Once upon a time, not very long ago, there was a Mentee who was very sad.
“Why?” she cried. “Oh, why can I not find a job?”
The Mentee had done everything right: she had constructed a modular resume; displayed her achievements to meet the requirements of the job posting; had written cover letters tailored to the applied-for positions; she dressed professionally, spoke clearly and ate neither garlic nor spinach before an interview.
At her wit’s end she called up her Mentor: “Mentor, Mentor on the phone, pray tell me what I’m doing wrong.”
“You mean, other than a weak scansion and a poorly executed rhyme?” replied the Mentor, ” Tell me more of your story…”
The Mentee explained that she had applied for several positions in line with her skill set. She had secured several interviews. In the first few moments of those interviews, it became clear almost immediately that she would not be getting the job as the questions asked had more to do with favorite bars, favorite drinks, and what she did for fun – a far cry from the typical interview question.
This baffled the Mentor, who thought long and hard to determine why this odd situation had happened – not once, not twice, but more than enough times to knock a prince off a white steed…
Cover letters: well written; tailored perfectly.
Resumes: excellent; no issues there.
Her interview outfits: conservative, but not overly so… professional.
Her interview skills: solid, confident.
“Hmmm…” thought the Mentor, “There must be more here than meets the eye. I shall do a bit of internet research and see the Mentee as a hiring manager might.” So he dove into the recruiter’s best friend: the internet. And the equivalent of a magic mirror, Google, revealed the issue almost at once.
“Tell me, Mentee… Have all your interviews been with young men?”
“Yes,” she replied. “Why do you ask?”
“Do they… have they… had difficulty keeping their gaze… um, er… upon your face?”
“Yes, but that is nothing new,” replied the buxom Mentee, shyly.
“Have you taken a look at the first page that shows up when we search your name… your Facebook page lately?
“Of course”, she replied. “I’m on Facebook almost every day. I have many, many friends. All my step-sisters are jealous.”
“Have you taken a look at your profile photo? The one most visible to the public? The one that shows you on a beach in Cancun during spring break?”
“But that is my personal page… Yikes!” exclaimed the Mentee.
Yikes, indeed.
The all-too-obvious-but-you-haven’t-yet done-anything-about-it moral of the story?
When applying for positions, take a moment to Google yourself. Really do it this time. Take nothing for granted; scrub your Facebook page… and use social media wisely!
Isn’t that right, ever-growing-list-of-disgraced-politicians-forced-to-resign?
About the Author: Todd Herschberg is a seasoned entrepreneur who has served as founder, marketer, technologist and mentor for a number of start-up tech firms. Mr. Herschberg is one of the world’s 20 most connected individuals on LinkedIn and a frequent speaker on social media topics. In 2010, FastCompany Magazine ranked him as the 33rd “Most Influential Person Online”. He is also the President of Quantimark, an advisor to YouTern and a firm believer in mentoring. You can reach Todd directly on Twitter: @Herschberg.
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