BRIDGE Blog

     Last month in our Newsletter we mentioned we would be sponsoring a booth at the Southern New England Project Management Institute job fair that was held on February 17^th at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Cromwell, CT.  Despite the expected wintry forecast – the snow did not deter a large turn out of Project Management and Business Analyst professionals from across the region.  With about 150 people in attendance, Senior Recruiter Kristi Brewster and I had the opportunity to meet some wonderful local candidates in the market for new PM and BA roles in the area.  Over 23 companies attended, however BRIDGE was the only Rhode Island based company.

     Similar to the job fair SNE PMI held back in September, this all day event included not only the companies for interested candidates to meet and greet, but also various speakers presented ideas ranging from how to successfully use LinkedIn in your job search to dealing with a PMP certification audit.   The doors opened at 8 am and things wrapped up at 4:30 pm.  Kristi and I met a lot of great people and want to thank SNEC-PMI for putting on such a great event.

Damien Rocherolle

Regional Account Manager

          Well here we are, officially through the first month of the new decade and BRIDGE is working to provide you with the latest news, events, and information about technology in our community.  This month we focused on the economy and decided to take a deeper look into what’s out there for job seekers in the area.  According to a recent news cast from NBC 10 our unemployment rate has risen to 12.9% in December, ranking us third in the country behind Michigan and Nevada.  Although this rate has risen from the previous statistic, experts suggest that number could be leveling off.  Could Rhode Island’s struggling economy be saved by technology?  This same newscast interviews a new technology start up company setting up shop in Providence and the organization Betaspring’s part in helping bring this and other technology start ups to Rhode Island.  This isn’t the first we’ve heard of technology turning around the economy in RI.  In a New York Times article published last year, Jack Templin, founder of Providence Geeks, suggested technology could shape a new economy for RI.  For those of you who aren’t familiar with Betaspring, they are a Providence based company that works with teams of entrepreneurs to help them turn their ideas into businesses.  The organization was founded by Allan Tear, Owen Johnson, and Jack Templin and recently received a $366K grant to expand their efforts.  Each team in the Betaspring program goes through a 12 week bootcamp to learn how to turn their ideas into viable business plans. 

            So what’s out there for technology job seekers in and around RI right now?  We did a search within 30 miles of Providence to see what openings are available and what technologies are being used by companies in our area. Out of over 500 job postings we found there was a need for Developers the most (26%), with Infrastructure (21%), Business Analysts (16%), and Project Managers (15%) close behind with QA and Misc making up the remaining percentage.  Under the development umbrella we saw C# and PHP as the most common, along with postings that listed Java, HTML, XML, Drupal, CSS, and VB.Net skills.  Take our survey at the bottom and let us know what you think of the local economy.

*Note some positions may be duplicates due to multiple staffing agencies working on the same job for a client

Misc Includes: Security, Technical Writers, PeopleSoft, EDI, Risk, Audit, VMWare, Stoarage

 Take our Survey Here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PB3DNZL

References:

http://www.pbn.com/detail/47426.html

http://www.projo.com/news/content/KNOWLEDGE_ECONOMY_11-06-09_FGGBV92_v15.3460f4c.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/01/us/01rhode.html

http://www2.turnto10.com/jar/news/local/article/ri_unemployment_rate_rises_to_12.9_percent/30093/

This month we at BRIDGE wanted to give you the opportunity to hear from each of us about our various accomplishments in 2009 and our goals for 2010.  Despite the continual lull in the economy, we classify this year as a successful one because we have had the opportunity to stay connected to you and we look forward to continue learning and growing in the year ahead. 

Each member of the BRIDGE team has chosen a topic to discuss.  We’d also like to take this opportunity to introduce our two new Account Managers who started with us in December.  Please feel free to comment on our blog as we are always open to new ideas and suggestions.  Thank you to everyone for a wonderful 2009 - Wishing you and yours a Happy and Prosperous 2010! 

“In 2009 BRIDGE hosted a “Young Professionals Night” at McFadden’s in Providence. Our goal was to reach out to an IT professional demographic that we identified as a ‘donut hole’ in terms of networking. College students have tremendous career guidance resources at their disposal through their institutions (career centers, alumni groups, mentors, on-campus recruiting, etc.). Professionals who are 5+ years out of school often have built up professional networks and have found other useful career resources (peer groups, networking events, continuing ed classes, etc.).  But for a wide variety of reasons (lack of information or interest, apathy, living in a new place, being focused on other ‘real life’ issues, etc.) professionals who are new to the work world often fall into a gap where they have no networking and career guidance.

