job hunting and blogs

According to Professor Elizabeth Lawley, it is almost standard practice for employers to do a Web search on job applicants. Assuming she is correct, what would a potential employer find out about you?

• Is your online presence an accurate reflection of the person you are? (and is that the person you want recruiters to know?)
• Do you think that blogs will play an increasingly important role in job searching and recruiting?

I have a very heavy online presence between various postings I have made posts to large sites and my own network of sites. If someone were to read the entries on my site, I believe they would get a solid and accurate impression of who I am and what my interests are. Is that the person I want recruiters to know? All-in-all, yes. Every so often, I let myself go onto something personal on the site, the vast majority of the text is simply what I am interested in.
Blogs and other personal websites will have to play an increasingly important role in job searching and recruiting. Companies have to start looking at these communication avenues as very important-and powerful- means of information-sharing. As more and more people develop weblogs, the less importance a resume should have. While very important and very reflective of their past, weblogs allow you to find out more about a person’s spirit and general attitude. For many smaller companies wishing to keep themselves fresh and vibrate, this is important.
In regards to finding a job, blogs are incredibly important. When I am looking into a company, both to do business with them or for any job options, I try to find a blog or two from a company employee. If no one enjoys working there (i.e. Office Space), then why would I? If the employees don’t care about their product, why would I want to buy it?
The 21st Century is when the information era will really happen. The ability to share information of all different types and levels is required for the next step. This means resumes and formal documents, while important, will be augmented by personal expression. These new “profiles” of people and companies will be what is used to make the divide between employee grunts and exec’s smaller, the divide between big corporate America and small-town individual smaller. Blogging, and the corporate use of it, is a key part of making us truly one community.