Going Corporate for just a moment

While I try to aim this blog at individuals and small and medium sized business, sometimes the corporate person in me comes out and whats to be heard.

In my corporate life we are doing a lot of interviewing. Yes we are hiring as some parts of the economy are doing OK in these overall tough times. But this article is not about my companies good fortune, but more about how people need use technology to prepare themselves to be hired when they want to or need to change jobs

As I was typing that last sentence, I was listening to Rod Stewart's' version of "You've Really Got A Hold On Me", talk about direct inspiration.

You've Really Got A Hold On Me...

Sorry about the musical interlude ... back to getting hired

Each time, I got notified of a new candidate being presented by our recruiters, I would quickly scan the attached resume and then just as quickly jump to LinkedIn and see what information I could view about the person, including the groups they belong to, the number of connections they had and if I knew any of their connections, recommendations, etc.

In addition to LinkedIn, I would also do a Google search to see what else might pop up such as an unprotected Facebook profile (you don't have one of those, do you?).

I am now getting as much information about a candidate from my on-line search as from the person's carefully prepared resume. By the way having the resume does help to confirm what I am finding on-line does indeed belong to the same person.

As my own candidate review process has evolved, I found good article by Meridith Levinson on CIO.COM titled "Personal Branding Really is the Key to Finding a New Job" telling people to make sure the LinkedIn profiles were as reviewed and prepared as their resume.

So let me add my own experience to Meridith's story to convince you to get your on-line world in order and working for you so you can find that next job whether it is in the corporate world or with a small / medium business.