Do Your Research

Okay, I'm sure you read the title of this post and thought I was going to say something about doing your research for papers or presentations. Or, you might have thought I meant to do your research before you post randomwebsite.com latest COVID-19 news on social media. No. That's not what I am talking about. Do your research on yourself. After all, part of what How Healthcare Works is about is personal and professional leadership development.

1. Google Yourself. I remember when I first started "Googling" myself. Actually, "Google" wasn't even around then. We were still calling the internet the "worldwide web," and I probably used Netscape or Internet Explorer to conduct my web search. But, the thing to do, just for fun, was to search your name and see if it came up anywhere. And, my name did...here and there. I thought it was cool, and I didn't think too much of it. As time went on, my name appeared more and more. Now, that I have a pretty substantial internet presence and close to 20,000 followers across all of my social media platforms, my name appears pretty frequently. Instead of looking my name up just for fun, I look it up to make sure there isn't anything incorrect floating around the internet. Notice how I said incorrect.

2. Check Your Credit. A lot of different companies from banks to consumer protection agencies to financial analysts tell you to check your credit report. But, do most people do it? You definitely need to check your credit report to see how your crediting agencies are reporting you. However, you also need to check it to make sure there are no errors in it. I have found errors in my credit report several times. Once, a credit card debt was listed for a company that didn't exist. Another time, someone tried to use my credit to try to buy a house or a car. Having a low credit score can affect your ability to get jobs. However, that generally happens in one of two instances. First, if your job will involve handling money or finances, then your job offer may be contingent upon your credit score. The reasoning behind that is that you may be a risk for mismanaging the company's money if you mismanage your own. Second, individuals who make over $75,000 may have their credit checked by the organization. Again, this is because of the income level and the chance that someone above this salary range may be serving as an agent of the organization. To get your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com. They won't tell you the credit score, but you can see what's in your report. 

3. Do A Background Check. I never really did a background check on myself because I always assumed there was nothing on it. I ran my background check. Guess what? There was nothing on it. Just like I suspected. But, I was glad to know and now I don't have to worry about it. 

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

4. Talk To Your References. My advice is to ask the reference if they would be willing and able to provide you with a "good" reference...not just a reference. You could also ask your references to provide you with a copy of the reference. Or, you could ask schools and/or employers to keep your reference file open. An open reference file means you have access to look at your references.  A closed reference file means you do not. As it so happened for me, I had closed reference files. I learned to do that after completing my undergraduate degree, and we were recommended to have closed reference files while searching for teaching positions.

5. Update And Upgrade Your Resume. I've been creating resumes since my freshman year in college, and I always felt like I had a good resume. In fact, most recruiters told me I had a great resume.  I was 99% certain that I did have an excellent resume. I have seen resumes that were not good and made me wonder how people ever got hired with those kinds of resumes.

If you are going to brag about yourself, your resume is the very place you should do it! Your resume is your personal marketing tool.  It's always a good idea to have a second pair of eyes looking at your resume. And, maybe not your spouse or boyfriend or best friend, but someone who is going to be at least somewhat objective and say "Maybe you should say this" instead. You can also hire someone to analyze and revamp your resume. I have done that for many people in the past. 

6.  Keep Your Ear To The Ground. If you haven't heard this phrase before, it basically means listen for what's coming or what's going on around you. This may include mindfulness, but it also means to listen to the gossip and what others are saying about you. 

Okay, so here's what. I don't care if someone didn't like you in college or whatever personal issues you had with them. It isn't okay to keep someone from getting a job. I like to use the example of George W. Bush when he was running for President. Do you remember a former Yale classmate of his came out and said that he wasn't smart and blah, blah, blah? Instead, I learned that former President Bush attended Yale thanks to this classmate. And, to be honest, I don't remember the classmate's name, but I do remember that George W. Bush was elected President of the United States.