Catching up on my higher ed blog-reading this morning, I discover two posts about blogging and the higher ed workplace.
One post, from erelevant, is an announcement that Warren Wilson College is looking for a VP of advancement. But it’s interesting that Morgan posted the ad on his blog. I’d be interested in hearing whether any candidates respond to the announcement, and whether any inquiries that begin, “I found your ad for the vice president’s position on the erelevant blog…” will make it past HR’s screening. Morgan, keep us informed, please.
The other post comes from Rob at UBrander, and it’s a lament about the substandard quality of applications he’s received for a web copywriter position.
He writes: “[M]ore than 50 applicants have made it through HR to my desk. Only four have received interviews. None have been hired.”
It seems they haven’t done their homework. But Rob has done his. Read on:
The ones who did get an interview didn’t bother to Google me. If they had, they would have found my blog, my LinkedIn profile, etc. They would have learned that I have a particular philosophy of higher ed marketing related to the IMC process. They would be able to impress me with marketing terms like “brand equity.†They would have even learned what I looked like so they could immediately recognize me when they walked into the department. Those who didn’t get interviews might have checked me out on the Web, but what prevented them from getting an interview was that I checked them out too.
A cautionary tale for job-seekers in the Internet age: Google your prospective employer. And beware what you post about yourself.
Andy writes! 
“…whether any inquiries that begin, ‘I found your ad for the vice president’s position on the erelevant blog…’ will make it past HR’s screening.”
Hopefully if anyone actually qualified for the VP position finds out about it from my blog, they’ll have enough sense not to mention it :)