The world was pretty different when I was looking for a job eight years ago following the dot-com boom. It was before the dawn of social networking, LinkedIn was a couple years from launching, and WIND breakfasts were the place to be. No one was talking about transparency. In fact, most of the advice from job sites was quite the opposite. I remember reading in more than one place that women of childbearing age should not wear their wedding rings to interviews. The thought was that age and marital status would indicate to potential employers that they could be paying for maternity leave or losing you to motherhood. It was one more strike against you in a very competitive job market.
Nearly ten years later I'm still getting job search advice about hiding elements of my identity. This time the advice is to not let people know I'm in the protected group of people over 40. At a time when people are working well into their 60's, who would think that 40 is protected from age discrimination? I have a good 20 years left in my career! Anyway, the advice is not to put dates next to your college degrees so potential employers can't do the math and figure out your age. Since HR people are prevented from asking direct questions about age, marital status and whether you have children, why volunteer answers that could jeopardise your chances of landing the job?
So if I don't want HR people to have preconceived ideas about my potential motherhood or retirement date, why is everyone asking me to be transparent? We're calling for transparency from our government, the companies we do business with and from our colleagues. And we have more and more ways to share all this "protected" information. Even the business network, LinkedIn, offers you the opportunity to share your birth date. How much sharing do we need? Does posting pictures of my son's missing teeth on Facebook hurt my chances of landing a full-time job in the city of Boston because a potential employer will assume that I will want a flexible work schedule without a commute? Or does it make me more real? Or authentic? I think authenticity is more important than transparency. Do you need to be fully transparent to be authentic?
As I mentioned in my last post, I'm not sure about being transparent. I have tried really hard to keep my personal and professional lives separate; even using different names to "protect the innocent." People who know me well know that I'm an open book; sometimes too transparent. I'm working my way down the path of transparency in my professional life. For now I'm becoming translucent -- permitting light (ideas) to pass through but diffusing it so that persons, objects, etc., on the opposite side are not completely visible. It reminds me of Forrester CEO George Colony's Facebook photo. It's a shot of him obscured by rain on a window. You sort of know who it is, but you can't make out all of the details. I want to share my ideas, but not let people know absolutely everything.
This blog is one way for me to explore how/when to open myself up to the rest of the world. Who knows, I might be renaming it before too long.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Dual Identity
In addition to this blog and LinkedIn, I tweet occasionally and am active on Facebook. My network on each is fairly different. My LinkedIn network reflects my professional connections -- people I have worked with, vendors I know, etc. Facebook is for my actual friends (which is why some people are connections on both). I generally don’t say the same things on Twitter or LinkedIn that I would on Facebook, and don't have them feed each other. Do my high school friends and family care what I think about cloud computing? Does my professional network need to know that I’m having trouble managing my son’s transition into kindergarten?
One of the ways I have tried to keep my personal and professional identities separate is by using different names. When I got married I had been working for long enough that I felt it was important not to change my name. At the same time, I felt it was important for my future family to have the same last name. Since some of my bosses and many of the reporters I worked with had dual identities, it made sense to me to follow their lead. Believe it or not, many people don't pronounce or spell "Kristen" correctly, so I certainly wasn’t going to add "Syrek" to that challenge.
This strategy has worked pretty well. Most of my former colleagues know that Wilson is my maiden name and I use it for work. They aren't surprised to get emails from my home account with my full name or receive a holiday card from the Syreks. They also know how to find me at a hotel when I travel for work (not that anyone calls the front desk anymore). Although it was a little bit confusing when we decided to name our son “Wilson,” most people quickly understood that we didn’t name him Wilson Wilson.
With the growth of social networking and personal branding, this strategy has become a bit of a challenge. Since Facebook is for friends, and I have friends from all parts of my life, my name is listed as “Kristen Wilson Syrek.” LinkedIn was just “Kristen Wilson” until it made sense to connect with my husband’s business colleagues and some of my son’s friends’ parents. Now you’ll see (Syrek) at the end of my name. Does this make it difficult for prospective employers to find me? Does it hurt my personal brand to have a dual identity? What if one of those names is common and the other is unique?
Is there a benefit to combining my names and networks and sharing everything with everyone? Things that happen in my personal life help to shape my professional one. For now I think I will follow my own PR advice -- know thine audience. Publish the right content to the right audience with the right identity. What do you think?
