The Importance of a Professional Profile
(By Dan Simmons and Don Hunter)

If you’re under 30, this is a MUST READ article.  If you’re like us—fondly remembering the age of 30— you might wonder what all the hype is about, but you can read along, too.  This could be very important to your kids.

Recently, corporate America has started checking social networks as part of their background checks.  Social networks such as MySpace, Facebook (or LinkedIn for the more mature crowd) are being reviewed during the interview process.  If you have an account with one of these, the next time you post either text or pictures to it, you should ask yourself these questions:

• Would I send this to my boss in an email?
• Would I send this to a prospective employer in an email?

If the answer to these questions is “No,” then perhaps you should re-consider the way in which you handle your social networking.  The reason is simple.  More and more employers are finding out information regarding candidates—not to mention current employees—by searching for them on social networking sites and on the Internet in general.

Pro-active vs. reactive

According to a recent study conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), 11.1% of employers are using MySpace, Facebook, and/or other networking sites in order to discover more information about current and prospective employees.  But wait, there’s more.  Over 60% of those polled also said that the information they uncovered ultimately had some influence on their hiring decisions.

And here’s something important to remember about these numbers: they’re only going to go higher.  Social networks are here to stay, and the number of people using them increases every day.  What can begin as a novelty or a fun way to get to know people can have disastrous consequences if it prevents you from landing the job you’ve always wanted . . . or leads to your dismissal from your current position.

The key is to be pro-active about the situation, as opposed to reactive.  That way, you can reduce the chances that you’ll have to perform damage control down the road, as well as the chances that you could be passed over for a new job, even though you appear to be a perfect fit for it.

‘Googling yourself’

Your first step is to conduct an online inventory of yourself.  In other words, identify everywhere you’re located on the Internet and make sure that those areas won’t harm you in any way.  You can start by doing the following:

• “Google” yourself.  Type your name into the search engine box, hit “enter,” and see what comes back.  If you have a common name, like Joe Smith, then you may have to wade through a bunch of people who aren’t you.  (Which means that a company official would have to do the same thing.)  Use applicable variations, such as Joseph Smith; Joe Smith; Joseph L. Smith, Ph.D.; etc.

• If you have accounts with social networking sites, meticulously review all of the information that you have on those sites.  Use the two questions we posed at the beginning of the article to help you determine if the information is okay or if it should be pulled.  If there’s any question in your mind, take it down immediately.

• Avoid being guilty by association.  Did you attend a party recently where people were taking pictures?  If so, those pictures could be on somebody’s Flickr account right now—and you might not even know it.  The last thing you need is for a company official to see you enjoying yourself a little too much at a party.  Contact anybody you know who might post such pictures to their photo-sharing account.

Personal and professional

There’s good news in all of this.  You ultimately control the information on the Internet about yourself, so you can use company officials’ rising propensity for mining the Internet to your advantage.  In fact, you can almost use it as an extension of your resume.  Okay, we know what you’re thinking: “Hey, these are supposed to be social networking sites.  They’re not supposed to be for work.”

True, but as you well know, the way things are supposed to be and the way things are can often be quite different, and that’s certainly the case in this instance.  Now, we’re not suggesting that these sites become all work and no play.  We’re suggesting that you approach them in a slightly different fashion, with the expectation that they will one day be viewed by a prospective employer (or your current employer).  View this as an opportunity for them to get to know you better, but in a way that will further entice them to want to hire you.  It’s possible to be personal, while remaining professional at the same time.

As the Internet evolves and becomes more and more a part of people’s lives—including their employment lives—be prepared to make that evolution work for you in a positive fashion . . . instead of surprising you in a negative one.

Preparing for Your First Job/Making a Job Change
(By Dan Simmons)

If you invest in a mutual fund, you’ll come across this disclaimer: past performance does not assure future performance.  The same holds true with people.  However, managers definitely want to hire candidates who have a demonstrated track record of success because when it comes to people, past performance is usually an indicator of future success.

When you prepare for an interview, document your successes beforehand and then be ready to discuss them.  Below are some other tips that will help to prepare you for your next career move.

Line up your references.  One simple way to do this is to stay in touch with your professors, colleagues, and prior supervisors throughout your career.  A well-networked professional with good references will always beat out one without them.

Know who you are….  Knowing who you are is a gift that you give yourself.  I recommend that you take a little time and get to understand who you are and what you want.  This does not mean take the next year off and travel Europe finding yourself.  I mean take a weekend and give considerable thought to what you want out of life.  Talk with those most dear to you and those whose opinion you trust and ask for their help in understanding your strengths, weaknesses, abilities, and values.  Put all this together and then find the cultural match for you.

…and what you really want.  About half of recent college graduates leave their first job in less than 12 months.  Why do you think that is?  There are two reasons.  The first is that companies often don’t screen candidates for cultural fit and passion.  The bigger reason is that the grad wants a JOB and doesn’t stop to consider who they are and how they’ll fit into the working world.

This is also true of some people in the later stages of their careers.  This explains why about half of America is always passively looking for a new job.  Find out who you are and where you can fit.  I hope that you find you can happily fit into a few roles.  Then chase them, focusing on the one about which you’re the most passionate.

Be prepared to answer situational questions, not simply “yes” and “no” ones.  Behavioral interviewing is in vogue, and you should be prepared to answer questions such as, “If we wanted you to accomplish X and provided Y and Z, how would you proceed?”  That question isn’t just for jobs in a lab; you might get that same type of question in a sales role or a supervisory role in manufacturing.  Be prepared to draw upon your education and work experience to provide examples of your accomplishments, and be prepared to relate them to future situations.

Determine your goals, not just in the workplace, but in life.  Then ask questions about the job, corporate culture, and career path.  This will allow you to choose a job that fits your goals and values.

Understand that in most jobs, you’re providing value to a customer.  This could be an internal customer or an external customer.  Let me give you an example.  In farming, the customer might be the packing company, while in academia, it’s the student.  In industry research, it’s the sales staff.  In marketing, it’s the sales staff.  In government, it is often industry.  Come to the workforce prepared to provide value to the customer, and come to the interview with that same mindset.

Read books that will help you to be a better professional and a better person.  Read books on self-improvement, your industry, your skill set, and your faith.  Let’s pretend that you had to hire one of two people, and you asked each person to list the last three books they’ve read.  The first one listed three Harlequin romance novels, and the other one listed How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker, and a biography about Ben Franklin.  Which would impress you?

To paraphrase Ben, investing your time and money in yourself is money well spent.