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I have over 10 years of experience as an admin, mostly in higher education. We just recently moved to the Bay Area in California (from Seattle), and I have only had two interviews in six months.
I guess I should say I know my "stuff." I use most of the MS Office Suite programs, including Access (I have created my own databases and managed them myself). I'm also currently taking various programming courses for website management and, oddly enough, game development (for funsies!). I'm definitely tech-savvy, is what I'm trying to get at.
Sure, I know the economy is still in the toilet (and there is a lot of hate around here for Seattle), but I started wondering if I am being ignored because I don't use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. I did have a Facebook page in college (when it was college students only), but I got rid of it after Facebook went public and there were multiple hacking attempts on my account.
Basically, I value my privacy and I stay in touch with the people that matter to me through phone or email. I don't have anything to hide, but I wonder if potential employers think that?
What do you think? Should I at least complete a LinkedIn account?
In today's market I find that sometimes it's just difficult to find a posting/opening with your background. Would it hurt to have a professional profile? No, not at all. Do you absolutely need one? No.
Not having any social media presence might cause an employer to view you as out of touch with modern tools. That's a bad way to be viewed if you're one of the older candidates in a pool. Admin work nowadays can include posting things on social media. I agree with the above recommendation to use LinkedIn, just to help you avoid being pigeonholed.
I find it a negative if candidates who apply for tech jobs don't even have a presence on the most basic social media sites.
Wouldn't their reasoning be interesting...?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bo
Not having any social media presence might cause an employer to view you as out of touch with modern tools. That's a bad way to be viewed if you're one of the older candidates in a pool. Admin work nowadays can include posting things on social media. I agree with the above recommendation to use LinkedIn, just to help you avoid being pigeonholed.
I agree... but I guess I challenge the 'norm' for people my age (between 18 & 30) by not having a smartphone or social media.
I don't need a smartphone because I have a computer, and I don't need social media because I have a phone. Two topics I lecture on at university include... dun dun dun.... smartphones & social media. But I'll save the spiel
I don't need a smartphone because I have a computer, and I don't need social media because I have a phone. Two topics I lecture on at university include... dun dun dun.... smartphones & social media. But I'll save the spiel
Eh...I used to go without a smart phone but frankly I like getting emails on the go and being able to send and receive accurate photos tagged with gps. There's simply more applications with smart phones and with more employers having a bring your own device policy I pretty much bit the bullet and bought on.
As for a phone not everyone likes talking on a phone and some matters can better be expressed in writing. (not all just some)
Not having any social media presence might cause an employer to view you as out of touch with modern tools. That's a bad way to be viewed if you're one of the older candidates in a pool. Admin work nowadays can include posting things on social media. I agree with the above recommendation to use LinkedIn, just to help you avoid being pigeonholed.
Darn. I am one of the *ahem* "older" candidates.
Okay, I will break down and at least do the LinkedIn account.
Thanks for convincing me, everybody! (There was no way I was going to convince myself )
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