Our event brought in over 120 IT professionals who were drawn by the promise of free food, a beer on us, and the chance to win a Netbook. We were pleased by the turnout, but even more so by the fact that we reached the people we were targeting: most of our guests at the party were people we’d never met before and were new to attending “career” events. A few regulars to the IT scene in Providence paid us the best inadvertent compliments when they said “Great party but I don’t know anyone here.”  That was the proof that we reached our goal and connected with people who don’t usually take advantage of all that the RI has to offer. When I asked people if they’d ever attended a Providence Geeks or RINexus event most said “I’ve heard of them but I’ve never gone to a meeting.” It was a great opportunity for us to reach out to a new audience and give them an access point to the local IT community. The BRIDGE Blog and our occasional contact emails are some of the ways we’re continuing that connection.   

One question I got repeatedly at our party was “what does Bridge get out of this?”  Given that we didn’t get up and make a long sales pitch or aggressively “work the room” for business, people had a reasonable curiosity as to why we held the party. The answer is there were a number of things we “got” from the party, though they’re not what you might think. We did get information of real business value: we met a number of candidates who we wouldn’t have otherwise connected with and whom we added to our database. These connections with hard-to-reach candidates make us better equipped to provide our clients with the widest range of candidates possible. We got some good press. We made a few placements based on strong candidates we identified from the party and pitched to existing clients.  

But we also held the party because we truly believe in fostering the IT community in RI. We set up an online survey that gave us great data on what people like and dislike most about working in RI, information we’ve shared with other organizations trying to improve the job market here. We helped promote RINexus (of which we’re a proud sponsor) and ProvGeeks - organizations that we believe are vital to the burgeoning IT/Digital Media/Knowledge Economy in RI. And we saw a number of future entrepreneurs and innovators and leaders getting to know each other and being exposed just that much more to all that RI has to offer. At BRIDGE we want to connect people and we know that by drawing them into bigger circles of interest we can keep them here in the state and strengthen the already powerful connections that are developing in RI.

Look for more events from Bridge in 2010 and a continued commitment to building the tech community in RI.”

-         James Wright, Partner

“During 2009 we learned more about LinkedIn as an important professional networking tool; particularly for job seekers. In September, we presented at the SNEC PMI’s Career EXPO on “Optimizing Your LinkedIn Profile”. Over a hundred project managers and business analysts attended and their feedback was very positive so we decided to refine the presentation and offer it to other groups. We have presented it several times and are scheduled to present to other interested groups this winter and spring. If you know a group that would like to learn more about using LinkedIn, let us know. A copy of the presentation is posted on our web site at www.BridgeTechnicalSolutions.com/pages/cfLinkedIn.cfm We also are including a LinkedIn “Tip of the Month” in each newsletter. Let us know if you have a LinkedIn tip to share. We’ll be sure to give you credit in our newsletter!”

- Joe Devine, Partner

“This past year I have focused on collecting career development information for Business Analysts.  I have read some interesting articles over the past several months and I have attached a few here for your perusal.  I found these articles to be very interesting and informative. Interested parties can sign up for this free Business Analyst newsletter at www.batimes.com.  You can also check out our special page for BAs on our website at http://www.bridgetechnicalsolutions.com/pages/cfStaffing_IT_BA.cfm

• Article: Gather Trust then Requirements
• Article: 12 Rules of Delegation for Business Analysts
• Blog: The Future of the Business Analyst
• Webinar: Latest Innovations in Mind Mapping Offer new Techniques for Requirements Gathering and Management
• Webinar: Accelerate results by aligning Lean Six Sigma, BPM and SOA.
• Whitepaper: Top 10 Software Delivery Secrets: Doing More with Less
• Whitepaper: Customer perspectives on the benefits of a collaborative process to deliver software quality (Hurwitz and Associates)
• Whitepaper: Transforming Insight Into Action with Business Process Management
• IIBA Insight: Personalized Services for IIBA Chapter Community

With the recent influx of jobs we have had for Business Analysts, it is important that job seekers really think about the work they have done and take the time to make sure key words are on resumes.  Key words can make or break your chance for an initial interview. Often times, if you don’t spell out the types of Systems or Software you have used, the resume will get pushed aside for a potential opportunity.

