Just be 'Good on Paper'...

I recently found two (1, 2) great articles in the Globe and Mail.

I'm can't say I'm against 'social networking' sites like Facebook. I'm a huge fan, actually. It's just so convenient when most of my closest friends live in different cities and time zones. It's also a great way to stay abreast of people from your past - I don't think I'm the only person who doesn't keep in touch with their whole high school grad class.

It's the idea and practice of using Facebook to sell yourself to potential employers that gets me because no one puts their real selves on the internet. If we did, we might as well save ourselves the effort and install giant Orwellian TV screens everywhere so people could watch us all the time. No, everyone puts a specific version of themselves on Facebook - carefully chosen pictures, interests, movies, quotes, books... We can even take out the one uncontrolled variable; we can remove the polluting effect of other people by hiding our walls.

I guess it's hard to say that the controlled Facebook profile is any different from the carefully crafted resume, but it seems that back in the day people couldn't hide. References were more important than your status as an active blog-reader. Maybe I'm just a cynic (ok, we all know I'm a cynic), but I'm getting the impression that employers are likely to hire the neatly-packaged socially-active applicant over the more private applicant.

I have to agree with Tossell. The emphasis on online 'self-branding' brings out the Holden Caulfield in me. Or just emphasizes my outer cynic.