An extract from a live show on EEVBlog2
And interesting question was raised: Does staying private and secretive online help or hinder your engineering career prospects?
Does having a presence on social media and LinkedIn help or hinder?
Dave also tells a story of when publishing too much cost him a job at Silverbrook research.
And the value of tailoring your resume.
Forum:
Subscribe on Library: https://lbry.tv/ @eevblog:7
EEVblog Web Site: http://www.eevblog.com
The 2nd EEVblog Channel: http://www.youtube.com/EEVblog2
EEVdiscover: https://www.youtube.com/eevdiscover
Support the EEVblog through Patreon! http://www.patreon.com/eevblog
AliExpress Affiliate: http://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/c2LRpe8g
Buy anything through that link and Dave gets a commission at no cost to you.
Donate With Bitcoin & Other Crypto Currencies!
https://www.eevblog.com/crypto-currency/
T-Shirts: http://teespring.com/stores/eevblog
#CareerAdvice #SocialMedia #HumanResources
#JobAdvice #Resume #SocialMedia

With with David, he doesn't like to be called Dave With Dave Too as secretive as he is, Does his uh, secretiveness add to his higher ability? Um, does it add to his higher ability? I think it takes a well, I think I know what you're getting at there. Good question. Nicholas Markovich Um, that's an interesting question. Actually, I spin this out as a separate video.

Is it better now? Please leave it in the comments down below. I'll split this out as a separate video. Is it better with the social medias like it is these days? Is it better to? Is it better for your job prospects to be secretive about? Like not have social media accounts, not have anything that they can research on you or anything like that. All you've got to go by is your resume and what you bring to the interview and that's it.

Like is that a good thing or is it a bad thing? Like it's David too's done lots of cool projects and stuff that uh, public yeah that he could like put on his own website and things like and I'm talking about by being secret. I'm talking about not even having your own website. Okay, I guess there's a difference. You could do it between no social media presence at all um, in any way, shape or form and just having a dedicated professional website that shows off your projects.

I think there's absolute. I'm not going to say there's no harm in having a website that shows off your projects because in a previous video which I'll try and link in, I described where I went for a job at Uh. Silverbrook Research a very secretive organization. one of the you know they hired like every Phd in the country I'm not a Phd but anyway they so I went for two interviews there and they liked me like I went for the technical team.

Uh, multiple interviews and they technical team loved me. They wanted me right. But there was a third interview where I had to get past the Kia Silverbrook's right hand man. Kia Silverbrook owned the company and it was a flat architecture.

It was Kia Silverbrook are probably his right hand man and everyone else. So every new employee had to be vetted by his right hand man and the right hand man looked at my resume and go, He's just shaking his head like yeah, he didn't say anything, hold on, he's just shaking his head and we go. Is there a problem with my resume? You know, Not inside, right? and he's going still not saying a word, mm-hmm and so shaking his head. this is not good, this is not good and uh and then you can see the faces of the other engineers around the table, they're all going oh not this again, not this again please.

No and uh so yeah. And he finally started to speak and you know, and we got to discuss in projects the stuff. Yeah, because I proudly put in all the projects I've published in my resume, right? and he's going I, yeah, this publishing stuff. it's going to be a problem and I go well.

obviously I wouldn't. You know, I signed a non-disclosure agreement. I wouldn't even mention I work at the company. I do nothing in regards to the company and he goes.
He's still shaking his head and I'm going well. What could I publish? Let's say I wrote a gardening book I think is the example that I used if I wrote a Guardian book. would I be able to publish that and he's still shaking his head and no, no, we we wouldn't let you do that. No, we don't want you to publish anything it's like.

