Everybody is different...clearly. So when professionals talk to students or anyone about their role in networking and job searching I find it funny. Funny in the sense that everyone will have a different opinion. When I first created my resume, I had my professor, career center, parents, and friends look at it to get their opinions. Since then, I have added and changed things around, but I have also read books on resumes, looked at the good vs. bad examples, and all those tools that people recommend. But on the outside, I still don't create my whole resume on one suggestion.
A VP of marketing in one company can like my resume or cover letter, whatever it may be, and then the next company could hate my resume. And thats to be expected. So I guess what I have learned from networking books, seminars, and talking to people is that there are basic guidelines, but don't ever just base your final product from one thing.
After reading an article discussing the networking tools, one of the writers, Benjamin Bach, suggested creating business cards that are slightly different so they help distinguish oneself. He gave an example of using a funny slogan or cartoon, but as soon as I read that it made me think back to one networking seminar/speech that I went to that said don't do anything like that. I think for certain industries having a funny, witty, or graphic card can help, but for others if you give a business card with a goofy clipart picture they may look at it and laugh or not be interested.
With all the differing opinions and visions on what should and shouldn't be done on paper (i.e cover letter, resume, business cards), I think the use of the networking sites such as LinkedIn.Com are great assets. For the most part they are standardized, so pages aren't color coded or formatted differently (from what I have seen through my use) and this will provide the information necessary for recruiters. This can help create a way so individuals will be looked at for what they have as experience, rather than maybe on just getting lucky with doing everything the other person looks for in a candidate subjectively.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Sunday, October 21, 2007
The World Is a Meeting Place...
When people say the world is becoming more connected, they sure aren't joking! In the Working Together When Apart article, it talked about the ways to help ensure that virtual teams will work more effectively. After reading the article, it made it seem like as long as the teams follow these major points, then things will work for the best. While I understand and agree with the points that were made, I still don't think that virtual teams can work in the long run.
I have been on a team, of which many of the members were traveling, so any given time the meeting would have 5-15 actually in the office and the others dialing in from their remote locations. There were 5 members who would always dial in since their offices were located in Russia, Scotland, South Africa, and the UK. The meetings progressed and on the phone we got our goals accomplished, but it still never felt like a team. A team in my opinion, is more than just what happens when you are "team meeting". It is those times that you share outside of that conference room and in the rest of the office. Say you have birthday celebration lunches, the individuals who dial in aren't obviously getting a chance to participate and build that team feeling.
The benefits of virtual teams are great... they provide a wide range of individuals with different backgrounds and ideas from across the globe and can carry on meetings in any location just to name a few. They are a great asset to companies and should continue to be used to solve problems that are facing the companies. However, these virtual teams will accomplish what they need to and can solve an issue at hand, but I don't believe that these teams will work in the long run or will be the best method of solving a problem that is persistent. In saying that, team dynamics are a huge part of creating a team. In the article I mentioned above, the author noted aspects to make a better dynamic, but again in the long run I feel that teams need to have that physical presence or base connection.
I have been on a team, of which many of the members were traveling, so any given time the meeting would have 5-15 actually in the office and the others dialing in from their remote locations. There were 5 members who would always dial in since their offices were located in Russia, Scotland, South Africa, and the UK. The meetings progressed and on the phone we got our goals accomplished, but it still never felt like a team. A team in my opinion, is more than just what happens when you are "team meeting". It is those times that you share outside of that conference room and in the rest of the office. Say you have birthday celebration lunches, the individuals who dial in aren't obviously getting a chance to participate and build that team feeling.
The benefits of virtual teams are great... they provide a wide range of individuals with different backgrounds and ideas from across the globe and can carry on meetings in any location just to name a few. They are a great asset to companies and should continue to be used to solve problems that are facing the companies. However, these virtual teams will accomplish what they need to and can solve an issue at hand, but I don't believe that these teams will work in the long run or will be the best method of solving a problem that is persistent. In saying that, team dynamics are a huge part of creating a team. In the article I mentioned above, the author noted aspects to make a better dynamic, but again in the long run I feel that teams need to have that physical presence or base connection.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
A Fine Line...
