Chagrin
Okay, in several different ways over the past few weeks it has been brought to my attention that those folks to whom I apply for jobs will be googling me to see just who it is they might hire. This is troublesome to me for many reasons. My first response was a cheeky post right where this one now sits in which I googled myself and provided these potential employees with an efficient listing of the results complete with capsule summaries of my own design. Gardner informed me that it sounded defensive. Having gone back and read it again, I tend to agree with him. But I'm at a loss. I'm not interested in deleting my blog and yet I could see where many of the posts might sound unprofessional. But should that be a problem? It's a personal blog, which is, by definition, unprofessional. There are pictures of me in party situations on my Myspace page, which are, of course, also unprofessional. I would be more than happy to replace them with pictures of me at church, but I feel that would be rather dishonest. Another option is to take them away and replace them with nothing. And that's likely what I'll end up doing. Because while I know I won't chug beers in the workplace, I guess there's no way for people who've never met me to know that.
What is the future of all of this? If a future employer had thumbed through my yearbook and read all the dirty things the girls at my high school wrote, or thumbed through the yearbooks of others and read all the salacious things I wrote for them, the result would have been the same. They would have seen an unprofessional side of me that they would not want clients to see. The thing is, future employers would not thumb through a yearbook. They would not call my friends to see if I drink at parties. They would not read my journal to find out what I really thought about the movie I saw yesterday. They would, if these were the only methods of finding out "who I am," hire me based on my professional qualifications and let the chips fall where they may. The difference is, of course, that the information to be found on the internet is, presumably, information that I have taken out of the forum of the diary and yearbook and placed in the public sphere. So do I "deserve it" then? Have I absolutely jeopardized any chance I have of being hired because there's a picture of me with a High Life on Myspace? Is this fair? I believe that eventually web presences will not be such a big deal. Maybe it's a generational thing. Once people who grew up with chat windows and reality television are in charge, the blurred line between private and public won't matter as much. Maybe.
The bottom line is that there's nothing I can do about it. I'm going to try to go through and fix things so that I don't get passed over because of something offensive on Myspace. This post may make potential employers believe that I am defensive and difficult, but aren't those good traits for lawyers? What this post doesn't tell you is my huge sense of job loyalty and my desire to learn from people who know more than me. But that's the problem with these web presences, isn't it? It only tells you some of the story. Which is also true for resumes. Everything is tailored to present a certain image, and not a bit of it is the true, real thing. What can you learn about someone from a one-page synopsis of the most formative years of her life? What can you learn about someone from the rambly rantings on her blog? What does that picture of me with the High Life really say? I would argue that it says nothing. And then I would get the rejection letter.
posted by Amy @ 11:48 AM
5 Comments:
You're a good writer (is that not enough of a compliment for someone who's been through law school--to the extent that it might sound condescending?). I enjoyed this last post...I'm a "googler", which explains how I found your blog (I was trying to solve one of those Internet web-based Flash puzzles, and in the course of stumbling for the answer, I found this). I stayed to read because your profile page listed Ultimate as your first interest. And, if I may be so bold, you being attractive (how much of the picture do blog and MySpace photos really paint?) and smart (again, the law school thing) held my attention.
I struggle with a similar problem, though I am reasonably comfortable that the more unprofessional aspects of my online presence are anonymous enough to elude future clients--or anyone else interested in my sordid past. I am not, however, a lawyer, so I don't pretend to know the depth of your quandry as it is relevant to your job hunt (I sincerely wish you good luck, BTW). Still...I find that the central question ought to be something like, (is this too presumptuous?), "How much of one's identity must one associate--or obliterate--as a result of wanting to portray something which one is, at most, part-time?" Of course, all those years of dedication and schooling probably answer that for you, since why go through all the trouble if it is not going to be a significant part of your identity? But...If you're like the Ultimate players I know, tearing off your clothes and streaking across the field naked, laying-out before a watchful crowd during half at Nationals would not necessarily be out of the question. Plus, you do have a previous post titled: "My Alcoholism is Official". ;) So, how much of you is "The Law" (think Sly Stallone in Judge Dredd, an awful movie, but worth the one liner by Rob Schneider--with a funny coincidence to your domain expertise), how much is Ultimate and Miller Time, and how much is the intangible "[rest] of the story", the "true, real thing"?
Well, I suppose my question about coyness wasn't deserving of an answer...But I look forward to seeing how you resolve this matter of image.
Well, maybe it's different for lawyers, but I think the whole "your potential employers will google you so beware!" is a little overhyped. I think people like to be afraid of things, and people having access to your personal information via the interweb is scaaaary. And I think it also begs the question- do you want to work for the type of people who wouldn't hire you because of something on your MySpace page? I mean, assuming that you don't have naked orgy pictures of yourself on your MySpace page, of course.
I'm not dumb- I know that you would like to have a job and that maybe that job will end up being more important than your freedom to post incriminating information about yourself on your blog. That being said, I would be more impressed by your writing ability than by the fact that you Sometimes Consume Alcohol if I were to Google you. I'm not hiring, but I'm just saying . . .
I think your friend Gardner is wrong (and so are you). I did not find your previous post defensive; I found it humorous and rather good-natured. Again- not a lawyer. Maybe it really is that bad for you guys.
I have become more comfortable with a middle ground. I have made my MySpace profile private -- findable by name with my picture, but only friends can look through. My Facebook profile is restricted to the UGA network. I write in my public Athens World blog in a way that's careful about being ranty and very conscious of its public nature, and I have a private blog for friends and family.
I'm more worried about clients and certain strangers learning about my personal life than employers. I have found out I want distance from certain people.
There is a generational gap in how to perceive cyberspace, too, I agree.
And some of us can go work for ourselves! Maybe...
I googled you, MD, and there's nothing all that bad. Mostly it's very positive. Daddums
Gardner's right. Lawyers will look at your info and judge accordingly. And some clients will too which is why they do it. Get established and then you can post whatever you want. But until then you have to play.
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