Martin Luther King Jr., Social Media, and a Level Plain for Jobseekers
Would Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. have embraced Social Media ala Bill Cosby? Would he have a Facebook fan page? Can you imagine the strides that he would have forged in racial and social harmony through Ning and You Tube? Or, would we have been further along, remaining in awe? I think we would have been called to a much higher standard in our toleration, with our defiled consciousness exploited. Dr. King would have liked the potential for a level playing field, but would have scoffed at it being a breakthrough for socio-economic metamorphosis. I know it was never intentional, and perhaps unfair to view social networking sites as an equalizer, but don’t we scrutinize everything like that?
Social Media is one of the few technology platforms that African-Americans embrace and dispense information to and about the world, without facing unwanted scrutiny since there is image control. If you want to go genderless, or lack racial identity is only a generic Twitter account or a Facebook fan page away. You can be morally vague or politically zealous in any way you want, and no one knows who you really are, unless, you tell it.
Dr. King’s dream was for everyone to accept each other no matter the moral or philosophical disguise or exposure. For anyone of any background to compete for jobs on a the same platform as any educated, well qualified, candidate in principle is frustrating still because of all of the bureaucratic red tape that still exists in the psyche of corporate America. Profiling is a concern still even with the initial anonymity of venue that social media allows if used as a job tool search, and below I just list a few:
1. Demographic of where you live in a city, North Suburbs vs. Southside. In Chicago, like many big cities have very distinct neighborhoods. Unfortunately, to this day, employers have the opportunity to distort their intentions by profiling areas. Even the phone number could determine a more specific demographic, again another way of defiling potential candidates
2. You live in an apartment, rather than a house. The question of a stable environment may influence or depreciate character because your address says “Apt. 3E”. When I write resumes, I purposely leave the apartment number off to absolve that issue. Unfortunately, it’s such a small part of the challenge for a resume to be screened without premonition.
3. Grammar. I have clients that will forward an old resume to me with grammatical errors who said that they had others proofread it. If three people who lack grammar proficiency view a resume, it’s likely mistakes will remain undetected. Common errors are verb tenses, and repeated phrases with “which” and “that is” confused with “that are”. It’s my job, but that’s why their resume receive little to no attention from employers.
4. Names. A cultural name of any type defines your race, religion, or creed. Having been a manager, and one of the primary decision managers for the departments I was a part of I can honestly say that a candidate may or may not stand out. I’m afraid that I made jokes of sorts that could have influenced a decision, but fortunately there were forces that brought me back to my senses and vice versa.
Social Media is a great job search and networking tool, as you would want to leverage everything to get an interview, or to obtain information that could foster a meaningful relationship. It doesn’t make anything after that significant, but, it opened a door. You’ll see below that Dr. King’s dream was not about making things easier, but about making jobs and opportunities fair and accessible to everyone.
I have provided some quotes from Dr. King as he spoke about Labor, the lack of fairness, and the
chasm of fair pay. Do you think any of these quotes resonate today? Please comment here, Email,
Twitter, or Facebook on your take.
These are excerpts that you can find at AFSCME.org:
Negroes are almost entirely a working people. There are pitifully few Negro millionaires, and
few Negro employers. Our needs are identical with labor's needs — decent wages, fair working
conditions, livable housing, old age security, health and welfare measures, conditions in which
families can grow, have education for their children and respect in the community. AFL-CIO
Convention, December 1961
I look forward confidently to the day when all who work for a living will be one with no thought
to their separateness as Negroes, Jews, Italians or any other distinctions. This will be the day
when we bring into full realization the American dream—a dream yet unfulfilled. AFL-CIO
Convention, December 1961
And by a solution, I mean a real and genuine alternative, providing the same living standards
which were swept away by a force called progress, but which for some is destruction. The society
that performs miracles with machinery has the capacity to make some miracles for men—if it
values men as highly as it values machines. UAW 25th Anniversary dinner, April 27, 1961
When there is massive unemployment in the black community, it is called a social problem. But
when there is massive unemployment in the white community, it is called a Depression.
We look around every day and we see thousands and millions of people making inadequate
wages. Not only do they work in our hospitals, they work in our hotels, they work in our
laundries, they work in domestic service, they find themselves underemployed. You see, no labor
is really menial unless you're not getting adequate wages. People are always talking about
menial labor. But if you're getting a good (wage) as I know that through some unions they've
brought it up...that isn't menial labor. What makes it menial is the income, the wages. Local
1199 Salute to Freedom, March 1968
You are demanding that this city will respect the dignity of labor. So often we overlook the work
and the significance of those who are not in professional jobs, of those who are not in the socalled
big jobs. But let me say to you tonight that whenever you are engaged in work that serves
humanity and is for the building of humanity, it has dignity and it has worth. AFSCME
Memphis Sanitation Strike, April 3, 1968
I thought the kids were great in the way they delivered the "I Have A Dream" Speech:
Social Media is one of the few technology platforms that African-Americans embrace and dispense information to and about the world, without facing unwanted scrutiny since there is image control. If you want to go genderless, or lack racial identity is only a generic Twitter account or a Facebook fan page away. You can be morally vague or politically zealous in any way you want, and no one knows who you really are, unless, you tell it.
