Backlist and Career Management

Posted on March 25, 2013 by John G. Self

As we push through college basketball’s March Madness and look ahead to graduation, perhaps it is time to reconnect with some important career management rules, especially given the hyper-competitive job market and the fact that far too many students will struggle to find a full-time job.

By Joi Ito (Seth Godin), via Wikimedia Commons

This weekend, a posting on the concept of a “backlist” by marketing guru Seth Godin, one of the most popular bloggers in the world, caught my attention. What is the backlist? I will allow Mr. Godin to explain it:

“Authors and musicians have one. This is the book you wrote seven years ago or the album from early in your career. The book keeps selling, spreading the ideas and making a difference. The album gets played on the radio, earning you new fans.

“Backlist is what publishers call the stuff that got published a while ago, but that’s still out there, selling.

“The Wizard of Oz, Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits and Starsky and Hutch all live on the backlist,” Mr. Godin writes.

But wait, there’s more, and the more, when it comes to how the backlist can impact career management, should sometimes be less.

Your Twitter account, your Facebook, your MySpace, and all your other social media sites that you post to make up your personal backlist. Once it is out there, it stays out there.

Mr. Godin shared an excellent example of how less is more: “I almost hired someone a few years ago–until I Googled her and discovered that the first two matches were pictures of her drinking beer from a funnel, and her listed hobby was, ‘binge drinking.’”

“Backlist!”

My youngest son and I had a spirited debate several years ago about whether it was fair for recruiters or potential employers to troll these social media sites for their “personal posts.” As a relatively recent college graduate at the time, he felt that material should be off limits. I responded that it shouldn’t be, that once it is in the public domain, regardless of how unflattering, it is out there and we should not be expected to ignore information that could help establish a more complete profile of a candidate for employment.

It was not surprising, then, for me to hear from other college students and graduates who felt that it was not “fair” for unflattering pictures to be examined even though many thought it was perfectly fine for us to evaluate and use flattering information. Well, in the world of career management, as the saying goes, if you want “fair” come to Dallas in October. It is called the State Fair.

A better rule of thumb is not to post photos or statements to your social media sites that you would not want your parents or a future employer to see. If you are at a party where drinking games are part of the evening entertainment, then perhaps a no camera of any kind rule should be imposed.

Never, ever, post a photograph of a friend in a compromising position unless you would be thrilled if they posted an unflattering picture of you. You may think it is cute – a gotcha iPhone moment – but actually this is just a bad gift that keeps on giving.

It is just common courtesy and common sense in the digital age.

HACKED!

Posted on March 8, 2013 by John G. Self

If you received an email from me on Thursday afternoon regarding a Google document and this email did not contain my corporate email signature, then I have a suggestion: delete it.

For the first time in my 19 years in business, my email was hacked. Thank you very much, Google. So much for their security. No, I did not send you a Google document which required your email address to open. If you did receive this message, and you actually surrendered your email, congratulations; you, too, have probably been hacked. If you opened the Google document link and own a PC, I would recommend checking your computer for malware to prevent giving a gift that keeps on giving.

This hack job only affected our Google-based email accounts, not our database.

What really irritates me is that invasion was through no fault of my computer — a MacBook Pro — or my iPhone. A candidate sent me a message. Thinking it was a release of information, I opened it, was transported to a remax.com web site and the rest, as they say, is history. More than likely, these high tech thugs — Ok, I will tone it down — these high tech bozos were only interested in collecting email account information. The extent that they may have penetrated the Google corporate mail servers is unknown. We did change all our passwords to ensure that confidential information was protected. There were no known breaches.

To my colleagues who called and emailed once they received this bogus message, thank you. I appreciate the heads up. In addition to the password revisions, we have taken various steps to attempt to thwart future attacks attack including notifying Google security. If you continue to receive this bogus email from the hack bozos, let me know.

To say that this does not leave one feeling a wee bit violated would be an understatement. But, alas, this is will become increasingly part of the digital world, the quality and security of your computer notwithstanding. Over the next several days we will take steps to strengthen our processes to ensure it does not happen again.

I guess one time in 10,220 isn’t a bad record, but it only takes one to elevate the frustration.

Today, mine remains pretty high.

The Beauty of Social Networking: Leverage in Career Brand Management

Posted on February 27, 2013 by John G. Self

The beauty of social networking platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook is that they offer enormous leverage for career management. It is essential to master these so-called social media tools.

Doing a great job, hitting performance targets and earning the respect of your peers, is important, but in the field of career management, it is not enough. You must expand your reach, especially in an industry like healthcare, where government regulation and market reforms give rise to enormous disruption and consolidation.

If you do not have a robust professional reputation that extends beyond your county of residence, you will face the possibility that your career and economic security will get sidetracked.

Becky Pearce, an associate with the Firm, is a former consultant with a DFW-based advertising agency. She is one of a growing number of specialists who understand, in practical terms, social media strategy and tactics and how those tools can enhance an individual’s professional brand. In addition to serving as my assistant, coordinating logistics and operations, Becky is a trusted adviser in helping me expand my own brand.

By forming social media strategies to enhance my reputation as a thought leader in JGS Blog management, blogging and recruiting, I have seen an increase in page views for the Firm’s web site, especially at SelfPerspective, my thrice-weekly blog, and a dramatic increase in LinkedIn and Facebook profile views. Coincidentally, during the first two months of 2013, the Firm has achieved record growth in our executive search and advisory practices.

Increasingly I am asked about our approach to social media and brand management. People are looking for a template, a pre-formed package, but a comprehensive plug and play package really does not exist. But the JGSA team is happy to help.

As you think about your own social media strategy, keep in mind that “one size does NOT fit all.” What works for me, may not be as effective for you. This is still a relatively new knowledge field so do some experimentation; for me it was more about trial and error lessons.

If you have questions, let us know. We will respond here with special posts.