Yesterday was a big day for me. I became a Grandma. I also had an in-person interview. And, even though all the advisers tell you not to do it, I shared this exciting news with the man I was interviewing -- even sent him this photo in my follow-up thank you email.The advise is not to share this personal stuff. First of all (unfortunately) Grandma is practically synonymous for "old lady." I have to admit, I hesitate about mentioning the G-word. Both my daughter and I had our babies at a relatively young age (I'm tempted to say we had them at age 13, but that may conjure up different unappealing biases. I'd rather be thought of as old than ignorant.)
I am so conscious of my image, especially when job hunting that I've been trying to be more cautious about what I put on the internet. Some people say they never post photos or share stories about their kids or families because there are a lot of "crazy people out there." I've really grappled with this. Is posting this photo of my beautiful new grandson in any way dangerous? Will it hurt my image in some way because it's not professional?
The thing is, what I think makes blogging and social media so addicting for us, both as a writer and a reader, is that you DO get personal. As a blogger, when something wonderful happens, you just want to shout your good news from the rooftops! (or...in your blog) Your heart is filled with this joyous news and you want to tell everyone: "Look at this gorgeous baby! This is my grandson!" And when people on the other side -- the readers, the listeners, the people that have been through those joyous moments themselves -- see us being "human".. they connect. They see more than the "professional" side. They see the personal.
Yes, all the informative blogs will get recognition. Perhaps we lose some of our professionalism when we write about something personal. And when we blog we each have our own motivations and objectives. I still have not exactly figured out the purpose of my blog...in some ways it's just an outlet for me to air my thoughts on social media, especially relating to a job search.
But today it's a way for me to shout from the rooftops.
"I have a beautiful, healthy, magnificent Grandson! Wooo Hoooo!"
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This is wonderful Yvette. Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about the personal sharing that makes blogs so compelling to read. You can share personal tidbits with your readers, which bonds us all as humans and friends. It does have to be done carefully, of course. Names, addresses and embarrasing people we know and love obviously are off limits.
ReplyDeleteOn admiting to prospective employers that you're a grandma; of course I think it's fine. You look anything but old. That's not the point though. They'd find out soon anyway and being totally upfront and honest is always best. There's ageism out there no doubt about it, but increasingly as the generational shift happens (older workers leaving longtime positions) employers will find that having some maturity and life experience on staff, along with the enthusiasm and naiviety of the younger employees is an asset they may not be able to do without. And, if we get some kind of national healthcare in place (another rant) the oness of hiring older workers will be lessened significantly.
Mucho congratulations on the nino abuelita!