Even if you use a software package that is not widely used elsewhere, I still feel that it is important to put it on your resume (assuming you are comfortable using it), as there is a chance at least a  few other companies use the same software and they may be looking for someone just like you!”

-         Kristi Brewster, Senior Recruiter

“2009 was a great year for Bridge!  We began multiple new initiatives throughout the year, and we are looking to maintain the momentum and strive for an even better 2010.  One of our most significant initiatives in 2009 was placing increased attention on specific areas of practice in IT.  The increased attention given to specific practices has allowed us to better serve our clients and job seekers.  My focus has been on our Project Management practice.  Over the course of the year I did extensive research on Project Management, and networked with the Project Management community as much as possible.  Using the information gathered from this research we created a page on our website specifically for Project Managers!  On the web page we have posted what I find to be the most interesting and current Project Management articles available, as well as links for professionals to find upcoming opportunities to complete the necessary PDU’s.  We also included a poll for Project Managers questioning the importance of the PMP Certification.

What I found to be the most important factor in improving our Project Management focus was networking.  We have placed an emphasis on getting out from behind our desks in order to meet with and speak to Project Managers in our area.  We want PMs to know that we at BRIDGE are supportive and interested in their professional development and our outreach to the PM community has included sponsoring two of the monthly Ocean State PMI meetings.  My personal conversations throughout this year with Project Managers have painted a clear picture of what Project Managers go through on a daily basis and helps keep me current on Project Management trends and issues.  This increased understanding and outreach to our local community is something we value and will continue to improve in 2010.”

 - Jon Samolis, Recruiter

“Since I joined the BRIDGE team in June 2008, I’ve enjoyed meeting and working with professionals throughout Rhode Island and Southern New England.  This past year we’ve had a strong focus on outreach, including building and maintaining relationships with IT Professionals in the area.  Tools we’ve used to help achieve this goal were the monthly Newsletter and this very blog site we’ve linked off our website.  I’ve heard some great feedback from people on our mailing list who enjoy reading the monthly newsletter and blog and we would love to continue and improve this effort.  Additions to the newsletter this year have been LinkedIn tips from our own Joe Devine and our Healthy Habits section to offer you valuable health related resources.  In 2010 you can expect to receive the newsletter the first week of every month and we’d like to continue to add any type of professional development articles and events to help you improve your career and your experience with BRIDGE. 

March 2009 was the premiere of Pecha Kucha in Providence.  This PowerPoint performance art is a fast paced presentation experience where local companies have the opportunity to showcase their newest projects to an audience.  I had the privilege of presenting in the fourth round of Pecha Kucha in June.  As part of our Young IT Professional event in April, we conducted a survey to find out what professionals liked and disliked about living and working in Rhode Island.  We analyzed the information gathered from this survey and presented it to the Pecha Kucha audience.  Pecha Kucha’s 10^th presentation is scheduled for January 13^th.  If you’re interested in learning more check out the Pecha Kucha website.  http://www.pecha-kucha.org/night/providence/

2009 was my first full calendar year working here and as it comes to a close and the new decade is upon us I’m looking forward to more outreach for 2010.  If you have any suggestions for the Newsletter and Blog please email me at amy.mcdermott@bridgetechnicalsolutions.com”

- Amy McDermott, Recruiter

“I come to BRIDGE with over 6 years of IT staffing experience primarily in the Boston market in a variety of different roles which include recruiter, staffing consultant as well as account manager.  Prior to working for BRIDGE I had worked for such companies as Comsys, Benchmark HR Solutions, Revenio, Inc. and Edge Technology Services.  I hold a BS in Soil Science from the University of New Hampshire and currently reside in Barrington, RI. 

I met with James and Joe back in the late spring of 09’.  I was instantly impressed with what they had to say regarding how they conduct business and also the candor in which they spoke about the world of IT Staffing.  Although they didn’t have any openings at the time they spent a good deal of time with me and the conversation was the perfect blend of give and take.  BRIDGE then gave me a call in November and I jumped at the opportunity to come back in and speak with them about their new Account Manager position.  Now, having worked here for close to a month it has only reinforced the notion that I made the right choice in joining BRIDGE.  Visiting with their clients and hearing all the glowing compliments that they have for BRIDGE was a unique experience for me even after being in this business for a number of years.  I’m looking forward to being a productive member of the BRIDGE team by helping them expand their presence in the Massachusetts market in the coming year.  I also can’t help but have the feeling that 2010 will a very good year for BRIDGE.”

