Topic 3: Reflection
This week’s topic has really motivated me to become proactive in developing my online professional profile. As already mentioned, though I have a LinkedIn and Twitter account, they currently do very little to attract potential employers. Before this course, I intended to rely on my CV to highlight my best attributes; I didn’t believe that creating a LinkedIn account would serve me any better. Even when I gave in and produced a profile, I only thought to include what I had already stated on my CV.
However, having researched self-branding online, I soon became aware that employers are becoming increasingly interested in viewing their employees social profiles. At first this made me nervous, the prospect of having to maintain a social profile, making sure that I am constantly presented accurately and positively definitely didn’t entice me. Nonetheless, though I lack experience in maintaining multiple identities, I have come to agree with May’s comment that “being judged professionally online is a great opportunity to stand out”.
Irinie’s post this week highlighted the importance of authenticity. When developing professional profiles, we must be aware that strategic and exaggerated posting in order to attract employers hinders authenticity, which could in turn prevent employment. However, as Tamara points out: you can’t force authenticity, it’s gained over time. This being said, it is clear that in order to be truly authentic I need to develop my LinkedIn profile over time, making sure that I keep up to date with the companies and employers that I’m interested in. Yet, I don’t believe that authenticity alone is enough to attract an employer. Blogging and podcasting can also go some way to attracting employers, by demonstrating creativity, passion and dedication to a specific field.
My impending graduation has made the prospect of endlessly searching for jobs stressful. Yet with the various social and professional platforms available online, I feel that I have the tools to develop an attractive professional online identity.
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