[Publib] 21st century job hunting question

[Kate A. Pohjola]

Deb Messling wrote:
> Being nosy, I Googled her name and came up with a myspace page that I
> suppose is no wilder than many other young people's pages, but
> certain entries definitely gave me pause.  Do employers routinely
> Google job applicants these days? Should I counsel her to take
> down/edit her page? Do public libraries even care about their
> employees private lives?

When I was actively searching for a new position, a friend pulled me 
aside and gently said "do you think the title of your web page could be 
affecting your job hunt?"  I hadn't given it much thought, as I figured 
everyone understood that the idea of the "Bastard Librarian from Hell" 
was a spoof on the Bastard Operator From Hell.  Not so much.  Not 
everyone clicks on the link to the "inspiration" page, and not everyone 
has been online since before the bitnet days to appreciate the BOFH.  I 
tweaked my main page and pulled down the references to the BLFH and 
switched to a picture of myself with my adorable niece.  Then I was 
warned that *that* picture could affect my job search as well, as I was 
told "a potential employer may look at that and see a picture of you 
with a little kid and assume you're a single parent and that you'll need 
a lot of time off..."  I added an alt text tag with "Aunt Kate and her 
girl."  I gave up after that.  I figured if a potential employer had 
problems with my being an auntie, it was best that I was eliminated from 
their list right away.

Flash forward a year and a half - the job search was successful and I'm 
a (relatively) new library director.  Not long after starting the new 
position, I reviewed the committee and full board minutes of the 
meetings held between when I made the short list, was interviewed and 
then offered the position.  Two board members expressed concern, 
specifically about the name of my web page.  Both of them had read the 
inspiration bits and understood what it was about, but they were worried 
that the public would not understand.  As the director, like it or not, 
I am the public face of the library, especially in a small town.

Long story short, I'm very mixed on the appropriateness of using Google 
to "dig up" information on potential staff members, as I firmly believe 
that there should be a separation between our personal and professional 
lives, but there's also the reality of dealing with the public.  It 
might be different for a director than other staff members, too, but 
we're all the public faces of our institutions.  I haven't removed my 
MySpace profile, as I use it frequently to keep in touch with old 
friends and family, but I am very cautious about what I post there, and 
I have to approve anything that anyone else posts in there as well.  You 
might advise the MLIS student that anything she puts online can and will 
be used against (or for) her when she's looking for employment.



kate
-- 
Kate A. Pohjola, Director
Lapeer District Library
201 Village West Drive, Lapeer, MI  48446
http://www.library.lapeer.org
v: 810.664.9521    f: 810 664-8527