- Colin Barako, Regional Account Manager

“I have 14 years of staffing experience, and started my journey recruiting IT professionals in the Boston market.  I then started a branch office for a creative/technical staffing company called HireKnowledge and after about a year segued into a management role.  We grew that company to 10 locations across the country.  In 2003 I was tasked to start a temporary and contract staffing firm in CT from the ground up, Staffing Source, Inc.  We grew that to 5 offices throughout Eastern CT.  I graduated from The American University in Washington DC with a BSBA in International Business and Marketing and reside in Stonington CT. 

I am very excited to get back to my technical staffing roots with BRIDGE.  After meeting with several clients and candidates, it is obvious that Joe and James have built a solid reputation by providing exceptional service to both their clients and candidate base.  I will be helping them grow in both the RI and CT markets and look forward to an outstanding 2010.”

- Damien Rocherolle, Regional Account Manager

Amy went to visit the New Horizons Computer Learning Center on October 9^th and had the opportunity to meet with Athena Aguiar about exciting training opportunities offered right here in Providence, RI

As I pulled into the parking lot of New Horizons in Providence I saw what appeared to be old factory buildings.  Walking toward the buildings I could see it had an old world charm oozing with history, as I got closer I saw it looked clean and sleek as if the old building had been given a new life.  Since October 2008, this building is the location of New Horizons Computer Learning Center.  New Horizons is a part of the NH Northeast family of centers, they offer training in Microsoft, Security, CompTIA, Cisco, Citrix and more.

I was greeted by Athena Aguiar, New Horizons Educational Advisor, who gave me a tour of the state of the art facility and explained to me the benefits of training at New Horizons.  Are you unemployed or under-employed?  Through their Career Training program students who qualify can receive up to $5,500 for training in any of New Horizons’ approved programs through the Workforce Investment Act from the Department of Labor & Training.  Training is geared towards real-world experience and certification in each field.

After training is complete, they also offer job placement assistance with their onsite career counselor.  Athena is there to take you through the process from beginning to end.  If you have questions about the program, including the free training, or you’re interested in enrolling please contact Athena at 401-654-5252, ext.3915 or at Athena.Aguiar@nhrhodeisland.com for more information.

Do you have a company in need of training?  New Horizons also offers customized training for companies and will customize a solution to help you meet your specific goals.  Many companies can’t afford to have employees out of the office, or feel like standard courses don’t meet company needs.  They can come to your location or can schedule private courses at one of their NH training center locations.  Here are some benefits of Onsite or Private Training:

• Customized or standard training
• Learn with real-world, mission-specific examples
• Maintain productivity with flexible scheduling
• Lower training costs
• Train all employees or departments at one time
• Eliminate travel expenses

Looking for college credit?  Baker University (http://www.bakeru.edu/index.php) and New Horizons Computer Learning Centers have developed a unique partnership that allows you to earn college credit for your New Horizons computer courses.  Below are some of the benefits of this program:

• Earn college credit while you train
• Apply New Horizons’ credits to a degree
• Use tuition reimbursement funds you have earned
• Get training that will help you advance your present career
• Prepare for new career possibilities

Please contact Chris Pereira or 401-654-5252 ext. 3914 or CPereira@nhrhodeisland.com for more information regarding training for your company.

New Horizons understands how critical it is for individuals in IT roles to be proficiently trained and skilled to support business goals and objectives.  They offer a mentored learning environment, which merges multiple learning styles to create an effective and efficient learning process.  This is accomplished by providing students with simultaneous access to information delivered via audio and video, a simulated production environment, and a mentor to guide them through the process and provide one-on-one support. Students control the content covered and the pace at which they learn so that they can focus on the specific skills they need to achieve their goals.  You can also use your Microsoft Software Assurance Vouchers and Cisco Learning Credits at New Horizons of Providence.

Check out the New Horizons Website here www.nhrhodeisland.com. 

