Know me, know my blog
I try not to get too terribly personal or philisophical here, the fact of the matter is, it makes for boring reading. However, I've had this conflict turning over in my head and it applies to every unemployed young person and not simply myself.
In light of this whole fired-teacher-nudie-pics ordeal, my parents and boyfriend have been chiding me about some of my internet content. They don't like my blogger profile pic, they say employers don't want to hire pirates. They don't like my art I've posted on flickr, they say employers don't like the F-word. They don't like some of my blog entries, employers don't need to know my personal life. All this may be true, but the unique quality my blog offers to the prospective employer is a full snapshot of me..not the polished me my resume will tell you about, but the full me.
I've sanitized much of what I publish online. I realize it's public, just as I distinguish workplace behavior from free time behavior, but I refuse to filter out so much that I disappear and that readers only see words rather than the woman behind them.
Yes, there will be employers who look at my blog, and yes, I'm sure some of them will shake their heads and disapprove. But there will be some that see a person who is as passionate a writer from 5pm to 9am as she is from 9am to 5pm. A person with a rich life that adds to her knowledge and skill set. I want them to see a person, not just an employee. If they come away seeing only the bad things about me, then they've truly seen the forest for the trees.
P.S.
If anyone IS interested in seeing that boring old resume, you can contact me for a password to the link on the right.
Technorati Tag: Austin privacy jobs
In light of this whole fired-teacher-nudie-pics ordeal, my parents and boyfriend have been chiding me about some of my internet content. They don't like my blogger profile pic, they say employers don't want to hire pirates. They don't like my art I've posted on flickr, they say employers don't like the F-word. They don't like some of my blog entries, employers don't need to know my personal life. All this may be true, but the unique quality my blog offers to the prospective employer is a full snapshot of me..not the polished me my resume will tell you about, but the full me.
I've sanitized much of what I publish online. I realize it's public, just as I distinguish workplace behavior from free time behavior, but I refuse to filter out so much that I disappear and that readers only see words rather than the woman behind them.
Yes, there will be employers who look at my blog, and yes, I'm sure some of them will shake their heads and disapprove. But there will be some that see a person who is as passionate a writer from 5pm to 9am as she is from 9am to 5pm. A person with a rich life that adds to her knowledge and skill set. I want them to see a person, not just an employee. If they come away seeing only the bad things about me, then they've truly seen the forest for the trees.
P.S.
If anyone IS interested in seeing that boring old resume, you can contact me for a password to the link on the right.
Technorati Tag: Austin privacy jobs
posted by Bigredbarbie at 12:11 AM
3 Comments:
Hey, I just found your blog and I love it. Your words are concise and quickly convey personality. I especially like the pirate photo.
I'm also a journalism student and for a while I wondered how my blog would affect my potential employment. There is a lot of profanity, sex and crude humor on my blog. And yet, someone from a TV station once considered me for an on-air job after finding my blog. Thenagain, I didn't get the job, so maybe they didn't full examine the site until later.
Sometimes I wonder if I should have a more serious-minded web site. But what the fuck does serious-minded even mean? Does it mean being humorless? Does it mean being an emotionless robot? Does it mean being dispassionate? A lack of humor, emotion and passion are precisely the very things wrong with journalism today. My teachers talk about journalism being passionate, important work and yet when you look at most mainstream publications there is very little evidence of idealism.
I think, as young journalist, we have a duty to maintain that fire within us and never allow it to be put out.
I'm sure there are many publications that wouldn't hire me after reading my blog. But I don't want to work for those companies. I don't want to work for the serious-minded publication that targets elitists and academics.
Considering we are pursuing work in a highly competitive field, I think it is even more important to cultivate our own distinct voice and personality. So let that voice be heard. Don't apologize for having an attitude and a personality and idiosyncrasies. Perhaps in other fields of work, a person ought to be more restrained; but as a future journalist, you have an opportunity to challenge norms. And if you can't find work because of your blog, start your own magazine or write books... do something unconventional! Because that is the kind of person you are and you should embrace that.
Sorry for this long winded posting, I guess I just needed to vent.
Hey, I just found your blog and I love it. Your words are concise and quickly convey personality. I especially like the pirate photo.
I'm also a journalism student and for a while I wondered how my blog would affect my potential employment. There is a lot of profanity, sex and crude humor on my blog. And yet, someone from a TV station once considered me for an on-air job after finding my blog. Thenagain, I didn't get the job, so maybe they didn't full examine the site until later.
Sometimes I wonder if I should have a more serious-minded web site. But what the fuck does serious-minded even mean? Does it mean being humorless? Does it mean being an emotionless robot? Does it mean being dispassionate? A lack of humor, emotion and passion are precisely the very things wrong with journalism today. My teachers talk about journalism being passionate, important work and yet when you look at most mainstream publications there is very little evidence of idealism.
I think, as young journalist, we have a duty to maintain that fire within us and never allow it to be put out.
I'm sure there are many publications that wouldn't hire me after reading my blog. But I don't want to work for those companies. I don't want to work for the serious-minded publication that targets elitists and academics.
Considering we are pursuing work in a highly competitive field, I think it is even more important to cultivate our own distinct voice and personality. So let that voice be heard. Don't apologize for having an attitude and a personality and idiosyncrasies. Perhaps in other fields of work, a person ought to be more restrained; but as a future journalist, you have an opportunity to challenge norms. And if you can't find work because of your blog, start your own magazine or write books... do something unconventional! Because that is the kind of person you are and you should embrace that.
Sorry for this long winded posting, I guess I just needed to vent.
Thanks for this post. I have recently begun blogging and have been thinking about the public vs private issue. Thank you for your perspective.
-Daniel
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