Get A Job In Farmville

I was on my way home from work and listening to a local radio show, the Dave Glover show, when the host began talking about people on Facebook.  You know the type….out of work and supposedly working hard to find a job.  They are the ones who post constantly on Facebook that they are looking for work.  Then you start reading through their wall posts and see that they have been playing Farmville, Mafia Wars, or a similar game all day.

I’m certain that spending all day tending an imaginary farm is not going to increase your hire-ability. Farmville is a way for game developers to make money.  It will not help you find a job.  It will not even help you be a better farmer if that is the job you’re looking for.

When you are a job seeker, you do not have to spend 24/7 looking for a job.  But, you do have to realize a couple important facts:

• It is a full-time job to find a job. This means you need to have a plan each day of what you will do to network, search job sites, research companies, call and visit companies, join industry groups in your area, etc.
• What you do online can help or hurt your job search. Networking online with targeted motives can help boost your search.  Playing games like Farmville will help you send a message to your network.  The last thing you want others to think is that you are not serious about finding a job, or that you’re lazy or not looking.  Keep in mind that when you play games online at Facebook, it posts updates that are timed and dated.  Is that the message you want your network to see? Definitely not. It’s ok to take a break for a game or two of some sort, but I recommend choosing one on another site that won’t post updates all day to your profile.
• You control your destiny.  Spend your time online creating positive profiles about yourself.  Share information that will help you get hired.

It is not a bad thing to be online when you’re a job seeker.  In fact, it’s quite good.  But make sure that you are conscious of the information you’re sharing so that you find the job you want more quickly.  Otherwise, you might want to just get a job in Farmville.