Facebook Stalker Anyone?

We have all probably heard of the term "Facebook Stalking", maybe we are even guilty of it ourselves. Interestingly enough, however, it's probably not just your old girlfriend or boyfriend that has fallen into this iniquity........ your future employer may be stalking you as well.

I have noticed an interesting trend. When I send out a batch of job applications, I "magically" start receiving friend requests from single girls my age who supposedly graduated from my high school. The results are downright comical. Although these girls appear to be my age, they supposedly graduated from my high school 5 years before my very existence! And, interestingly enough, they recently graduated from a university that specializes in the very discipline area of the jobs I had applied for. A few weeks ago, after completing applications for different positions within the same company, I had two individuals requesting to be Facebook friends who, oddly enough, had identical profile pictures! Identical twins? I think not!

Although I have nothing to hide from potential employers on Facebook (as a matter of fact I requested to be friends with my current boss) I don't appreciate potential employers trying to "fly under my radar" by pretending to be someone entirely different. Moral of the story? You may want to do some checking before accepting that next friend request on Facebook!

More Time Anyone?

I don't know about you, but college life sure had a way of almost completely filling my daily schedule: work, classes, study groups, student organizations, leadership tasks, and working overtime on that group project everyone else was slacking off on...... there was always something that needed to be done.

Now, post graduation, things look much different, it's actually possible to finish everything on my schedule and be left with a legitimate feeling of "Hu, now what?". Back in college I thought I was looking forward to this, but now, it's downright torturous!! I think I have become addicted to overflowing schedules, and the promise of working extra hard to get somewhere significant in life....... fast.

Although I am anywhere but close to completely remedying this problem, I have discovered some promising ideas:

• Get into that hobby you always wanted to explore, but previously never had time for. Now that I am out of college, I have the time to get into some serious alpine (downhill) skiing. Refining a new skill can be very rewarding and beneficial.
• Help a college kid! Those days of stressful projects and exams are not all that far behind us are they (and for those of us going on to master's level studies....... Surprise!! They're about to make a comeback!!)?? I've found academically assisting friends, who are still in undergrad, is a great way to make good use of newfound time, be a good friend, and keep that hard-earned undergrad degree sharp!
• Volunteer!! Volunteering is a great way to show potential employers and graduate schools your diligence and social responsibility, plus it's a great way to give back to society!

Have a great day Young Professionals, make great use of your newfound time!!

Hi, my name is Michael and I blog about the topics that touch our lives as young professionals. I studied Economics, Biology and Geography at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, and am gaining experience in the business field before heading back to school as a Global MBA. Life's not easy as an aspiring grad student in that brief period between undergrad and the master's level, it's like trying to live two lives at once. On one hand we're young professionals freshly minted in our respective fields; on the other hand, we are maturing college kids knowing that long nights of hitting the books and preparing for exams are on the rapidly approaching horizon. It's my ambition to explore these issues and adventures with you as we seek to navigate life after undergrad!