Would you like to save $20,000? Try Googling my name.
People try to put their best foot forward when trying to get a job. They spend hours preparing a resume, they practice interviewing in the mirror, and they always try to give a good handshake. What happens though when the most important place you need to impress an employer is your presence online?
I’ve tried to create a good online presence and build a personal brand. If someone wants search for me I want to make sure that they find what I want them to find. A friend pointed me to a post on slashdot about a guy who has the same name as a pedophile, who happens to live in the same city. He is obviously worried it was affecting his job search. He could have fixed this if he was more on top of his personal PR. (What was really funny was that some people didn’t think HR did background checks using the internet… they do folks!)
I also want to make sure an employer knows that I’m dedicated to my work, and that there is more depth to me than work experience or certificates. Does this give me an advantage? I like to think so, but I’ve have people disagree with me.
Let’s assume that I’m right. When I apply for a job I immediately stand out and get the job. Since this works it catches on, and companies start looking for online profiles for applicants. It becomes a standard, like the paper resume before it.
Not convinced? What if I tell you that having online resumes cuts out the need for recruiters.
Recruiters do the grunt work of interviewing candidates and usually are great at finding the highest quality employees to fill positions. Companies can do this themselves, but it just takes too long and they don’t have the resources. Now lets Google me again. I bet you can find more information about me from Google in 10 minutes than you could giving me an all day interview. The middleman, and $20,000 dollars, is cut out. Do you still think companies won’t look for this type of content?
That’s great but how does this effect the economy other than saving a few million? Well what would be the knock-on effect of companies demanding compelling and professional online profiles? I’m not talking about a 100% complete LinkedIn profile, but a living, breathing record of you day-to-day professional activities.
In the future, even if I’m not looking for a job, I will be recording and sharing my professional career. I will be involved in online discussions about the future of Facebook, I will be sharing that interesting article in the Times about cloud computing, and I will try and be active in that Drupal group. Why? Because its great for networking, its the best way to learn about my profession, and I know I’ll have to be looking for a job one day.
I can easily say that I am 100% more knowledgeable about my industry than I was a year ago because of this. That makes me probably that much more efficient at my job. What if everyone started doing this! The increase in productivity would be incredible.
I know what your thinking, but this isn’t restricted to just the technology industry, it just starts there.
Some would say working more is a bad thing, but they are the people who don’t love their jobs. What do you think?