And at that point I knew that like I'm not going to work at this company And sure enough, I got canned on that interview because yeah, so they didn't even want you publishing your own projects on your own site. They didn't like that, let alone working on anything else. Um, so yeah, super super paranoid. so you could potentially lose jobs like that.

although you probably don't want to work for a company like that anyway that you know. That being said, but what I want to ask here is the social media aspect of this is that More hindrance than not, are you better off being super secretive like David too? The problem is, when I I was look, you know I got like hundreds of resumes when I, um, advertise my job right for the job working at Euv blog here which David got and I got hundreds of resumes. and quite frankly, his resume wasn't that good, right? It wasn't that impressive. it was very bland like.

and he's done all these cool projects and he really didn't highlight them, but you know, I can. I can smell talent, right? So I I thought there's a hint of i I think this this kid could be good, right? So I uh yeah. so I got him in. He was one of my, in fact, I think he was my first interview and uh, and as soon as I met him, Yeah, and then of course he's showing me all these projects and you know he's getting out his laptop and showing him how he's written his compilers and he brought in hardware and we're going through the hardware and you know he absolutely nailed it right.

But his resume? It was pretty shitty, right? So um, yeah, so you've got to be careful with that. Um, so he almost missed it completely. So anyway, if you've got the social medias out there, like would would I be employable? Now you know if I hate If I went for an ordinary job through an ordinary hr department and they go look at my Twitter feed, they go, I don't know, research me in some way, they're gonna go No, no thanks, right? Um, so it's interesting. Is it worth staying secretive like that? And that's the thing.

Um, yeah. David likes being secretive and it's good in that. Well, it keeps you out of trouble I guess. Um, but it doesn't showcase your talents.

Yeah, if you hide all that away, does that hinder or enhance? Leave it in. the comments down below. I'm going to spin that video out. Is having no social media actually being secretive? I think in the modern age it is no Milo.

I don't agree. Nothing but positive things in it. Not and that that could be a negative. Like what what is deemed positive things to one person is like, not positive to another or is just annoying.
You know you could post you know these positive life affirming things. Oh, life is wonderful and you post all those meme. you know, wonderful. Life is brilliant and happiness and smell the roses and all that sort of stuff and somebody could see that and go, who's this wanker? You know, like you know, So no, it's you can't There's no such thing as you know all positive.

It's somebody will see that as a negative trait in some way. You know they're not after that kind of person. I don't want some arty, floody, fussy, you know person who's just airy fairy. who's you know posting all positive things about.

you know, saving the orphans and stuff like that and saving the whales and saving the environment. And that's all they post on their Facebook page and it's like oh okay, it's like that's all can be. You know it's not gonna. It's not gonna be negative, it's not gonna get you.

you know, controversy, But some people might look at somebody's laughing at Silver Brook. Anyway, having zero social media accounts is a sign of genius and independent thinking could be could be. but once again, it it may not. You know? Um, so that's an interesting question.

I would say that probably my guess would be that having no social media presence at all is probably going to help more than well. it can't hinder. I suspect it's not going to hinder you by having no social media accounts, but having no webs to know like personal website that is definitely going to hinder more than it helps. So that would be my take on it.

Anyway, let me know what you think down below. But having said that, there are some people of course who will see your social media presence and go, Ah yes, I'll hire you because you're not an Sjw. You're not going to destroy my company. You know it's like yeah, so there's but other companies will go.

Oh no, you're not an Sjw. Therefore, we're not going to hire you. It's like you know it's one of those Yeah, I guess you've got to work in Silicon Valley. You know is is different to somewhere else.

perhaps like Australia. Linkedin is just an annoying Hr tool. Yeah, whether or not, should you have a Linkedin account, you know, Probably you should like because that's what the Hr droids look at these days. So if you're not on Linkedin, they're going to go.

Well, I can't do my job anymore because their whole i think their sole job now is looking at Linkedin and looking at your Twitter profile. Isn't it that the sole job of a Hr useless Hr droids? Um, yeah. so Linkedin. as much as I don't like, well, I don't need Linkedin.

I've still got it because I link to people on there. You know, like colleagues and stuff. I've got like 500. You know, other colleagues on there I link to.

I don't need it for a job obviously. But I'd say yeah, you probably need Linkedin. I mean, that can't hurt like don't post stuff on Linkedin. just have a Linkedin profile with your with your career stuff and your education and things like that.
And you know or your you know what societies you belong to. you know, Ieee or something like that and that'll you know that's it done. And just you know, have endorsements from other people. Uh, because that's what Hr got to look at as well.

