So the New York Times is running an article For Some, Online Persona Undermines a Résumé (soul-sucking registration possibly required), talking about the apparently growing trend in employers consulting Google, MySpace, LiveJounral, Facebook and similar sites when reviewing graduating applicants.
In summary: employers are turned off by poorly written rants on the writers’ most recent drug & sex exploits, and associated pictures. No kiddin’, right? What is disturbing is when you extrapolate this out; once all employers are doing this, the only people who are going to get jobs are those who don’t [or can’t] use a computer. ;)
For those not familiar with MySpace and related sites, they’re basically just social-centric web hosting sites, where you get your own horribly designed page template, complete with disturbing midi background music (if MySpace isn’t a nail in the coffin against proponents of the BGSOUND tag, I don’t know what is), and the ability to add fifty-seven thousand random people to your Friends list. The theme is pretty consistent – “look at me! look at me!” – with a dash of attitude, leet speak, and whatnot.
Ironically, the most common patrons of MySpace – the wannabe-rebel, anti-“man” teenagers – are completely unaware that the site is owned and operated by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. Whoops.
This article reminds me also of an episode of Pure Pwnage, a parody of the glorious life of a professional gamer, where the protagonist’s girlfriend dumps him, so he goes to google.com, enters “easy girls attention whores”, clicks “I’m Feeling Lucky” and goes straight to MySpace. Sadly this now goes to some random “why don’t girls like me?” rant on some forum. Ah well. :)
Anyway, I digress. The original article recommends the most sure-fire way of ensuring you don’t embarrass yourself as thinking about your grandmother seeing everything you post. Since both my grandmothers at least occasionally read this, I think I’m safe. :)
Plus, I never seem to get invited to those sorts of parties. ;)
Lastly, I’ll refer the more liberal readers to Encyclopaedia Dramatica, a sarcastic parody of Wikipedia. I won’t link directly to some of the topics, ’cause I’ll get in trouble :D, but the adventurous can search for some of the keywords from this entry, and find something that [hopefully] tickles their funny bone. :)
