The POWERSand DANGERS of Technology

CALS Career Services

Agenda

• Technology in the Blogosphere• Students Beware

– The Don’ts!– The Do’s!

• The Sites• Test Your Judgment• Use the Web to Your Benefit! “If I were to google you, what

would I find?”

Technology in the Blogosphere• 50% of employers now

screen job candidates using some form of technology (Survey at Purdue University in 2006)– 23% searched social-networking sites– 46% used search engines– 14% looked at personal Web sites and

blogs• 17% of users change their

privacy settings to limit who can view their pages.

Technology in the Blogosphere

Employers aren’t the only ones…• Current Supervisor• Customers• Colleagues• CoworkersThroughout a survey at

Purdue University, 95% of students said that they would be comfortable with what an employer would find through a Google search.

Technology in the Blogosphere

In actuality…• Of the employers who do

use the Internet to search candidates:– 53% reported that they were positively

influenced– 45 % indicated both positive and negative

influences– 2% said what they found was solely

negative

Students Beware…

The DON’Ts• Reveal info about family and

friends• Put contact information online • Reveal photos including:

drunken parties, promiscuity, profanity, drug references or threats

• Have spelling or grammatical errors

• List your web address on a resume unless it’s relevant to that career field

• Post in haste, repent in leisure

• Post anything you wouldn’t want your grandmother to read

The DO’s

• Clean up your profiles and treat as a resume– The delete button may not mean it is gone

• Make social accounts private• Consider creating a personal

website specific to your job search (ePortfolio)

• Consider starting a blog related to your career interests

• Write a job search blog with caution

• Complete the Internet Privacy Checklist! See Handout

The Sites

• Twitter• The Facebook• Flickr• LiveJournal• HOT or NOT.com• Instant MessengerCan you name any others?

MySpace

• Began as a tool for small bands to advertise

• Is an online hangout for young adults and teens to post info about themselves and share their passion for music

• In 2005, MySpace was the 4th busiest site on the Internet

• Now claims more than 100 million visitors

The Facebook

• College social networking website

• 8 million members, 12.4 million unique users

• Available to anyone willing to spend time to gain access:Teachers, Administrators, Employers, Police

Facebook•

login • register • help

 

a15ece881smrobert@Login

Flickr

• Photo sharing website

• 20% of Internet users utilize website

• Currently considering launch of a service that would allow users to sell photos to interested parties

LiveJournal

• Social networking site for entering blogs and “private” journalings

• 10 million accounts registered as of April ‘06

• Over 300,000 hosted weblogs updated daily

HOT or NOT.com

• The site has counted over 12 million votes.

• Associated websites include:– Playboy– The Beer Board– The 1 Best Places to

Waste Time on the Web.

and let’s not forget… Instant Messenger Profiles• Screennames

say a lot!– hardlemonade02– mattisamusdime– AbsolutNCState– AsCloseAsICanBe– Back Da Pack– BlondieWolf Cutie– legs42682

• Away Messages

Positive Examples!

WolfPack222007 School Spirit

NCSUDancer2 Sport Spirit

CountryGalSteph Personality

Fitchic225 Positive Hobby

Daryll2456 First Name

What’s wrong with this pic?

The Facebook

Halloween Costume?

The Facebook

What is the image portrayed?

Flickr

Flickr

The happy couple.

Revealing Your Personal Space

Flickr

Positive Examples

Art

Friends & Social Gatherings

Sports & Intramurals

…and quotes.

“high heels hinder my drinking”

“next time you see my face, show me respect”

“I got a dalmation, I can still get high”

-NCSU Profiles of The Facebook

Positive Examples

“If you do not think every day is a good day, just try missing one.”

“Leaders communicate more than anyone. They also listen more.”

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.”

- E-mail signature quotes.

What to do if someone “tags” you:• Follow instructions of

website if provided.• Communicate your concern

to that person.• If someone is constantly

tagging you in embarrassing photos, just remove them as a friend from the “My Friends” page.

• Contact the website developer to have photo removed.

Outside-the-Box Recruiting• What is the flipside to this?• Blogs can be used by

employers to give candidates an inside preview to workplace culture.

• Employers will be searching for key words – use this to your advantage!

Where we are heading…• Both MySpace and The

Facebook plan to extend their reach beyond the computer screen to cell phones– Cingular Wireless, Sprint and

Nextel will allow users to post messages on user’s homepages or search for other user’s phone numbers or e-mail addresses from a cell phone

Wrap Up!• Internet networking sites are

not to be used in place of the traditional tools: resume, cover letter, interview

• If you’re unsure, get a second opinion

• It’s better to have a great profile and not use it, than to have a distasteful profile and be googled!

Any questions?

References

• NCSU http://www.ncsu.edu/smart-computing/web-info.html

• MSNBC.com• The Chronicle: Daily News

Blog• About.com