Beware of Other Career Blogs
Sometimes I wonder if they'll have to extend my local Barnes & Noble bookshop to accommodate the always-growing career self-help aisle. With so many books written by "experts," and thousands of blogs devoted to making work better, I sit here this morning wondering if any of it has made a difference.
With more resources at our ready than ever before, are a greater number of people happier at work then lets say 10 years ago?
My Jobacle ego likes to think so, but how can we quantify the results? Unemployment numbers continue to trend towards double digits, hitting the highest rate in 16 years. Do any of these people feel better because they can commiserate with one another?
Authors have always had a bonafied credential. They can point to the fact that they were able to to get through a publisher's filter. At that point, the writer has to know what they're talking about, right?
My sneaking suspicion is that in the 21st century, that is less true than ever before. It seems as if ANYONE can be published. Whether it's via an established publishing house (tier 1), a self-publishing entity (tier 2) or an eBook (tier 3), suddenly, everyone is a writer.
This means that job seekers and folks who are looking to improve their work life who are reading these books and blogs, must put is extra work to establish the source of the information.
Here at Jobacle I have always been up front about who I am; a regular middle manager in his early thirties who likes to share contrarian thoughts, views and advice on office work. I'm passionate about helping people 'make work better,' but that does not make me an expert.
Perhaps you already have your favorite career blogs and Web sites. During your travels, here are a few things to look for.
- What are they selling? It could be a site littered with ads or a paid product. Take a good look at what the author's 'motives' are and what they potentially have to gain.
- What is their experience? You should ask yourself why you should care about what they have to day. If you do not come up with a good answer, you should move on.
Most of the major job boards that have blogs and books have an agenda too. If everyone was happy and satisfied at work, then no one would be looking for a job, and these SimplyHotMonsterBuilder sites would be no more. Think about it.
What's my point? My point is that I want you to be careful. Don't just accept career advice at face value - know your source.
Will Jobacle one day release a book or 'sell' a product? We've given a lot of thought, and have been approached from many different angles. It certainly remains a possibility. But you have my word that this blog and the Working Podcast will always deliver honesty and truth, putting the worker far ahead of everything else. Can the competition say the same?
Andrew G.R.
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Reader Comments (13)
It's not always comfortable. It's not always easy. However, it IS necessary to pay attention. I know that other sites and writers may not have the credibiliy or knowledge that Jobacle does, and that is one reason I make this site my first stop every morning when I get on the computer.
I salute you, Mr. Jobacle-everyman.
Pardon my personal agenda, but I think as long as people grow up and grow old - and ultimately die - there will always be a need for job boards, though perhaps not quite so many.
People should even be careful about experts' advice because sometimes they disagree. Nobody knows everything, so it's never a bad idea to research any advice you're thinking about taking, if for no other reason than to be certain you're making an informed decision.
I'm a fan of this blog, too. I think your logo says it all.
I agree that job boards will be necessary for job seekers, and probably even more so in the future. I agree with your suggestion to double-check information. It never hurts.
I take my information sources very seriously, and as I have advanced in my own career, I have become more of a resource to others than I ever thought I would. It is challenging, but a heck of a lot of fun! :-)
Don't take advice on how to get hired from people who haven't spent a fair chunk of their career actually hiring people.
How do we know what people really know? Check their resume? Ask for referrals? Grill them on every aspect of career until we're both blue in the face?
Even if I do all of that and they come off with high marks in every respect, does it guarantee that he/she is still the right person for me?
I'm new in commenting here and new to blogging about the workplace. If someone was to weigh my experience solely based upon how many posts I've made (11 as of right now), they'd be advised to run in the other direction. However, there are other factors.
I've owned my own company with real employees for 15 years. I've also worked for several companies, large and small, and had 18 bosses. I've written over a thousand articles on workplace issues. I've trained many thousands in areas of leadership, management, and communications.
All this said, does it make me competent to give advice?
Maybe.
I have to ask myself a question. Have I learned more from my actual hands on experience or through what I've witnessed, or been told? Workshop attendees are a great source of information and a principal way I keep up to date with trends and the overall pulse of the working world.
I also read dozens of blogs, articles, magazines, and books. I'm all over Twitter.
Doesn't that make me competent to give advice?
Again, maybe.
Do I have to experience EVERYTHING first hand in order to understand and process the value of information?
In my teens and 20s, the answer was YES. After a while, you find that you can learn from the mistakes and experiences of others, and save yourself a lot of bruises.
Obviously, I don't know what the stimulus was for this post. However, career advice will never be a perfect science. I've known of headhunters who found what they thought was a perfect fit for both the individual and the organization, only to see everything fall apart in months. They were careful and did what they thought was right. The deal still blew up on them.
Does that mean they're unqualified to do their job?
Probably not.
None of us knows as much as all of us, as Candice pointed out in an earlier comment. Even with solid experience and all of the information in our hands, we're not always going to get things right.
Thanks for the thoughtful work you do here with Jobacle.
Best regards,
Jerry Roberts
Wow. Great comment. Two thumbs up! I'm going to be checking your site out later. :-)