They'll look at endorsements from other people. That's that's changed a lot since I last went for a job. You know there was no Linkedin. On the flip side, couldn't you brand yourself an Sjw to get a job.

in San Francisco? You could. This is all to do with uh, tailoring your resume, right? tailoring your resume. Tailor Always tailor your resume to the job you're applying for. If they're If you're going for a job that needs like, you know, power supply experience and you've only done a little power supply experience and it wasn't in your resume before, then you know, add it right.

Sort of put it to the top of the list of the stuff that you did at that company. And things like you know, you embellish a little bit right. or your highlight selectively highlight can be the term. Uh yeah, so you? uh, yes, definitely tailor your resume.

And Taylor, maybe you could tailor your social media profiles too. Perhaps you know? Yeah, Hr short for Holiday Resort? Yeah, Bjorn. When hiring, I would assume that you have a good linkedin profile. Yeah, I think it's all the rage these days.

Like I said, um, I I, That's what I'm hearing that the Hr people do. they just that's their sole job is just look at Linkedin and your Twitter profile and Facebook or whatever and you know, see if you're compatible with the company ethos. So yeah, anyway, thanks for joining me. Catch you next time.


Avatar photo

By YTB

25 thoughts on “Eevblab #80 – is staying private online good for your career?”
  1. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Khaos Cero says:

    I come from the old internet where anonymity was default and everyone used made up names and not real names. Social media and especially facebook bamboozled people by tricking them into giving up their anonymity and use real names.
    I use social media but I never use my real name or face.

  2. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Beefchicken Industries says:

    500+ comments, most of them virtue signalling about not being on any social media platform. Y’all aren’t any more or less of a sheep than a person that uses Instagram, you’re just a different kind of sheep. Not having a Facebook account doesn’t make you intellectually superior, it just means you don’t have a Facebook account.

    When I hire and I Google a candidate, I like to see something. I like to see that they take an interest in interacting with the world, and even better if they actually contribute. To me it demonstrates a sense of community, a desire to help others, a desire to teach. I’m not saying that a person doesn’t have those qualities if they didn’t have an online presence, but if I’m comparing apples to apples in the hiring process, the guy that visibly tries to make the world a better place is gonna rank better for me.

    Too many people want to keep their heads down and just grind through life. Booooring.

  3. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Beefchicken Industries says:

    500+ comments, most of them virtue signalling about not being on any social media platform. Y’all aren’t any more or less of a sheep than a person that uses Instagram, you’re just a different kind of sheep. Not having a Facebook account doesn’t make you intellectually superior, it just means you don’t have a Facebook account.

    When I hire and I Google a candidate, I like to see something. I like to see that they take an interest in interacting with the world, and even better if they actually contribute. To me it demonstrates a sense of community, a desire to help others, a desire to teach. I’m not saying that a person doesn’t have those qualities if they didn’t have an online presence, but if I’m comparing apples to apples in the hiring process, the guy that visibly tries to make the world a better place is gonna rank better for me.

    Too many people want to keep their heads down and just grind through life. Booooring.

  4. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars MazeFrame says:

    I have various projects on forums, never thought about setting up a website.
    No social media, not even a smartphone though.

  5. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars pretzelogic says:

    Since the invention of Intellectual Property you are the one who becomes the property. Any information out of you mouth, no matter what it is, is now considered the property of the company. It matters not if it has nothing to do with the company's business. The company might want to diversify. I'm so happy to have been able to retire shortly after all of that BS started. If you can possibly work for yourself or become a trusted co-owner of a business, that's the best way to go. Screw corporations.

  6. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Drac Noc says:

    I'm not secretive about what I do, but if you ask … But you won't find it on a Google search or a FB dredge. So no, I'm not on FB, Link'd, IG, Tumblr, fghjf, eriwo, or any other initialism you want to use. But I found an employer who has an 18% pension policy and knows when employees are dedicated and don't ask questions – including not dropping them in a pandemic. I work hard*, but they back me up. If they're wanting social profiles instead of proof then by all means laugh at them, tell them they're doing HR on the cheap and then walk out. That company is never, *ever worth it.