Facebook is key in college. For a majority of people it is a way to stay in touch.. .for others, it is a way to stalk people and see what they are up to. Ever since Facebook moved out of the realm of being "college oriented", there were so many more ways to use it as more than just a social tool.
Employers use facebook as a means to find out about their potential employees- or applicants. In one article, it said that 1 out of 10 people were not hired because their employer searched and found something not appealing about them. I think it is fair for employers to search for their potential hires on google, but I think that facebook or photo albums should not be searchable.
Facebook is used for a social network amongst friends. It isn't fair for employers to break into that to see what they do when they are with their friends. I am making huge assumptions, but if you talk to a lot of the other people that you work with that may be older, they will attest to the fact that they were huge partiers back in the day. Just because there wasn't the technology- digital cameras or the internet, they were not subject to the amount of scrutiny that we are nowadays. To compare where we are now compared to where we were about 30 years, there are obviously so many variables and differences (i.e the party scene, use of drugs), however I think that it is a fair comparison. Employers were hired because of their talent and their attitude and then once they were in the company, if the company determined they lacked the qualities that directly reflected the company goals they were fired. I think that to a certain extent that should be how it is today.
The "certain extent" is what can be found on google or other informational sites. Looking at photos of people drinking or partying or whatever (for purposes of this, do not consider pictures that are sexual in nature- nudity, etc) is normal for the most part. Information about what they have said or participated in or can be searched. It would be interesting to see events in what they did. And with the information that is found out through these means, it should still be taken lightly. If a person interviews and makes a great impression than the other information that can be found out online should just be lightly looked at... not make or break a job offer.
I know that there is a fine line between what is wrong and what can be allowed. And as this post can be seen as semi confusing, I think that is what this whole situation can be seen as. That is the problem now. With the growing technology it is still a new process. No one can say definitively what should be allowed. Until then, the best way to prevent problems is to limit views and use hard copy pictures...
Employers use facebook as a means to find out about their potential employees- or applicants. In one article, it said that 1 out of 10 people were not hired because their employer searched and found something not appealing about them. I think it is fair for employers to search for their potential hires on google, but I think that facebook or photo albums should not be searchable.
Facebook is used for a social network amongst friends. It isn't fair for employers to break into that to see what they do when they are with their friends. I am making huge assumptions, but if you talk to a lot of the other people that you work with that may be older, they will attest to the fact that they were huge partiers back in the day. Just because there wasn't the technology- digital cameras or the internet, they were not subject to the amount of scrutiny that we are nowadays. To compare where we are now compared to where we were about 30 years, there are obviously so many variables and differences (i.e the party scene, use of drugs), however I think that it is a fair comparison. Employers were hired because of their talent and their attitude and then once they were in the company, if the company determined they lacked the qualities that directly reflected the company goals they were fired. I think that to a certain extent that should be how it is today.
The "certain extent" is what can be found on google or other informational sites. Looking at photos of people drinking or partying or whatever (for purposes of this, do not consider pictures that are sexual in nature- nudity, etc) is normal for the most part. Information about what they have said or participated in or can be searched. It would be interesting to see events in what they did. And with the information that is found out through these means, it should still be taken lightly. If a person interviews and makes a great impression than the other information that can be found out online should just be lightly looked at... not make or break a job offer.
I know that there is a fine line between what is wrong and what can be allowed. And as this post can be seen as semi confusing, I think that is what this whole situation can be seen as. That is the problem now. With the growing technology it is still a new process. No one can say definitively what should be allowed. Until then, the best way to prevent problems is to limit views and use hard copy pictures...
Sunday, October 7, 2007
A Whole New World..
So I'm not the most technologically apt person. I'm not cognizant of a lot of programs, websites and networking tools there are out online. After reading the article "Toward A Better Digg" I was shocked to hear about the various "linking" websites. While I know that I wouldn't have wondered upon these websites on my own, I am surprised that I haven't heard about them more often...its like a whole new world of websites and information.
