Thursday, August 5, 2010

Be Googleable...

I've spent a significant amount of time this summer searching through applications, interviewing both certified and non-certified staff. What's the first thing I do when I get the list of applicants?????

I Google them. 

If you talk to many employers, they say the same thing. 

So my advice to anyone who's looking for a job.. Be Googleable!

Now the question is... how do I become Googleable?

Well, number one. Create an online presence. There are many ways to do that. 

1. You could join twitter using your name as your id... 
2. Blog
3. comment on blogs
4. create a diigo account (again, using your name as your id)

Each of these will create a presence for you. There are other ways, like have the newspaper do an article on you etc...

So, are there other ways to be Googled????




3 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing this advice for job seekers!

    I am curious, though - do you rule out potential teachers who aren't Googleable? Maybe they have tons of experience and great references, but they just aren't into social media. Or maybe they are young and new to the profession and have great potential but just haven't had the opportunity or mentoring to estabilsh a solid digital footprint.

    Also, my name is frequently spelled incorrectly, so that is why I don't use it as my Twitter, Diigo, or other account name. Do you suggest that folks who have established an online presence list those presences on their application or resume? Would you take notice of them there?

    By the way, I'm not currently looking for a job, in case anyone who knows me finds this comment. :-) Just looking for insight! Thanks!

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  2. Those are some great ideas! But sometimes when you try to make usernames, your name (and variations of it) are taken so you have to be a little creative. Does anyone else have that problem?

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  3. The point, really, is that it doesn't matter if we're "into social media" or not; it's here and it's not going anywhere. If we want to understand our students, we need to live in their world. You're right; employers may miss some great folks but at some point, part of being great will entail having an online presence. As my friend, Sheryl Nussbaum Beach says, "The truth is that technology will never replace teachers, however teachers who know how to use technology effectively to help their students connect and collaborate together online will replace those who do not."

    Afterall, it's not about us, is it?

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