One of the ways I have tried to keep my personal and professional identities separate is by using different names. When I got married I had been working for long enough that I felt it was important not to change my name. At the same time, I felt it was important for my future family to have the same last name. Since some of my bosses and many of the reporters I worked with had dual identities, it made sense to me to follow their lead. Believe it or not, many people don't pronounce or spell "Kristen" correctly, so I certainly wasn’t going to add "Syrek" to that challenge.
This strategy has worked pretty well. Most of my former colleagues know that Wilson is my maiden name and I use it for work. They aren't surprised to get emails from my home account with my full name or receive a holiday card from the Syreks. They also know how to find me at a hotel when I travel for work (not that anyone calls the front desk anymore). Although it was a little bit confusing when we decided to name our son “Wilson,” most people quickly understood that we didn’t name him Wilson Wilson.
With the growth of social networking and personal branding, this strategy has become a bit of a challenge. Since Facebook is for friends, and I have friends from all parts of my life, my name is listed as “Kristen Wilson Syrek.” LinkedIn was just “Kristen Wilson” until it made sense to connect with my husband’s business colleagues and some of my son’s friends’ parents. Now you’ll see (Syrek) at the end of my name. Does this make it difficult for prospective employers to find me? Does it hurt my personal brand to have a dual identity? What if one of those names is common and the other is unique?
Is there a benefit to combining my names and networks and sharing everything with everyone? Things that happen in my personal life help to shape my professional one. For now I think I will follow my own PR advice -- know thine audience. Publish the right content to the right audience with the right identity. What do you think?
Friday, June 4, 2010
Who Needs A Personal Brand?
As I mentioned in my first post, one of the reasons I decided to blog was because of the concept of "personal brand." The concept and the actual phrase is all over the place. Career guides recommend having one, especially if you're in PR or marketing. And after spending 15+ years in PR, I tend to agree. I've spent a lot of time elevating and maintaining the brands of several companies. I have also witnessed the connection between brand and reputation. In some cases brand identity can help a company protect its reputation during the time of a crisis. In BP's case, its brand may be destroyed
I’m struggling with my personal brand and the need for it. I get that people will check online sources for my fingerprints when they need to determine whether I would make a good addition to their team. I've been in the management classes where the HR team addresses the need to search on Facebook/MySpace/Twitter etc. before hiring someone. In this example, HR/hiring managers are looking to protect the reputation of the company with a candidate who hasn't done anything stupid online. We've all read the case studies/blog posts on what not to do online. What happens on Facebook stays on Facebook. Digital fingerprints are hard to wipe clean.
Well, the new discussion involves doing things online to get you noticed. Become more searchable. It brings up a lot of questions for me. According to LinkedIn I have a “complete” profile. I filled out all my career history, got recommendations and joined groups. I even posted a picture. The job search advice says that I should be actively commenting on the group discussions. What if they don’t have anything interesting to say? I don’t have strong opinions about many of the posts and don’t want to comment just for the sake of it. One person in a group I belong to posts some items that I find shocking. They are overtly political (it’s a PR Group) and often include F-bombs. What does that say about the poster? Should I comment and tell him it’s hurting his brand?
What about Twitter? Do I need to retweet something to be active? Or is it better to have something compelling to say? I try to do both. Do you get a sense of my personal brand if I just “like” everything on Facebook? What does that tell you about me? That I don’t have opinions of my own. That I’m a follower. Does anyone really like a "yes" man? Personal branding guru, Dan Schawbel, even tweeted about why not to be that person when looking for a job (JOB SEARCH: Be The Non-Pleasing Job Seeker http://dld.bz/fJrX.)
I've asked a lot of questions in this post. I am hoping that this blog and Twitter will help me find answers. I'll let you know what I find out. I would also love to know what you think.
I’m struggling with my personal brand and the need for it. I get that people will check online sources for my fingerprints when they need to determine whether I would make a good addition to their team. I've been in the management classes where the HR team addresses the need to search on Facebook/MySpace/Twitter etc. before hiring someone. In this example, HR/hiring managers are looking to protect the reputation of the company with a candidate who hasn't done anything stupid online. We've all read the case studies/blog posts on what not to do online. What happens on Facebook stays on Facebook. Digital fingerprints are hard to wipe clean.
