What digital platforms are students currently using to develop their professional network?

After discussion in our groups some of the common digital platforms we all agreed on were Facebook and LinkedIn! LinkedIn is a great way for us to view job postings and connect with employers that might have future job opportunities in our field of study! I personally have recently started updating my LinkedIn over the past year and adding all my work experiences and skills that I’ve learned at these placements. This allows any employers that look me up on LinkedIn to view my past skills and see if I would be suitable for positions!

Another social media that I didn’t think would be as important as it is for expanding my professional network is Facebook. Facebook has a lot of online communities and groups that have job postings and work opportunities for recent graduates. Facebook groups is also a big platform that a lot of UVic clubs use to post club updates and events going on around campus. These groups and communities allow us to expand our social network and make connections with new people!

What could the student consider in expanding their professional learning network?

When expanding our professional learning network I think one of the most important things is to attend conferences, webinars, talk to profs and TA’s about opportunities and their past educational experiences. Other ways to expand your professional learning network include, as I mentioned before, adding skills to your LinkedIn profiles, as well getting help updating your resume using on campus resources. Another thing that I’ve recently become aware of is- it’s always great if you do have public social media accounts to post things that you might be doing in your job, or repost any articles or information that the organization you work for is sharing to their feed. This can show to employers that you’re interested in certain organizations and others that you’re interested in this type of work etc.

How does data privacy and security limit and/or promote a PLN?

Data privacy and security can limit access to your personal learning network if your account is private or has limited information about you and your past work experiences. Many choose to have a very low digital profile that allows them to protect their identity, but may also limit them when finding job opportunities or connecting with employers online. As one of my group members mentioned in our discussion-  “it is harder to begin communicating with someone if they have a private account on social media”!

In your network, how can you create a digital identity/ reputation?

Within your network you can create a digital identity by posting photos with friends’, things that you like to do, or reposting articles that you support and commenting on issues that you support. If you’re interested in working for a future organization you can also repost things that the organization shares on their social media as well! To expand your digital identity and professional digital identity, adding more professional pictures about any work that you’re doing in your field of study and sharing that on your social platform, I believe, is also a great idea! 

Consider how an employer would respond if you applied for a job with them and they assessed your social media presence via your digital identity.

I think an employer would view my LinkedIn and see my past work experiences, skills and connections I’ve made with various other organizations! My public social media consists of photos of me and my friends, photos of nature, and past field work experiences! I don’t believe that my social media presence and digital identity would affect my employability. Although I can never 100% be sure!  I will always continue to be aware of what I post on social media and always think twice about commenting or reposting something to my feed. 

This week I had a lot of fun making the visitor vs resident graph and assessing all the different digital media that I use everyday for work, personal use and school. Please find attached my personal graph- I hope you enjoy it!! 🙂