Now that your digital dirt is cleaned up, an important but
often ignored next step involves DITCHING YOUR DIGITAL DRAMA! Before you begin
your job search, make sure you examine your online presence and clean up your
act by following these simple tips:
- Clean up
your online attitude! It doesn’t fly to present yourself as a positive,
driven person in the interview and then spend hours each evening online
complaining about your current job or whining about how hard it is to find a
job. I just read two entries from two different job seekers that were lamenting
the fact that employers are taking longer to fill open slots–waiting for the
absolute perfect candidate instead of employing “average,” but available,
candidates who could be filling the slot and getting some of the results rather
than letting the job sit empty. The issue? It never dawned on the two job
seekers to improve themselves so that they were the perfect candidates.
Instead, they went online encouraging employers to “settle” for good enough because
they “deserved” a chance. - Avoid
controversial topics. Clean up derogatory remarks about other people,
including questionable jokes, videos, pro-union remarks, and even radical
viewpoints. I once came across a man online who had applied for a job as an
executive in charge of diversity who was saying unfavorable things about
women’s sports online. Needless to say he was not a top candidate. - Turn off
your digital locator. Checking into places on your Facebook, Twitter, or
Foursquare tells way too much about your personal life. - Use your
online presence for good, not evil. Rather than using your time online for
endless hours of mindless games, tweet great quotes, write positive things, and
generate funds for great causes. - Make sure
your digital print matches your resume. If you state that you are heavily
involved in an association, there should be some record of it online. - Get
involved in your profession. Connect with, follow and join discussion groups
that are affiliated with your profession, and actively participate in the
dialogue. It is a great way to show that you value your profession. It also
gives you a great venue to publicly present your positive and unique viewpoints
about issues in your field.
If you are having to hide a great deal of
your digital life from current and future employers, that should be a huge
wake-up call to do a massive makeover of your mindset and view of the world
rather than just a tune-up of your online presence. Join the Reality Based
Leadership revolution today and ditch the drama in all areas of your life. It
might just pay off in the job search.
Follow @FastCoLeaders for all of our leadership news, expert bloggers, and book excerpts.Cy Wakeman
is a dynamic keynote speaker advocating a revolutionary new approach to
leadership. Her groundbreaking ideas are featured in The
Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and www.SHRM.org. Her book, Reality-Based Leadership: Ditch the
Drama, Restore Sanity to the Workplace, & Turn Excuses Into Results
(Jossey-Bass, 2010) is available for order at all major online book retailers.
For more information, visit www.cywakeman.com.