Well, the new discussion involves doing things online to get you noticed. Become more searchable. It brings up a lot of questions for me. According to LinkedIn I have a “complete” profile. I filled out all my career history, got recommendations and joined groups. I even posted a picture. The job search advice says that I should be actively commenting on the group discussions. What if they don’t have anything interesting to say? I don’t have strong opinions about many of the posts and don’t want to comment just for the sake of it. One person in a group I belong to posts some items that I find shocking. They are overtly political (it’s a PR Group) and often include F-bombs. What does that say about the poster? Should I comment and tell him it’s hurting his brand?
What about Twitter? Do I need to retweet something to be active? Or is it better to have something compelling to say? I try to do both. Do you get a sense of my personal brand if I just “like” everything on Facebook? What does that tell you about me? That I don’t have opinions of my own. That I’m a follower. Does anyone really like a "yes" man? Personal branding guru, Dan Schawbel, even tweeted about why not to be that person when looking for a job (JOB SEARCH: Be The Non-Pleasing Job Seeker http://dld.bz/fJrX.)
I've asked a lot of questions in this post. I am hoping that this blog and Twitter will help me find answers. I'll let you know what I find out. I would also love to know what you think.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Why Blog?
Hi, my name is Kristen. Welcome to my blog. I never thought I would write one. I’m really more of a Tweeter than a blogger, and I don’t even do that well. I can, however, write a mean press release.
When I was a kid I wanted to write children’s books. I became discouraged because I didn’t know what to write about. How would I find my voice? (I’m still struggling with that question) Then I realized that I liked telling stories about the day’s events. So I went into the news business -- and into TV news because I don’t love to write. I’ve learned that I have a pretty direct style of communicating. I say what needs to be said in fewest words possible. Why write a 10 page paper when you can say it all in eight? Or why write for a newspaper when you can write something to be spoken and understood?
Well, TV news in the early ‘90s was a hard business (not that it’s any easier today, just different). The recession at that time eliminated many of the entry-level jobs in TV news. So after a few years of news-related programming and another couple years of school, I found myself at a PR agency. It made sense to me to help people tell their stories from that side of the fence. It’s been a good career. Like I said, I write a mean press release, and have done so for about 15 years.
I was recently laid off, which is one of the reasons I decided to blog now. I’ve read most of the advice on job hunting in the current economy. Some of it is written for the new graduates looking for their first jobs, and some for the blue collar workers who have no idea how to network or were to find LinkedIn. Although much of it does not apply to me, I pay attention to the articles about how to elevate your online presence and why you should create a personal brand. I am starting this blog in part to question some of that advice, and to work on my writing.
What else do you need to know? I am the oldest of 3 girls, grew up outside of Buffalo, live outside of Boston, am a tech geek, love information, and hope to continue my career soon.
If all goes as planned, those posts will come soon and this blog will become a little more robust with links to other blogs, etc.
Your feedback is always welcome.
When I was a kid I wanted to write children’s books. I became discouraged because I didn’t know what to write about. How would I find my voice? (I’m still struggling with that question) Then I realized that I liked telling stories about the day’s events. So I went into the news business -- and into TV news because I don’t love to write. I’ve learned that I have a pretty direct style of communicating. I say what needs to be said in fewest words possible. Why write a 10 page paper when you can say it all in eight? Or why write for a newspaper when you can write something to be spoken and understood?
Well, TV news in the early ‘90s was a hard business (not that it’s any easier today, just different). The recession at that time eliminated many of the entry-level jobs in TV news. So after a few years of news-related programming and another couple years of school, I found myself at a PR agency. It made sense to me to help people tell their stories from that side of the fence. It’s been a good career. Like I said, I write a mean press release, and have done so for about 15 years.
I was recently laid off, which is one of the reasons I decided to blog now. I’ve read most of the advice on job hunting in the current economy. Some of it is written for the new graduates looking for their first jobs, and some for the blue collar workers who have no idea how to network or were to find LinkedIn. Although much of it does not apply to me, I pay attention to the articles about how to elevate your online presence and why you should create a personal brand. I am starting this blog in part to question some of that advice, and to work on my writing.
What else do you need to know? I am the oldest of 3 girls, grew up outside of Buffalo, live outside of Boston, am a tech geek, love information, and hope to continue my career soon.
If all goes as planned, those posts will come soon and this blog will become a little more robust with links to other blogs, etc.
Your feedback is always welcome.
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