Harmonic Aftershock

Headhunters: The New Publicists

As a Hiring Manager, you already know my thoughts on video resumes. And, now, in a world of citizen paparazzi, your online footprint says a lot more about you than your resume does (video or text).

Last week, a buddy of mine who’s working with a headhunter sent an email to all of this friends with a special request:

“He [the headhunter] asked me to request that ALL of my friends delete all questionable photos in albums or on facebook.  This includes sites like flickr, snapfish etc. because those actually have less privacy than facebook.  There is also a new study with some crazy statistics about the percentage of candidates that have been rejected based on online photos/profiles.”

There’s no doubt that personal branding is a huge topic. Brands like Wisk caught on with their promo last November to “wash away” those unwanted photos. But it’s interesting that headhunters, today, are having to act more like Publicists -- ensuring the integrity of one’s online reputation.

Please Scam Me – Grandma?

On the heels of the pleaserobme.com craze, the Today Show featured the latest scam involving social networks where prisoners are using information you’re posting in Facebook to pose as you, call your grandmother, and scam her to send money to them.

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And while this is yet more fuel to the "misinformed fire" for those who say Facebook (and other social networks) is bad, social media itself isn't the root of the issue.

[The solution is common sense and the need to educate.]

1. Don’t friend people you don’t know, period.
2. Use privacy controls to regulate public vs. friend-only content.
3. Think before you post – Ask yourself: “Could this be damaging to me/my family?”
4. Assume everything you post is/could be made public.
5. Be diligent, second guess, and confirm actions that feel outside the norm.

And now that grandparents outnumber high school students on Facebook, we must be the ones to create awareness amongst our more senior family members on social media’s darker side to raise their “virtual street smarts” just as they taught us, growing up.

[Scams have been happening since the dawn of time.]
And, once again, the Web (through social media) is simply shining a light on how the ways of thieves and scammers are evolving just as technology is doing the same.