Blog Post: They can find you online. Use that to your advantage!

There's a saying about character:  Character is doing the right thing when we believe that nobody is looking.  It's easy to extrapolate this saying into the virtual worlds which many of us share.  Employers are known to Google a prospective hire's name to see what that person's web presence is.  Many people have not been hired because of the information they share with their friends, and by extension the world, about themselves.  That's a cautionary tale, but also one that shines the light on an opportunity.

If employers are basing their employment decisions on inappropriate information they find on the web, might they also base their decisions on the really cool information they find on the web that is associated with your name?

Here's a few ideas that I got from a session at this year's ASTD ICE. 

1. Blogs are a great tool to share your expertise.  Let's say that a prospective employer Googles you, and finds your blog.  They've got yet another means to measure your abilities, one that's not limited by the time constraints of an interview or presentation.  Whatever you choose to blog about (it doesn't NEED to be about your expertise), your prospective employer, at the very least, knows that you are a capable communicator.
2. Consider critiquing books on Amazon.com.  I was researching Tamar Elkeles' book, The Chief Learning Officer, which was ably critiqued by Robert Morris. Further research shows that he has sounded off on 1,688 books, giving him a reviewer rank of 14.  This means a LOT of people know about Robert Morris, because they've probably run across him while shopping for books on Amazon.  Think about that: "Oh, I know who you are! I read that review of yours on Amazon!" 
3. Network, both in life and virtually.  The more people you know, the more people who can link you to a potential job.  If you haven't gotten on LinkedIn, check it out. It's an idea based on the Six Degrees of Separation concept, which states you can connect a wide variety of people to you based upon the people you know.   According to my LinkedIn profile, my limited list of contacts connects me to over 1,000,000 people only three degrees away. 
   Imagine that conversation:  "I know someone who knows that person.  Let's ask him/her." LinkedIn also allows people in my network to post recommendations about my abilities and my work.  This allows any interviewer access to positive comments about me.  HR knows about LinkedIn.  You should, too.
4. An addendum to networking is to actively participate in the professional organization that supports the industry in which you work.  In these organizations you will find people who know people, and you can get exposure that you wouldn't normally get on your own.  However, the key is active participation. Those who use membership in a professional organization as a line in a resume often find that it adds little credibility.  As more and more professional organizations have websites, the names of those active participants find their way onto the site, and are picked up in internet searches.

I went out on a limb and googled myself today, and found something interesting.  One of my posts in this blog is referenced in the Jane Elliott Wikipedia entry, twice.  This surprised me more than flattered, and may be a symptom of the tenuous relationship that Wikipedia has with credibility.  But it adds a bit more cachet to my name, don't you think?