there's a reason it's called "Live"-Journal
although geared towards those seeking academic appointments, an article in this week's Chronicle of Higher Education is relevant for anyone with an upcoming job interview (i.e., all of us).
Bloggers Need Not Apply
There's been plenty of negative reaction to this piece-- everything from "why would you want to work at a place where people are so paranoid" to "isn't it ironic it was written using a pseudonym."
However, as Daniel Drezner points out, "Ivan Tribble" could very well be chairing your search committee. Some interviewers might see your blog as evidence of creativity and initative, but others may view it as a reason not to hire you.
Dan gives good advice: unless you have lifetime job security, be careful what you write about, especially under (or linked to) your own name.
Also, if you know the real identity of someone who blogs anonymously (or semi-anonymously), don't refer to their full name when linking to their blog, or otherwise make it easy for a casual Googler to find them.
And you might want to Google yourself every so often and see what comes up...which reminds me, I need to buy some more CDs.
Bloggers Need Not Apply
There's been plenty of negative reaction to this piece-- everything from "why would you want to work at a place where people are so paranoid" to "isn't it ironic it was written using a pseudonym."
However, as Daniel Drezner points out, "Ivan Tribble" could very well be chairing your search committee. Some interviewers might see your blog as evidence of creativity and initative, but others may view it as a reason not to hire you.
Dan gives good advice: unless you have lifetime job security, be careful what you write about, especially under (or linked to) your own name.
Also, if you know the real identity of someone who blogs anonymously (or semi-anonymously), don't refer to their full name when linking to their blog, or otherwise make it easy for a casual Googler to find them.
And you might want to Google yourself every so often and see what comes up...which reminds me, I need to buy some more CDs.