A couple of weeks ago I made a presentation to the Southern New England Chapter of the PMI called “Optimizing Your LinkedIn Profile”.  Since I wasn’t a LinkedIn guru, I needed to get smart fast. I did lots of on-line reading which was helpful but I really came up to speed when I bought and read several books on LinkedIn. Two are worth picking up depending on your level of LinkedIn knowledge. If you’re relatively new to using LinkedIn pick up Patrice-Anne Rutledge’s book Sams Teach Yourself LinkedIn. This is a very straightforward, easy to read guide to the basics of LinkedIn. This book covers the full gamut from creating a LinkedIn account to using some of the most advanced features in very short chapters which are designed to take only 10 minutes to read.

However, If you have some experience with LinkedIn but want to really optimize your results you should pick up Jason Alba’s  I’m on LinkedIn, Now What??? Jason has excellent suggestions for among other things; improving your profile, developing a connection strategy, managing your recommendations, participating in “Groups”, and asking and answering questions in “Answers”.  In addition to the many suggestions for using LinkedIn, Jason offers related tips to improve your “personal brand” such as adding your LinkedIn public profile URL to your email signature. It would be considered bad taste to attach a copy of your resume to every email you send out but including your LinkedIn profile page is completely acceptable and may accomplish the same goal of promoting your personal brand.

If you’re too digital to actually pick up a book (you could get either for your Kindle) you can check out these web sites that also provide some nice LinkedIn advice:  Guy Kawasaki blog post “10 Ways to Use LinkedIn“,  Andrew Brandt’s “The Job Seeker’s Guide to Online Networking and Using LinkedIn”, or Phil Rosenburg’s “Build a LinkedIn Profile That You Can be Proud Of”.

Joe Devine, Partner, Bridge Technical Solutions

When you’re in a career transition, you want to utilize all the resources available to you. That only makes sense if you want to secure the best opportunity available as quickly as possible. As a recruiter, I’m certainly hoping you’ll work with Bridge Technical Solutions, but it’s important you also use other networking tools. And the primary networking tool you should use is LinkedIn. LinkedIn has not so quietly become the “go-to” social networking platform for the work-world portion of professionals’ on-line persona.  As of this August, they have over 45 million users and in June 2009 they had 16 million unique visitors and 331 million page views. These stats are more than double the June 2008 numbers!

Employers are increasingly using LinkedIn and you need to be visible where companies are actively recruiting in order to get the interview that might lead to your next job! You most likely already have a LinkedIn profile.  It’s time to update your profile for the best results. If you don’t have any LinkedIn account, get one now and check out this guide to getting started.

Using LinkedIn isn’t difficult but optimizing your results with it does require some tried and true practices. I will be sharing some of these practices in a presentation titled “Optimizing your LinkedIn Profile” at the SNEC PMI’s Career EXPO on Wednesday, September 16^th at the Four Points Sheraton in Meriden, CT. Here’s a registration link.  If you’re not able to make it to the EXPO email me joe@bridgetechnicalsolutions.com  and I’ll send you a copy of the PowerPoint.

Joe Devine, Partner, Bridge Technical Solutions

What does it take to succeed in your career?  This is a question you may have asked yourself in the past or something you may ask yourself periodically.  With the current state of the economy I don’t have to tell you that it takes more to stand out amongst a sea of applicants.  A savvy job seeker knows that resources can be extremely beneficial when striving to get what you want.  You’ve heard the old saying “it’s all about who you know” and oh how true that is.  The importance of knowing what’s going on in your field both in terms of professional development and networking is priceless these days and can expand your career beyond measure.  

You may have seen our Project Management web page, which we added to our website in December.  This page offers PM Professionals news, information on training, and useful links in one convenient place.  This research catalyzed the idea to gather information for other professionals in the field and to launch our second effort in the Professional Development Series, this time with Business Analysts.  We are happy to announce the première of our Business Analyst page which can be found here.

Kristi Brewster, Senior Recruiter at Bridge Technical Solutions, has outlined her goals for the webpage below and she is also looking for your help!   Please feel free to post on the blog or drop an email to kristi@bridgetechnicalsolutions.com with any questions, comments, or suggestions for the site.

1. To gain a better understanding of your Business Analyst needs and desires
2. To provide a forum to exchange ideas, comment and blog to communicate with other Business Analysts
3. To provide an opportunity to present and discuss new methodologies and BA best practices.
4. Presentation of news articles, local happenings and network opportunities will also be available for your reading pleasure!
5. Information on training, certifications and re-certifications will be posted as well.

