ERIC Number: EJ988986
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012-Nov-19
Pages: 0
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0009-5982
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Your Unofficial Job-Application Checklist
Perlmutter, David D.
Chronicle of Higher Education, Nov 2012
A month ago, the author wrote about the "official" materials one submits for a tenure-track academic hire, like a statement of one's teaching philosophy and a list of references. But in the Internet age, the "unofficial" part of an application is what exists about a person online. In 2009 the author wrote columns about the role of social media, especially Facebook, in undermining or helping one's job search. But the times and the portals are a-changin'. Social media have become ubiquitous, and new platforms and technologies, like Pinterest and Instagram, have emerged. Social media have also permeated the academic profession, especially among younger scholars, and have become a much more positive factor in hiring. Hiring itself, for almost any profession but certainly in academe, has become, at least in part, online-enabled. Social media in particular are the new background check and for many the new (supplementary) CV. The ethics of "oogling"--what the author calls inquisitive Web searching by a hiring committee--are up for debate, and the legal issues are many: Did a hiring committee use a Web search to uncover information about a candidate's religion or marital status that they were not allowed to ask during the interview? Did a committee seek negative online information about one candidate yet leave another candidate unscanned? In short, it is time for an update and recasting of the role of social media in academic-career advancement. The political consultant Raymond Strother always argues that, "The most important message in any political campaign is the candidate." Indeed. When academic departments make their hires this year, they will not be selecting just CVs, but job candidates and their official and unofficial application materials. In this article, the author discusses what should be posted, and what should (and can) be deleted from an online profile.
Descriptors: Job Applicants, Teaching (Occupation), Higher Education, Role, Internet, Social Networks, Access to Information, Marital Status, Religion, Ethics, Legal Problems, Context Effect, Reputation, Personnel Selection
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A