2010-11-19 If You Like Surprises, Google Yourself

It’s unfortunate that most people in transition don’t understand the importance of their cyberspace profiles, and they therefore underestimate them. The following “From Tweet to Hired” quote puts the issue into perspective: “According to a recent CareerBuilder study, 43% of employers and 83% of executive recruiters admit to searching candidates online before making a hiring decision. Employers often turn down candidates based on negative content, and they solidify their decisions to hire based on positive content.” The October 2010 issue of Inc. magazine says, “Job seekers are especially at risk: Almost 80 percent of recruiters surveyed in a recent Microsoft study checked out applicants online, and 70 percent of them eliminated candidates based on what they found.”

Several companies--such as ReputationDefender, Naymz, and Brand-Yourself--specialize in helping people protect their reputations. For a fee, such a company provides a customer with a report showing every Web reference found for that customer. Knowing that potential employers and recruiters can find all sorts of information about you in virtual space can be helpful, although in some situations, it’s almost impossible to change or correct what’s out there, and in others there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it. In my own case, for example, someone has exactly the same name as mine except that he’s a professional photographer specializing in nearly nude photography.

While LinkedIn is a more business-oriented social media site, Facebook is more inclined to attract younger people, who at their age do not understand how poor judgment in adolescence can irreparably damage their image for years and years to come. Those youngsters consider it cool and popular to post pictures showing themselves socializing with friends--sometimes inappropriately--and illegally drinking alcohol. Some people feel compelled to expose their unique personalities, but the Internet does not allow separation of professional image and business from one’s particular hobby. Such exposure could be very detrimental down the road. Younger people should be cautioned by parents and teachers about the potential damage. Mature people should know better; otherwise, they have to live with the consequences.

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Considerations before Accepting That Coveted New Job

The job market seems much better lately, and more and more offers are being extended to applicants. Some move into the new positions from other jobs, and others from being in transition. In both cases, those job seekers miss out if they don’t take a holistic approach to specific evaluation of the new opportunity.

Often, the excitement associated with receiving the offer of a new job and accepting it, plus the flattery expressed by that job offer, may lead to a too-quick decision. It’s advisable to first do some meticulous due diligence in order to avoid a possibly costly mistake, because numerous questions need clear answers before you become able to make a final decision. Here are a few. How important to you are the content and the level of responsibility in the new job? Does the new job fit your personality? Does your new boss’s management style align with yours? Are there future opportunities for promotion? Will the new job satisfy your work/life balance? Are the commuting time and distance acceptable? Is the amount of business travel expected in the new job acceptable? And finally, is the compensation--in the form of salary and bonuses--acceptable? How about employee benefits such as health insurance and retirement plans? This may not be a complete list, but it’s a good beginning.

People make life decisions based on their logic and their emotions. The outcomes are typically an aggregate of the two. Someone who’s been in transition for a while is more prone to make emotional decisions, and yet accepting a new job should be judged on the job’s merit and on logical reasoning. In such a situation as the acceptance of a job offer, it’s sometimes helpful to discuss the issue with a friend or, better yet, with a professional such as a career coach who deals with such matters frequently. The following might be a rhetorical question, but if you had a serious medical condition, would you seek a consultation with a friend or with a physician?

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