Check out our BA page to read up on news, the BABOK, and other valuable links for BAs.  We’ve just recently updated our Project Manager page, click here to see what’s new for PMs! 

Stay tuned for future web pages that will have information regarding other technical specialties!

Are you new to the job market or have you found yourself back in the pool of applicants after X number of years without updating your resume?  Regardless of your situation it’s important to keep your resume current and to tailor it to what employers are looking for.  There are numerous outlets for marketing yourself, even in a bad market, and with these simple tips and tricks from our own BRIDGE Recruiting Team you can make sure your resume is at the top of the pile. 

“It’s best to assume that someone other than the hiring manager is going to be the first person reading your resume (a recruiter, someone in HR, an automated search agent, an assistant, etc.) so a) keep it simple and to the point and b) write your resume with the thought in mind that the first person to see your resume will be scanning it for keywords before reading the details – so be concise and keep both audiences (hiring manager and first viewer) in mind.”  

                      -         James Wright, Partner

“Make sure the font is readable and of the same color throughout the resume.  Keep personal information off of the resume - such as hobbies, pictures of self, marital status, number of children, etc. Some of the personal information is illegal for an employer to ask and most of the time is irrelevant to the position.  Embedded objects such as (java applets, flash, etc) should be left off the resume. Opening the resume with embedded objects can cause problems for the person viewing the resume, especially if their system is not compatible.”

                           -         Kristi Brewster, Sr. Recruiter

“Ensure that you include all applicable key words when describing your work experience and skill set on your resume.  This will make it easier for Employers and Recruiters to find your resume on job boards/sites.  Essentially, think from the recruiters’ perspective how someone would go about searching for candidates for a position you desire on a job site.   The key words should include specific technology that you have worked with and industries that you have worked in.  Also, it is important to use key words to describe responsibilities that you had in prior positions that are commonly sought by employers in your line of work.  For example, if you are a Business Analyst use key words such as “developing functional specifications.”  These, and other specific responsibilities, are often the key words you’ll find on Job Descriptions but are not often found on resumes.” 

                               -         Jonathan Samolis, Recruiter

 “Keep the format simple and organized.  Make a list of your technical knowledge toward the beginning of your resume and organize it by category so the employer can clearly see your skills, such as the databases, applications, platforms, operating systems, appliances, etc that you’ve worked with.  Only include something on your resume if you have the skill and would feel confident answering questions about it in an interview. You’d be surprised how many people include skills they have only very limited experience with.”

                               -         Amy McDermott, Jr. Recruiter

“To expand on Amy’s advice; think carefully about your skill set and those skills you most want to use in your next position. Organize your resume so it’s clear which skills you want to use again and which skills you want to leave behind.  For instance if you’ve previously worked with various programming platforms but prefer to stick with .Net going forward, make it clear by either separating your skills or including this in your objective.  That way you save yourself and recruiters from that PHP or Cold Fusion phone call.  (Please hold those emails we love PHP and Cold Fusion – just an example!)”

                    - Joe Devine, Partner 

Contact your favorite BRIDGE Recruiter and set up a time to meet if you have any questions about how to make your resume better!

A popular employment issue over the past few years has been the use of social networking sites by employers for information on prospective and current employees.  Millions of people worldwide have joined sites such as Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and Friendster.  The focus of these sites is to build online communities of people who share similar interests.  The sites allow users to create pages where you can display photos and share information about yourself with friends and the public at large.  While these sites may have originally appeared to have been tailored to teens and tweens, their usage has become widespread.  A recent survey revealed that 65% of business professionals are utilizing personal and professional social networking sites.  Not unexpectedly, employers have become more aware of such sites and it is easy for them to find information job seekers may have preferred to keep private. 

A 2007 survey by Careerbuilder indicated that 22 percent of hiring managers said they use social networking sites to research candidates prior to making a hiring decision.  This is twice the number that the same survey found in 2006.  34% of these hiring managers reported that they found content that caused them to dismiss a candidate from consideration.  Employers have also fired employees for information found on social networking sites.  For example, one person in Boston divulged on Facebook that his workday consisted of “screwing around on IM” and “talking to my friends and getting paid for it.”  After being confronted by the CEO about these entries, the person was fired.  Examples like this highlight the need for job seekers to consider the content they post on these “social” sites in the context of their professional, as well as private lives. 

