In a recent survey conducted by Careerbuilder.Com, 22% of hiring managers said that they use social networking websites to research candidates for potential jobs, which is up from 11% in 2006. In addition, about one third of those said they discovered content that caused them to dismiss a candidate from consideration.
Because of the increased use of the Internet to screen potential employees, I highly suggest that all DBAs learn how to manage their "online" brand. By this, I mean that if you want to increase the odds of a successful, long-term DBA career, I highly suggest that you take control of how you "appear" to others from the perspective of the Internet. If you don't, you may be one of those unfortunate individuals who end up not getting a job because of what some hiring manager found out about you that they didn't like.
In the context of your professional career, you need to consider carefully what people will think of you after they conduct a search on you. Will you come across as a professional, or some kind of kook? Will they find a professionally written resume, or a MySpace.com webpage with a photo of you drinking with a bunch of your buddies at a bar, or an embarrassing YouTube.com video of you singing karaoke?
Whether you like it or not, most everything that goes on the Internet is available to virtually anyone who cares to look for it. This includes current web pages, as well as web pages that you thought had been deleted years ago, but were actually archived by a website such as the Wayback Machine (http://www.archive.org/web/web.php), which stores snapshots of websites, even those that no longer exist.
If you want others to consider you a professional DBA, then an Internet search should portray you that way. If it doesn't, you may have a hard time convincing people otherwise.
Here's an example. An employer is considering you and another person for a DBA position. The employer conducts an Internet search and finds this kind of information:
- You: Writes a SQL Server blog that is updated at least once a week; responds to dozens of forum questions in a professional way; has a well-designed and current resume; has a completed profile on LinkedIn.com; and has pictures published on Flickr.com showing your most recent vacation.
- Other Candidate: Has published numerous, well-received articles on SQL Server websites; speaks at SQL Server conferences, responds to hundreds of forum posts, but has quite a demeaning attitude toward those asking questions; has an out-of-date resume; has a Facebook.com page filled with lewd pictures and posts; and has a police report of being arrested for a DUI, as reported by a local newspaper.
Which of the two candidates do you think has the better chance of getting the job? Even if the other candidate is the more highly trained and experienced, I am going to guess that you have the better chance.
Discovering Your Online Brand
To find out what your online brand is today, conduct a search on your name using several of the top Internet search engines. Use more than one, as not all search engines search all websites. When searching for yourself, enter your first and last name, surrounded by double-quote marks. If you have a common name, you may want to enter some other qualifying search string, such as a your middle initial or name, the city and state where you live, where you went to university, or even the name of the organizations you have worked for over the years. Even with these additional search criteria, you may still have to weed through search results to find web pages that are actually about you.
Don't stop your brand search at the first ten web pages you try, as you might miss something important. I suggest you check out at least the first 50 search results (assuming you have that many), looking for pages that might include information on you. As you find web pages about yourself, bookmark them so you can return to them later for a closer examination.
As you review the web pages that contain information about you, try to classify them into one of the following three groups.
- Web pages that are current, accurate, and portray you in a positive light.
- Web pages that may be old, contain inaccuracies, and portray you in a positive light.
- Web pages, current or otherwise, accurate or inaccurate, which portray you in a negative light.
Ideally, you want most references to you on the Internet to fall into the first category. Those in the second category probably aren't a problem, but it would be better if they were updated and made accurate. If you have any references in the third category, then you will need to carefully evaluate each one, and determine how they might affect you if someone else sees them. If you have difficulty categorizing web pages in this fashion, consider having a friend take a look at them, for a more "impartial" appraisal.
Managing your Online Brand
Now that you know what your online brand looks like, how do you go about improving it? If all the web page references fall into the first category, then you are in good shape and don't have to worry about your online brand hurting your ability to find a job.
So what do you do if you're not so lucky, and you find references that fall into the two latter categories? In many cases, you will be able to directly alter any content that references you. For example, if you have a resume on a job site, forum postings, a personal website, a blog, a MySpace/FaceBook/Flickr, or other social networking presence, then you control the content. In these cases, simply modify them so that they are current, accurate, and portray you positively.
Changing web references that are not in your control can be more problematic. If you have friends that have referenced you in a less than desirable way, on a web page they control, you can ask them to change it. In other cases, you may be able to contact the webmaster of the website and ask them to make a change to, or remove the offending content.
What if you can't remove or alter web page content that does not portray you positively? In this case, I suggest you counter-balance this information by expanding the quality and quantity of the online content that portrays you in a positive manner. Hopefully, by providing an overwhelming amount of positive information about yourself, you will be able to drown out any negative information that you are unable to remove.
Expanding you Online Brand
Let's look at the ways in which you can use the Internet to boost your online profile and improve your brand.
Websites
If you want to really differentiate yourself, one sure-fire way to do that is to build your own website. I am not talking about a personal website where you share pictures of your family or publish your poetry; I am talking about starting a SQL Server-related website. Setting up a website can be very time consuming, but is one of the best ways to create a really strong online brand, assuming you keep it up to date.
Blogs
If a website is too ambitious for you, then creating a blog is a great way to build your brand awareness and image on the Internet. Blogs generally take less time to manage and produce than websites, although they may take more work than you think. If you decide to write a blog, pick a subject matter area where you are an expert, and share your knowledge. Don't use the blog to launch personal attacks on the things in the world you don't like. Keep it professional.
Forum Presence
If you are not doing so already, pick a SQL Server forum and spend time answering questions there. In order to boost your image, you will want to ensure that your posts are accurate and professional, and that you decline from participating in any flame wars. I know of one DBA who is a fairly popular consultant who spends a lot of time posting in forums, but his attitude is so negative, that he portrays himself as a real jerk. If you can't be nice in forums, you are better off not even participating in them.
Social Networking Presence
Social networking websites are all the rage now. It seems like virtually everyone belongs to two or more of MySpace.Com, Windows Live Spaces, FaceBook.Com, LinkedIn.Com, 360.Yahoo.Com, FLCKR.Com Plaxo.Com, Twitter.Com, and on and on. Some of these are designed more for friends, while others are more focused on the business professional.
If you currently participate in any social networking websites, I suggest you review your content to ensure that it portrays you in a professional manner. If you currently don't participate, I would encourage you to check out several of the business-related sites, such as LinkedIn.Com, and create your own professional profile and web page. The more you make your presence felt on the Internet, the easier it will be for people to connect with you.
Check out this Wikipedia entry for a listing of many popular social networking websites.
Online Resumes
Many DBAs have their resumes listed in one or more of the many job websites, or posted on their blog page or website. If you are looking for a new job, or a consulting contract, then I suggest you keep them up to date so you can be easily contacted. On the other hand, if you are happily employed with no plans to move anywhere else, I would suggest you remove any resumes from the Internet. You don't want your current employer finding your resume on the Internet, as they may assume you are looking for a new job, even if you are not.
Start Managing your Online Brand Today
If you have not already done so, conduct an Internet search on yourself as soon as you find time. If you find any content that is less that flattering, and that you can change, then do so as soon as possible. If you can't change the content directly, then put in requests to get the changes made. If your online presence is weak or needs improving, take the initiative and begin building it today. The last thing you want to happen is to lose out on a great job opportunity because of some indiscretion described on the Internet that puts you in a negative light.