  7. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Chris Guli says:

    Be your own boss – at least you're automatically hired and you will never get fired for whatever you post on social.

  8. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Hola! An Unseen Ruler says:

    I find in general people I know who don’t have any social media have a hard time working with other people.

  9. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Jerome Demers says:

    my buddy would disable all his SM before interviews!!

  10. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars SoCalFreelance says:

    The more you put out there the easier it is for you to be socially engineered. This is a problem if you have a job that requires a security clearance, or your a sysadmin or infosec manager at a bank, investment firm, or research center with lots of IP.

  11. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars asdreww says:

    I hate putting everything 'out there' & am very private online. I really worry that not having a Linkedin profile is seriously going to hinder my career progression.

  12. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Andy says:

    Whether or not it is bad for your career, privacy is not something worth giving up to tyrant employers in order to be rewarded with the privilege of being their servants.

  13. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Max Harden says:

    Government jobs love no social media profile.

  14. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars code beat says:

    What about the Stack Exchange family of sites such as "Stack Overflow" and "Electrical Engineering" for example? For example the questions you asked, the points you get. There are people that almost live there, enormous amount of points and reputation. Reply on almost every question in a category they know about. Personally for me it is an indication something isn't right by hanging around all day gathering points, something like an addiction. And what about Github? Sharing your own projects, contributing to open source. Is this a pitfall or a good one?

    Another thing, the timestamp of a posting somewhere. I have nights that I cannot sleep (or sleep less) and post something on the net. Sleepless nights belongs to my personal system, my whole life. Some people might think it is strange to post something on the net at midnight or later. And what about posting something on the net at working hours?

  15. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars CMDR Sweeper says:

    Well I am a nasty guy to Google for a job application.
    All you find on me is my address and phone number, there is nothing else except the usual Google thrash results you get.
    As a result I do not run any Facebook, any LinkedIn or twitter or (Insert social site here.) so all they get to feed themselves on is my resume and CV and references from where I worked previously.
    So far it has worked out though.

  16. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Strider9655 says:

    Another reason to keep a low profile online, is if like me you have fought hard against unfair treatment at the hands of bad managers and bullying coworkers, then you need to stop them being able to screw up your future prospects. Believe me, when a company pays you a large sum of money to leave and to keep quiet about what you've seen/recorded, what you don't want is those idiots being able to secretly contact your new employers to put the knife in.

  17. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Gert van den Berg says:

    Getting projects done with social media as a distraction is hard…

  18. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars oraz says:

    I'm sure I'm on some kind of list, honestly.

  19. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Moon Moon says:

    I would love to know why Silverbrook (a company I've never heard of, probably for this exact reason) is so secretive. There's gotta be a reason.

  20. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Augustin Chenault says:

    Just make your social media invisible to people you haven’t added to your friends list

  21. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars cfcreative says:

    Part of growing up is working for a few companies and seeing what is out there.

  22. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars LazerLord10 says:

    What about a social media presence that is completely disconnected from my professional life? e.g. my YouTube channel and associated things are completely separate from my 'real' work.

  23. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars RobJ says:

    I post my projects on Instructables and I have a link to that in my resume and on LinkedIn but I do not have any other social media accounts except for Youtube to post some short video's of my projects 😊. I hire people myself and I like it if they have posted projects. I like it when my team members are also are active outside working hours in their area of expertise since – software – technolgies change rapidly.

  24. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars S Pika says:

    If people like you are this good and still not be considered….I think I am just going to work at my local McDonalds after I quit my engineering job in the future. In fact, I am sure 90% of the engineers I know, working, and worked with are going to be unemployed. I used to post silly anime things on my FB before when I was younger. Nowadays I just post it on my other account they will never know. Heck, I literally have to pretend to be someone else just to make a living. What a world we are living in.

  25. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Physics Videos by Eugene Khutoryansky says:

    If your social media shows some aspect of your personality that would make the company not want to hire you, then this is probably a company you would not want to work at, since this aspect of your personality is going to come out eventually anyway.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *