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I Think there is Something Wrong with my Generation! Hints when Looking for a Job

A co-worker of mine is looking for an assistant, so he put up a few ads on the main online sites.  What he got back was astounding, it made me actually cringe and laugh all at the same time.  Please hear me out, your name will be “googled” and “facebooked”  whenever your resume is picked up by someone under the age of 35 or if the company has a professional human resource department.

I am sure there are a lot of more qualified people than I that can add to this list but here are a just a simple few hints:

  1. Your E-Mail should be a derivative of your first time and last name.  [email protected] is just not going to get you a call back.  There are even arguments that your domain has to be up to date.  I actually get made fun of often because my personal email address is @aol.com.
  2. Facebook has plenty of privacy settings and options – know them, understand them and apply them correctly.
  3. Your public profile facebook picture should not be you in a bikini (I will say this though the girl the co-worker did show me looked great).  Along those lines, your facebook picture should not be you doing any drugs, sex acts or that weird kissy pouty face thing.
  4. Never update your status to say you aren’t pumped about your interview – this is an actual, edited picture of a facebook friend’s status tonight.

facebook status job update

I am not a career expert, but I think the above tips are just the starting point.  Any other tips?

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13 COMMENTS

  1. LOL – this is funny and sad at the same time. The VERY first thing I ever do is google every single applicant and then surf the social networks – facebook, myspace, twitter being the main ones.

    Your point regarding the e-mail address is spot on. I’m definitely not one of those under 35 – but – I’m a very savvy tech user. This is most definitely some great information for our generation of those who don’t know.

  2. BTW – I’m actually old enough to be YOUR father! LOL. When I was saying “our generation” I was talking about the over 35 crowd. We’re in even more need of knowing this type of information than the under 35 generation. The under 35 generation is just plain stupid when it comes to this social networking stuff and putting their entire lives out for all to see, excluding you of course.

    • Don’t mean to discriminate in age, but I think it is a fair statement lol. Anyone running their own blog knows whats up when it comes to this stuff though.

      Funny side story, when The Wife and I told our parents about The Wife being pregnant, we said, “PLEASE DO NOT PUT IT ON FACE BOOK!” Well both moms seem to have completely ignored it and the suprise was ruined for a lot of people.

      I think the problem is that people don’t realize how quick information can spread on the internet.

  3. Great points and it is very strange that many younger people especially don’t even realize that most prospective employers will Google their name.

  4. Great point, it’s amazing what people will post on the internet anymore. I’m trying to do the opposite and use all the social sites to help promote my career, so if someone googles me or looks me up on a social site all they’ll find is blog related stuff. My hope is that if I casually mention my hobby is blogging about personal finance that the interviewer will be curious enough to go check it out. Better than saying my hobby is golfing 🙂

    • Great point, it’s amazing what people will post on the internet anymore.

      I have to ask where you are from. My In-laws and The Wife use the ‘anymore’ in the same context, and I had never heard it until I met them lol.

      The blogging hobby comment is interesting. Has it happened to you yet? What was the response?

  5. I’m from north central WV, and contrary to popular belief you have to go to the southern part of the state to hear a Southern accent. Not sure where I picked up that term though, I’ve traveled all over the country.

    I just started the blog in November so I haven’t had a chance to bring it up yet. If you’re interested I’ll let you know what happens when the time comes.

    Great site, I’ll have to spend some time reading your articles.

    • If you have a red blooded, scotch drinking interviewer with golf clubs behind the leather chair, I am not sure that you write an online diary to capture your journey and help others is going to work out better than you “I shot par last time I hit the links.”

      I guess it all depends on the situation.

      P.S. I suck something horrible at golf

      • I don’t post about my personal finances, and very rarely about personal finances in general. I was working as an engineer doing project management and went back to school to get an MBA so I could move up the ranks and do bigger projects and ended up getting hired to do 100% engineering work. Things are starting to dry up in my line of work so the blog is a way to market my other skills I never get to use. No big deal if it doesn’t help me get a job, at least it keeps me off the streets 🙂

        • off the streets? Lots of roving engineer/mba gangs out there, mom would be proud!

          Just kidding, Your blog is great I just subscribed.

  6. Just so long as nobody finds out right? Yeah that FB update is kinda stupid. But I think it’s rational. The person actually might hope to get caught, and doesn’t really want the job.

  7. I tend to Google almost every person I meet in the business world, especially before a meeting, just so I have a leg up and have a better understanding of who they are and possibly their background. I had the opportunity to see a girl completely trashed on her facebook picture as she talked to me on the phone discussing how her company’s software program worked, needless to say I was a harder sell. This is by far one of the quickest ways to kill credibility.

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