Social Media, Personal Branding, and the Job Search

I have a question for you.  How can social media be "social" if users fear reprisal for their contributions?  Shouldn't you be free to be yourself? 

Something to consider...

According to a 2014 CareerBuilder survey, nearly half of employers surveyed check out candidates online prior to making offers.  Below are some examples that ended in candidates' elimination from consideration:

• Job candidate posted provocative or inappropriate photographs or information 

• Job candidate posted information about them drinking or using drugs 

• Job candidates bad-mouthed their previous company or fellow employee 

• Job candidate had poor communication skills 

• Job candidate had discriminatory comments related to race, gender, religion...

• Job candidate lied about qualifications

• Job candidate shared confidential information from previous employers 

• Job candidate was linked to criminal behavior 

• Job candidate’s screen name was unprofessional 

• Job candidate lied about an absence 

There is still work to be done regarding the legality and ethics of utilizing social media information in hiring decisions.  The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) posted two perspectives on their website in late 2014 in an article entitled, Should Employers Use Social Media to Screen Job Applicants?

The "yes" respondent advised:

Employers can minimize the legal risks and maximize the business benefits of social media if the screening is part of the reference or background check that is made before extending an offer or after extending a conditional offer.

The "no" respondent advised:  

As HR professionals, we are called on to use ethical and legal best practices and to not take the easy way out by simply searching social networking sites. So, if you wouldn’t peek into the applicant’s window at home, why look into his or her postings on social media?

Social media users vary in their opinions and personal practices. Some are very social, warm, genuine and share widely.  Others keep in the background and remain guarded of their personal life.  Neither is wrong.  However, the fact remains that your social media contributions may be acceptable to some and considered offensive or over-sharing by others. 

So, yes, be yourself!  But, be aware how your contributions may be viewed by outsiders, particularly if you are seeking employment. Make sure you review the elimination criteria from CareerBuilder above, and make the best judgment for yourself going forward.  

Introverts and Careers

I am an introvert.  However, if you didn't know me well, you really wouldn't know this.  I like being around people.  I contribute to conversations.  I am social, lively, and even sometimes loud.  The only difference between me and extroverts is that 1) I recharge my batteries by disconnecting and 2) I have a preference toward being prepared rather than being asked for information off the cuff.

As I was scanning Twitter this evening, I noticed a tweet that said, "The Day I Stopped Being an Introvert Is the Day My Career Really Started."  That statement really took me aback.  If I were a college student with introverted tendencies, I might think that I needed to change my wiring to succeed.  I was a bit relieved when I went to the linked blog article, "The Day I Stepped Out of My Comfort zone Is the Day My Career Really Started."  That was much better. 

I looked through the article to see if the term "introvert" was utilized again.  It was not.  For that matter, the bottom of the article contained the following message:  "The original title of this article was “The Day I Stopped Being an Introvert Is the Day My Career Really Started.” Unfortunately, we missed the mark here. The headline has since been changed."  Many thanks to the editor for catching this common misconception.

If you are an introvert, do not listen to those who mistake introversion for shyness or incapability.  Instead, realize that your style is to err on the side of preparedness and take a break from the chatter when required.

Some good resources:

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking

The Power of the Introvert in Your Office

Introverts:  The Best Leaders for Proactive Employees

Meaningful Careers

I stumbled across this article this morning and enjoyed it so much it had to be shared.

How to Build a Meaningful Career by Amy Gallo in HBR

The author includes some Principles to Remember:

Do:

• Make a prioritized list of what a meaningful career would look like to you
• Invite four or five people to serve as a board of advisors as you explore what you want
• Experiment with different elements of a job that you’d want either in your current job, outside work, or by talking with people

 Don’t:

• Focus on your next role — think about what you want from work over the long term
• Let the stage of your career hold you back — even those deep into their careers can make changes
• Neglect your finances so that when you want to make a change, you don’t feel able to

Take some time to digest what she says.  It is worth a read.

The Need for Standardized & Comparative University Recruiting Data

The National Association of Colleges & Employers surveyed organizations about their spring 2015 hiring plans.  Respondents reported plans to hire an aggregate of 9.6 percent more students this year as compared to the previous year.  

The NACE (and even SHRM) data is predictive in nature.  It is what employers expect in the short term. The university data opens the door on the actual recruiting that is in progress or completed.  The student employment reporting provides the overall outcome.  (Diagram)

We can report numbers many ways.  But, they must be meaningful to users. The challenge is for universities to present their data in such a way that it can be easily bench marked to comparable universities.  The NACE survey data should be matched against employment outcomes, not recruiting data - although it could be informative in setting expectations and business development plans.  