Multiple articles on this subject have focused on the legality of using social networking sites as background checks of current employees or job applicants.  Before I begin discussing this subject, please note that this is not intended to be legal advice.  The common claims and questions have involved discrimination and invasion of privacy.  As one author put it “like it or not, as a general proposition employers are free to make . . . hiring and termination decisions, even based on false information, as long as in doing so they do not violate some specific law.”  At the moment no law prohibits employers from searching social networking sites on the Internet to conduct their own background checks of current employees or job applicants.  An employer can then terminate an employee or refuse to hire an applicant based on information found on the Internet so long as the information learned from the Internet is not used in a discriminatory manner or is otherwise prohibited by law.  An example of discrimination in this case would be if an employer only checks for damaging information on applicants or employees based on race or gender.  A claim of invasion of privacy is unlikely to succeed as this claim requires a “reasonable expectation of privacy.”  This is especially true if the site is readily accessible to the public.  However, there is a potential argument that using social networking sites to conduct background checks violate state statutory law.  For example, California and New York have statutes that prohibit employers from interfering with employees’ off duty private lives. 

It has been difficult to find any example of a successful claim against an employer for the unlawful use of social networking sites.  At least one expert believes that lawsuits over internet snooping are only a matter of time.  However this is merely speculation.  There is only one true way to prevent your social networking sites from negatively impacting your career: be careful about its content.  You should assume that future employers will read everything you post. 

On the other hand, using your sites affirmatively can give employers a positive view of you.  In the same Careerbuilder survey mentioned above, 24% of hiring managers indicated that they favored some job seekers over others because of their social networking profiles.  These job seekers included/illustrated attractive information about themselves in their profiles such as great communication skills, wide range of interests, good fit for employer’s culture, professional image, and creative ideas.  There are other ways of preventing negative attention from employers based upon information on social networking sites such as changing your privacy settings on sites such as Facebook so that only certain people can view your profile.  Periodically checking your friends or acquaintances’ sites for contents concerning you can also help to make sure you don’t get any unpleasant surprises during the hiring process or during your employment.  Finally, Google yourself!  Use a search engine such as Google to see what information people can find out about you on the internet and make sure that what you find is appropriate.  Look at what you’re putting out to the world about yourself with a critical eye if you don’t like what you’ve found be proactive and change it – don’t let your social networking persona negatively effect your real life career.   

Surprise, surprise. Giving away food, drinks, and a mini-laptop was incentive enough to bring over 100 people out to our Young IT Professionals Happy Hour on April 16^th.  We were pleased to see how many people stayed to socialize long after we did the drawing for the laptop and the McFadden’s gift certificates.  The opportunity to meet other young people in the IT industry was clearly as strong a pull as the invitation of free food and drinks.  

One of the main goals of our Happy Hour was to address part of the RI Tech Community (recent graduates and new members of the workforce) that rarely get out to networking events.  Networking events can be intimidating, especially for young professionals.  With that in mind, we were particularly thrilled to see all the new faces: a few people who are regulars at ProvGeeks and TechCollective events all mentioned how refreshing it was to come to an event where they hardly knew anyone. I kept walking up to groups of people and asking how they’d heard about the event. One of the most common ways was through RINexus, which is clearly a site that the RI IT community admires and follows.

Regardless of where our attendees heard about the event, it was great to see that the turnout included a variety of companies and professionals all getting together to enjoy Happy Hour (or three hours) with us.  We were pleased to meet so many great new people at the event and we engaged in some really wonderful conversations throughout the evening.  We also had a chance to catch up with some young IT professionals we had successfully placed in companies throughout Rhode Island, along with people we have known for the past few years who were nice enough to come out and support our efforts.  The laidback atmosphere at McFadden’s seemed to be a great space for mingling and we noticed there were many people who didn’t know each other and had a chance to make connections.   

Thank you to everyone who participated in our online survey and congratulations to our winners of the night Barsha, Aura, and Chris!  We are looking forward to sharing our survey results with you very soon!

 Overall, our happy hour proved there is an audience for these types of events.  We’d like to help build the community and provide younger IT professionals with networking opportunities. People kept asking if we were going to have another event. The reality is that holding regular events like our Happy Hour is unsustainable – we can’t give away a laptop every month, but everyone had a great time and we are looking forward to hosting more events in the future to get IT professionals together.  Thank you to everyone for making our event a success and keep an eye out for our next events!  Until then, don’t be shy – drop us an email and let us know what you think.