Appendix A Competent Interviewing^517THINK
ABOUT
THIS❶ Take a moment to
Google yourself. Search
not only for your name but
also your e-mail address.
What comes up?
❷ Do you have a
Facebook page or Twitter
feed? Think objectively
about the impression that
your posts to these sites
convey. Would you hire
you?
❸ Have you been known
to comment on news
items or blogs in ways that
might reveal your personal
opinions? Do you consider
the material you post on
such sites private? Do
you think it’s ethical for
employers to be looking at
your postings?
❹ How can you create
a better online image for
yourself?Pre-Presenting Yourself: Your Online Persona
Savvy job applicants will always prepare for a job interview by doing a little
armchair research—a quick Internet search can reveal lots of insights about
potential employers, from benefits to corporate culture. But often young and
inexperienced job hunters fail to realize that those little searches can go both
ways. As easily as you can Google a company name, a potential employer
can also do a search on your name or e-mail address. You might put forth a
fantastic résumé and buy the most professional suit for your first interview,
but what you’ve got posted on online chats, blogs, Web pages, MySpace,
or Facebook pages might very well be the most important factor in shaping
the first impression you make on a potential employer. Research suggests
that more than three-quarters of employers Google candidates’ names when
seeking to fill positions (Levit, 2010).
Consider Brad Karsh, president of a small company in Chicago who was
looking to hire a summer intern. When he came across a promising candidate,
he did a quick online background check, taking a peek at his Facebook page.
There, the candidate described his interests as including marijuana use, shoot-
ing people, and obsessive sex. That the student was clearly exaggerating didn’t
matter. His lack of judgment regarding what to say about himself publicly,
Karsh says, took him out of the running for the position (Finder, 2006). Taking a
few minutes to find out what’s out there on you can yield results. One student
reported that upon Googling himself, he found an essay he’d posted on a stu-
dent Web site a few years prior. The essay was called “Lying Your Way to the
Top.” Only after he had it removed did he begin getting calls (Finder, 2006).
In addition to cleaning up whatever youthful indiscretions the Internet
reveals, savvy candidates will do well to take advantage of the opportuni-
ties the Web presents for cultivating an impression that is professional and
impressive. Career development expert Chris Perry notes that having no
presence at all on the Internet can lead to the impression that you haven’t
done anything noteworthy. He suggests creating professional profiles on
professional Web sites, like LinkedIn and CareerRocket (the latter of which he
founded), and posting content there, as well as posting relevant comments to
highly read blogs with links back to your own professional sites. As you de-
velop your online presence more thoroughly, it can be helpful to make use of
search engine optimization tools that will improve your Google ranking (Levit,
2010). By eliminating content you don’t want employers to see, and creating
content that you do want to be seen, you can cultivate an online presence
that’s as impressive as your résumé.WIREDFORCOMMUNICATION
letter and résumé. In this section, we show you how to prepare these materials so
that they communicate the right message about you (Ding & Ding, 2013).
But first, a cautionary note: before you send off these written materials,
make sure you have cleaned up any searchable information that does not portray
you in a favorable light (Brandenburg, 2008; Holson, 2010). If you use social18_OHA_45766_App_A_498_529.indd 51718_OHA_45766_App_A_498_529.indd 517 13/10/14 5:38 PM13/10/14 5:38 PM