At this point, no standard exists for bench marking data across universities. In fact, an opportunity exists in the reporting space for technology vendors who can facilitate data collection, analysis and reporting for recruiting and employment outcomes. Given the emphasis on "big data" in organizations across the U.S., this simply makes good business sense. 

Given the increased importance of return on investment (ROI) via the administration's scorecard, the reporting of data is becoming increasingly vital.  In April 2015, Sam Ratcliffe (Virginia Military Institute and NACE Board of Directors) penned an article for the NACE Journal entitled Building Relevancy and Influence: A Game Changer for Career Services. Although the content is for NACE members, his principle assertions are that university career offices need to be transparent and tell the university's story to outside parties.

Building relevance and influencing decisions requires powerful communication strategies that enable stakeholders to understand what we are doing, why we do it, the differences it makes for those we serve, and how it advances institutional needs and priorities.

Mr. Ratcliffe further makes the argument for granular data and year-to-year comparisons to tell the story of the educational institution.  I am under the impression that universities need a common language (data set) and time frame in which we can make comparisons across universities. 

Universities are making strides in standardizing their employment data through NACE and MBACSEA organizations.  Now, we need to look deeper into recruiting information. 

• How many organizations recruit at a university and what type of talent (degrees, majors, skills...) are they seeking for their organization?  Did this change over time?
• Where are the organizations located?  What is our footprint?
• How does this compare to other universities?  
• Are there trends that we can identify over time?  

Universities need tools to compare the quality of their student preparation to other universities in the wider marketplace.  After all, universities provide a product. "Buyers" need the tools (standardized data that tells a story) to compare a given product against others.  We have work to do in the metrics space.  As the cost of higher education rises, we will need to to speak to our value and justify our existence. 

Please leave me a comment below if you have any additional thoughts, suggestions, or even objections. My email can be found on the main page. 

Warning: The Best Laid Career Plans Can Experience Detours!

Too many young folks feel pressure to choose what they will be doing for the rest of their lives.  Can you imagine the gravity of such a choice in your early twenties?  

Lighten up!  The fact is, life rarely comes at you this way.

Anne Fisher uses the following quote from Nathan Gebhard (Co-founder, Creative Director at Roadtrip Nation Education) in the Fortune article, A few thoughts on how to choose a career.

...An absurdly small minority knew early on what they wanted to do and just went and did it. Careers don’t work that way anymore, if they ever did. Instead, it’s about making lots of small decisions that build momentum over time, and readjusting if something doesn’t feel right.”

Your career is like the beginning of a long trip.  You may have planned, packed and made certain arrangements.  But, when you arrive at your destination, you learn.  It may not be what you imagined.  Or, perhaps you see something else that interests you that wasn't on your itinerary.  It's possible you could run into detours on your journey.  

So, if nothing else, mind your transferable skills.  Know as much as possible about yourself. Learn how to communicate your value to others.  More importantly, utilize your talent and experience to give of yourself.  You will build amazing bridges that way.  

LinkedIn and Your Career

I was talking to one of my colleagues today about the need to be on LinkedIn.  I compared it to "googling" a retail establishment prior to making a visit decision.  If an organization does not have a website, it is almost as if they don't exist.  To LinkedIn's credit, it seems as if this has become true for people too.
  
Susan Adams writes for Forbes:

Now that LinkedIn is 12 years old and has more than 300 million members, most professionals have figured out how to set up a profile and build connections. But with ever-increasing numbers of hiring managers and recruiters using the site to hunt for job candidates and potential employers routinely checking LinkedIn before they make hiring decisions…

She goes on to describe Seven Ways to Make LinkedIn Help You Find a Job.  

Interesting facts about STEM careers...

Science...Technology...Engineering...Mathematics... These are known as STEM careers.  

What are the career prospects for those who decide to pursue a STEM career?

Kate Gibson at CBS Moneywatch published an article entitled, "7 Things to Know About STEM Careers."

The more than 8.3 million STEM jobs counted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in May 2014 represented 6.2 percent of total U.S. employment, roughly the same as those working as lesser-paid retail salespeople or cashiers. Those two occupations combined made up nearly 6 percent of all U.S. employment, at 4.6 million and 3.4 million, respectively.

If you are interested in pursuing a STEM career, take a look at her article linked above.