The Question of Private vs. Public Domain

There is an ongoing debate in the world of recruiting and hiring regarding Social Media.

It doesn't matter whether you're a recruiter, candidate, hiring manager, or employee, you probably have a side of the fence on which you dwell. The question that everybody is pondering is whether employers should look at someone's Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn profiles to determine whether they are a match for the company to which they are sending a job application.

I generally try to keep my personal life separate from my professional life. However, that was much easier said than done in the days of landline telephones and fax machines. With the advent of email and smartphones, many employees find themselves replying to work queries while at home after their workday is complete. With social media, anything that you say or do now runs the risk of staying on the internet forever.

Another way of looking at the changing times is through the old saying, "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas." Now, the phrase should be, "What happens in Vegas, lives forever on Facebook."

It seems that too often, individuals will write so many comments that they wouldn't say directly to someone in person. What's the point of broadcasting foul language to 500 people, instead of saying it directly to three people in person? It's a disconnect that is so easy to forget.

With that in mind, here is some advice: check your social media profiles. Make sure that you remove your name from anything that you wouldn't want an employer or professional contact to see. Everybody likes to have some fun on the weekends, but if you've got obscene pictures plastered all over the place, or constant posts littered with foul language, then you might want to start auditing your public profile.

Remember, many on Facebook have 100-500 friends, which means that you're literally broadcasting your message to 500 preapproved people, and then they might choose to share it with more. Keep a lid on the things that you would otherwise want to be private.

Two Deceptively Easy Interview Questions

When I interviewed for previous positions in my career, I always seemed to find myself confronted by two questions that, at face value, are deceptively easy.

The first is the most common introductory question, in which the interviewer simply says, "Tell me about yourself." The trouble here for the candidate is their own internal question of what to discuss. Should you speak about how much you love rock climbing, wine (specifically Malbec, as an example), and beach days? Or should you go into minute details of your most recent programming project?

As an interviewer of many applicants, we look for the most qualified candidate to take on our role. This means we want someone who can comfortably speak about their accomplishments that relate to the role they're applying for. What experience do you have that's relevant to the role? What is your educational background? What do you see yourself contributing to the company, based upon what you know, and also what you hope to learn once hired?

The second question that is deceptively easy? Try answering this one on the spot: "Why do you want to work for our company?"

The most convenient answer to this question for a non-career oriented applicant is simply, "Because I need a job, and you're hiring." Unfortunately, that would likely make you an unattractive candidate for us in many cases. Most employers would agree with this position.

The prepared, career-oriented applicant will do a few things before an interview in order to answer this question properly:

1. Take stock of their career to date. This is relatively easy if you've invested the time to write a well-crafted resume that describes the value you have added to your previous employers and/or projects in school.

2. Research the company. Make sure that you look over every possible link on the company's webpage, instead of only checking the front page of their website. Find things that pique your interest, or raise additional questions for you about the company.

3. Be prepared to combine the two in your answer. You should discuss the items that interest you about our company, and how you can add value in those areas. You might also discuss areas that the company specializes in that you would like to leverage toward adding to your professional repertoire.

4. It's never a bad thing to ask questions! This shows that you're thinking critically about what our company does, and how you might provide even further benefit to us as our employee!

As always, good luck with your career!