Comments on: Blogging and Your Career

By: VivaFilipinas!

VivaFilipinas! — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 11:51:00 +0000

Most people are just careless, they think they can compartmentalize their online persona from their professional lives.

By: The Constant Complainer

The Constant Complainer — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 15:57:00 +0000

First time visitor. You have an interesting blog.

This particular post caught my attention. You're right; it can always be found!

I blog as The Constant Complainer for example, but anyone doing due dilligence could find out who I am, where I live, what domains I have registered, etc.

So the point is - just like you said - be careful people.

As an HR Professional, the first place I look is on Facebook, My Space, other social sites and blogging areas. I can easily locate that stuff, because I blog and know where to look. LOL. But the same should be the case in my own situation too. LOL...

By: Mike Miller

Mike Miller — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 19:09:00 +0000

Can Video’s hurt me too?? I have done one and uploaded to http://www.mayomann.com and applied to some jobs online. So far no responds, so I wondered.

Mike

By: Pro

Pro — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 05:08:00 +0000

This is how I made a job:

http://rockwebmedia.com/?p=8145

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 04:35:00 +0000

If you use your name on the web, and you're inclined to writing a blog or comment on others' blogs, etc., you should be aware that some employers will judge you based on the quality of your thought, the quality of your writing, and the quality of your spelling.

This is more important for higher level jobs, so if you're looking for professional work, everything you post should be professional looking and sounding.

Your competition may be out there blogging as well, and (assuming other things being roughly equal) if they do it better than you, they get the interview.

Once we get to know someone, we can overlook foibles. But first impressions matter, so be sure of yourself as you post on the internet.

By: Junior

Junior — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 01:00:00 +0000

So funny that I came across this post through http://www.krupo.ca and was JUST talking about this exact issue with him last week…

I use my blog as an avenue to direct traffic to my company because the two go hand-in-hand – I’m a finance blogger and I train accountants, the line that divides both is thin sometimes. As long as we don’t have an exclusive deal with the Federal Reserve who I bag on constantly I’m ok, right? Well at least for now…

…it came to the point where my personal project was getting enough attention to warrant a disclaimer (that the author’s views are hers and hers alone) – as much as that should be a given, it isn’t always so obvious to readers.

I value the freedom on my personal project and have an understanding with my company that the two may merge every now and then but need to be careful that I don’t criticize our student base (would never dream of doing so) or talk smack about some accounting firm we’ve got a deal with.

Transparency as it pertains to the Internet has a long way to go. And I imagine that in the years ahead we’ll all be forging new ground in that arena.

For now, I agree completely with what you’re saying.

By: HeatherRadish

HeatherRadish — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 05:55:00 +0000

I have a common first name paired with a common last name–there are almost 400 people on Facebook with my whole name (and another two dozen if you include my common middle name, which I don’t). Most of the ones with profile pictures of them drinking half-naked are obviously too young to be me, but some of them don’t have a birth year or city listed, or list my city–anyone who has just done a phone interview would not know they are not me. Many of them also express strong political and religious viewpoints quite opposite of my own. We won’t even mention the assorted women with my name on government sites that list liens and criminal charges–again, there’s no way to know that someone with my name and my city is not me.

If I don’t get an offer because they thought the chick with my name from my city with the pictures of the bong in her profile was me, I’ll never know, so how can I be proactive about it?

By: Holmes

Holmes — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 18:14:00 +0000

Companies can be so small-minded when it comes to these issues. They are more worried about whether you might peruse a website with scantily clad women on it (yes, I know- ostensibly for EEO reasons, but their fervor in pursuing such crimes usually isn’t on par with, say, cutting waste and fostering an innovative environment), or if you do have a drunken picture of yourself somewhere. They are surprised to find that people are flawed? And isn’t someone showing one of their minor flaws better than someone who hides their major one?

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 01:06:00 +0000

I once worked for a small privately owned company whose owner Googled every job applicant. In reviewing resumes I found one that seemed like a great fit for our needs; when I broached the owner about the applicant he dismissively replied that the guy had referred to himself as an “avatar” and he sure as heck didn’t want any avatars in HIS company. So, EHRL is right, if you wouldn’t want to work for a company that disagrees with your bloggings. However, if you want an opportunity to at least get an interview, use a nom de plume or be very careful about what you say!

By: GeekMBA360

GeekMBA360 — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 23:26:00 +0000

I think if someone is interested in using blog as a personal branding tool, he/she should separate personal blog from professional blog. There is way too much professional risk for sharing too much personal information.

My recommendation is to use a pen name to write your blog, which will reduce your risk, and protect you privacy.