Looking at the Digg article and seeing all the competitors or similar websites such as CoRank and Netscape, it makes me think about how the internet is so connected. To think that someone could post something from Iran and then have that appear linked to other pages written from Alaska is hard to believe.
In Naked Conversations, Scoble and Israel make the point that successful blogging needs to be transparent and authentic as well as illustrate passion and authority. Reading both the book and the articles, it reminded me about how blogging is something that anyone can do. If someone is going to start a blog, odds are they are passionate about something that they want to share with someone else. Anyone who is creating a blog will also be authentic in what they are saying. With the websites such as Digg, it allows these blogs to connect to each other and help create a common "authentic and passionate" group of people. Not only will this allow for more information to be disseminated, but it will help create more networks. It will create a whole group of people who share beliefs about a certain topic, one that may not have existed or easily accessed before the use of these linking pages.
Looking at the Digg article and seeing all the competitors or similar websites such as CoRank and Netscape, it makes me think about how the internet is so connected. To think that someone could post something from Iran and then have that appear linked to other pages written from Alaska is hard to believe.
In Naked Conversations, Scoble and Israel make the point that successful blogging needs to be transparent and authentic as well as illustrate passion and authority. Reading both the book and the articles, it reminded me about how blogging is something that anyone can do. If someone is going to start a blog, odds are they are passionate about something that they want to share with someone else. Anyone who is creating a blog will also be authentic in what they are saying. With the websites such as Digg, it allows these blogs to connect to each other and help create a common "authentic and passionate" group of people. Not only will this allow for more information to be disseminated, but it will help create more networks. It will create a whole group of people who share beliefs about a certain topic, one that may not have existed or easily accessed before the use of these linking pages.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Not just a virtual game problem.
I am not an online or virtual gamer in any way and have very limited knowledge of the different games and programs. After reading a few articles and learning more about Second Life, I was extremely shocked. I never realized how intense or intricate the virtual world could be. As described in the article, Even in Virtual World Stuff Matters, Second Life has thought of everything. The people who play it can get everything- clothes, land, apartments, Calvin Klein perfume...
While I think that virtual worlds are smart to a certain extent, as they allow individuals a way to be creative, leave the stresses of real world behind for a bit and get to live another one, I am kind of put back by these virtual worlds.
When reading the articles, I couldn't but help think of online gambling. It started out as a smart idea, a way to get to play a few games from the comfort of home. However, there comes a point when online gambling is more than just a form of entertainment, but rather an unhealthy obsession (which have prompted legal action to help cut down and ban it in the US). There are so many stories of lives being destroyed as a result of online gambling, that I could see also happening from Second Life. While the Lindens in Second Life are not equal to the same $ amount, money is still involved and if people want to achieve more and enhance their life then they will spend more.
Other countries, as well as the US, have realized how online gambling is a problem and have taken steps to try to eliminate and reduce this issue. With the parallel between gambling and Second Life (or so I see it), I think that there should be a certain extent or monitoring of these virtual games.
While I think that virtual worlds are smart to a certain extent, as they allow individuals a way to be creative, leave the stresses of real world behind for a bit and get to live another one, I am kind of put back by these virtual worlds.
When reading the articles, I couldn't but help think of online gambling. It started out as a smart idea, a way to get to play a few games from the comfort of home. However, there comes a point when online gambling is more than just a form of entertainment, but rather an unhealthy obsession (which have prompted legal action to help cut down and ban it in the US). There are so many stories of lives being destroyed as a result of online gambling, that I could see also happening from Second Life. While the Lindens in Second Life are not equal to the same $ amount, money is still involved and if people want to achieve more and enhance their life then they will spend more.
Other countries, as well as the US, have realized how online gambling is a problem and have taken steps to try to eliminate and reduce this issue. With the parallel between gambling and Second Life (or so I see it), I think that there should be a certain extent or monitoring of these virtual games.
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