Dr. King’s dream was for everyone to accept each other no matter the moral or philosophical disguise or exposure. For anyone of any background to compete for jobs on a the same platform as any educated, well qualified, candidate in principle is frustrating still because of all of the bureaucratic red tape that still exists in the psyche of corporate America. Profiling is a concern still even with the initial anonymity of venue that social media allows if used as a job tool search, and below I just list a few:
1. Demographic of where you live in a city, North Suburbs vs. Southside. In Chicago, like many big cities have very distinct neighborhoods. Unfortunately, to this day, employers have the opportunity to distort their intentions by profiling areas. Even the phone number could determine a more specific demographic, again another way of defiling potential candidates
2. You live in an apartment, rather than a house. The question of a stable environment may influence or depreciate character because your address says “Apt. 3E”. When I write resumes, I purposely leave the apartment number off to absolve that issue. Unfortunately, it’s such a small part of the challenge for a resume to be screened without premonition.
3. Grammar. I have clients that will forward an old resume to me with grammatical errors who said that they had others proofread it. If three people who lack grammar proficiency view a resume, it’s likely mistakes will remain undetected. Common errors are verb tenses, and repeated phrases with “which” and “that is” confused with “that are”. It’s my job, but that’s why their resume receive little to no attention from employers.
4. Names. A cultural name of any type defines your race, religion, or creed. Having been a manager, and one of the primary decision managers for the departments I was a part of I can honestly say that a candidate may or may not stand out. I’m afraid that I made jokes of sorts that could have influenced a decision, but fortunately there were forces that brought me back to my senses and vice versa.
Social Media is a great job search and networking tool, as you would want to leverage everything to get an interview, or to obtain information that could foster a meaningful relationship. It doesn’t make anything after that significant, but, it opened a door. You’ll see below that Dr. King’s dream was not about making things easier, but about making jobs and opportunities fair and accessible to everyone.
I have provided some quotes from Dr. King as he spoke about Labor, the lack of fairness, and the
chasm of fair pay. Do you think any of these quotes resonate today? Please comment here, Email,
Twitter, or Facebook on your take.
These are excerpts that you can find at AFSCME.org:
Negroes are almost entirely a working people. There are pitifully few Negro millionaires, and
few Negro employers. Our needs are identical with labor's needs — decent wages, fair working
conditions, livable housing, old age security, health and welfare measures, conditions in which
families can grow, have education for their children and respect in the community. AFL-CIO
Convention, December 1961
I look forward confidently to the day when all who work for a living will be one with no thought
to their separateness as Negroes, Jews, Italians or any other distinctions. This will be the day
when we bring into full realization the American dream—a dream yet unfulfilled. AFL-CIO
Convention, December 1961
And by a solution, I mean a real and genuine alternative, providing the same living standards
which were swept away by a force called progress, but which for some is destruction. The society
that performs miracles with machinery has the capacity to make some miracles for men—if it
values men as highly as it values machines. UAW 25th Anniversary dinner, April 27, 1961
When there is massive unemployment in the black community, it is called a social problem. But
when there is massive unemployment in the white community, it is called a Depression.
We look around every day and we see thousands and millions of people making inadequate
wages. Not only do they work in our hospitals, they work in our hotels, they work in our
laundries, they work in domestic service, they find themselves underemployed. You see, no labor
is really menial unless you're not getting adequate wages. People are always talking about
menial labor. But if you're getting a good (wage) as I know that through some unions they've
brought it up...that isn't menial labor. What makes it menial is the income, the wages. Local
1199 Salute to Freedom, March 1968
You are demanding that this city will respect the dignity of labor. So often we overlook the work
and the significance of those who are not in professional jobs, of those who are not in the socalled
big jobs. But let me say to you tonight that whenever you are engaged in work that serves
humanity and is for the building of humanity, it has dignity and it has worth. AFSCME
Memphis Sanitation Strike, April 3, 1968
I thought the kids were great in the way they delivered the "I Have A Dream" Speech:
Posted by Mark Anthony Dyson at 1/17/2010 7:07 PM 
Categories: Opinion
Tags: Job Hunting Tools Social Networking
Categories: Opinion
Tags: Job Hunting Tools Social Networking
Comments