ronin phd

Or

Why you should remove details from your linkedIn profile and online resume/CV

I learned a valuable lesson two days ago.

I applied for a job at company X, which involved an online application (resume, cover letter).  No names were given on the company website that would allow me to know to whom I should address my cover letter.

I thought I was being smart because, using linkedIn, I managed to find the name of a hiring manager at company X. I sent him a msg on linkedIn confirming that it was him that I should direct my cover letter to for the position in which I was interested. I also asked him if he would connect with me on linkedIn (he had a lot of connections in my local area).

The good news is that he did connect with me.

However, the very bad news is that he looked up my profile and wrote me that he didn’t think I was a good fit for the position in question! This is before he even saw my cover letter or resume! This situation occurred because a lot of the details on my linkedIn profile were written for a (modestly) different  job.

So the lesson is: Remove all your detailed information from public websites (i.e., linkedIn, your webpage, etc.) that would allow a hiring manager or HR person to prejudge you and decide that you aren’t worth the effort to follow up with. I don’t mean to remove your contact information, but simply the detailed descriptions of your projects and the tasks you completed and your skill-sets.

Instead, use generic job/project descriptions that do not allow these gate-keepers to keep the door locked before you even knock.

As a result of this experience, I spent yesterday morning cleaning my online presence, so nothing could be presumed about my inability to do the job, to ensure that such a situation wouldn’t easily arise in the future.

In the end, I did apply for the job (largely because I had already crafted a personal resume and cover letter — both appropriate to the job in question, unlike my linkedIn profile).

But we’ll see if I get a call back about the job.

But still: Fuck!!!

So if you are looking for a job, and trying to be clever and market yourself to two possible career fields (i.e., wear two different hats) — the drawback is that everytime you wear one hat, the other crowd will wonder if you are really serious or capable of wearing the other hat.