Your online reputation

Graduates looking for their first professional jobs and students applying for summer employment may find that their reputation precedes them.

According to a recent survey commissioned by Microsoft (PDF), 84 percent of recruiters and HR professionals said they thought it was proper to consider personal data posted online as part of the hiring process, and 70 percent said they have rejected candidates based on information they found online.

Job seekers appear to underestimate the impact that their online activity can have on their prospects. Only seven percent of job seekers said they thought online data affected their job search.

Hiring professionals report that concerns about a candidate’s lifestyle, inappropriate comments or text written by the candidate and unsuitable photos or videos are the most common reasons for rejecting candidates. Criticism of former employers online doesn’t help your cause either.

How do you protect your online reputation?

Many survey respondents said they have taken steps to separate their professional and personal identities online. By separating identities, they can keep some profiles anonymous and restrict access to personal information. And it’s always good think about your future before you post . . . anything.

Technology and the final four

Governor Brian Schweitzer announced the final four cost savings ideas submitted by Montana citizens this week. Three of the ideas selected by the governor call for reductions in technology spending.

The tech targets are:

1. Extend computer replacement cycles from four years to five. The entry also suggests that laptop computers are more expensive than desktop computers, and that perhaps departments could implement a shared laptop pool.
2. Stop subsidizing Blackberries.
3. Consolidate servers and data centers to reduce electrical consumption.

The fourth idea was to reduce the number of vehicles the state keeps in its motor pool, and to encourage employees to drive their own cars for work-related trips.

The release from the Governor’s office says that more than 1,000 ideas were submitted as part of the Montana Accountability Partnership. It doesn’t say how the four finalists were selected, but if there is a strategy beyond saving money, that strategy appears to be to stifle mobility.

Meanwhile, the New Media Consortium has released its 2010 Horizons Report highlighting emerging technologies that will have the biggest impact on higher education. Number one on the list is—you guessed it—mobile computing.

The report says this about mobile computing in higher education:

“People expect to be able to work, learn, and study whenever and wherever they want to. Life in an increasingly busy world where learners must balance demands from home, work, school, and family poses a host of logistical challenges with which today’s ever more mobile students must cope.

“. . . virtually all higher education students carry some form of mobile device, and the cellular network that supports their connectivity continues to grow. An increasing number of faculty and instructional technology staff are experimenting with the possibilities for collaboration and communication offered by mobile computing. Devices from smart phones to netbooks are portable tools for productivity, learning, and communication, offering an increasing range of activities fully supported by applications designed especially for mobiles.”

It’s great to ask citizens for ideas to make government better. It’s also great to make policy decisions grounded in the realities of today and with an eye on the future.

The Butler did (or didn’t) do it

The Butler University basketball team played in the NCAA national championship game Monday, nearly beating heavily favored Duke. Butler has about 4,500 students and plays in the Horizon League. It is considered a “mid-major” basketball program like our own Grizzlies.

What does it mean to a small university to make such a big splash on a national sports stage? The Chronicle of Higher Education reports today that on the day Butler beat Kansas State in the NCAA tournament, the Butler website got 137,000 visits, up from the normal 5,000-15,000. The stampede of traffic required significant ramping up of web servers and network bandwidth.

Butler’s director of web marketing, Sheila Shidnia, reported that the most popular page on the website during March Madness was the “About” page. People wanted to know about the institution, not just the team.

Kyle James, a blogger at .eduGuru, contends that Butler missed a major marketing opportunity. His take is that every page of your website should drive visitors further down some conversion funnel, like a prospect becoming an applicant or an alumnus becoming a donor.

The University of Montana football team regularly plays on a national stage, like when they played two nationally televised games last December. And Wayne Tinkle’s basketball program shows signs that it could one day spring a major upset or two in the NCAA tournament. When that happens, are we ready to take full advantage of the attention?

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