing interest in your subject matter.
Personally, I keep all my fandom activity under pseudonyms, because I don't want my interest in Star Wars or Harry Potter to overshadow my original work. (Though I must say, my fanfic is pretty solid, and I'm well out of the geek closet.)
If you send e-mails to contact a potential employer or do anything professional, make sure you monitor what's in your signature. You may be a die-hard fan of slash or Jersey Shore or a particular political candidate, but that's not necessarily the first thing you want a potential employer to know about you.
No comments have been added yet.
