It has been quite a few months since I last wrote anything. I had a few things get in the way including the completion of a paper to wrap-up some academic requirements I have been working on. Over the past month I have noticed another academic ritual, an increased number of inquiries from students looking for jobs. Unlike ten years ago, the way I am being contacted is much different. I remember when we owned retail establishments we would see a constant parade of students with binders full of resume's blanketing the main street and malls with handshakes and smiles. Lately I have had the majority of individuals contact me via LinkedIn or other social media platforms. Where it used to be that my first impression of a potential employment would be a quick meeting and a handshake, now it is their online profile.
Ten years ago, I was preaching the importance or wearing good clothes and having a firm handshake, in a world where networking is more common online than in person, it is now imperative for business and career success to have a solid online profile. This does not mean simply having a Facebook page where you share pictures of the weekends parties you attend, this means establishing one's brand online. With so many options how do you choose what to do? The first thing to remember is that whatever goes online becomes permanent in cyberspace. There is an entire generation that is just now finding out that their reputation is preceding them at cyber speed.
I cannot speak for hiring managers everywhere, however I have a great deal of experience in being approached and hiring individuals for various management and sales roles over my career. I have found one common theme for hiring people and that is they must make a lasting impression on both myself and generally the panel we are using for hiring. This extends past the generally communicated first few seconds. If I am hiring for a management position, I will hopefully have a combination of formal interviews, psychometric testing, informal interviews and now I also do Google, Facebook and LinkedIn searches on people (eventually I feel we will do more motivational testing as well, but we can leave that for another blog). I now suggest that people know what their online profile looks like, if you have time take a look at a Google search of your own name and remember that many people will look at this before they meet you (my own Google Search reveals a great deal about my personal activities). We need to start treating our online profile similar to the way we treat our credit profile. Slowly building credibility and maintaining accuracy where possible.
Many companies and individuals offer programs to assess, monitor and improve your online credibility and if you are in a serious career search I would recommend using these. One place that is worth checkin out is Do I Matter?, a company run by Jim Hamilton a professor at St. Lawrence College and Queen's University.
As you are working on your resume and soliciting for interviews, please make sure that your online profile matches the real life profile you are projecting. A final word - face to face interaction still gets the job in most cases, use your online profile as a means to get in front of the hiring officer, not in the hope of winning the job for you.
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