Reflective Summary, Topic 3, #UOSM2008

Once again, peer learning was crucial over the last two weeks with an enormous amount of links being shared over Twitter following the #UOSM2008; at times it was hard to keep up with developments!  However, for me, the most beneficial element of sharing via the #UOSM2008 feed is actually the interaction with others and the subsequent discussions, as it brings in another perspective whilst being able to display your own thoughts. This can be achieved by not only posting the title of the article shared, but also, I have found that by asking probing/thought provoking questions, I was able to get a response from others as we embarked on some nice discussions. I interacted with Yee-Ping Pang, Francesca Gerard and Alysia Wildman in particular this week over Twitter and even though each point was limited to 140 characters, I valued their opinions in regard to developing your online professional profile.

I published my own take on the unusual Google Maps CV in my first blog post for Topic 3 in my attempt at enhancing my authenticity, and I appreciated the honest opinions of my peers on the follow up comments, see here. I have now come to the conclusion that unusual CVs are a good way to represent yourself online in a different, authentic way, as it brings in a personal touch which makes it feel more accessible and genuine. However, like Carolyn Hyams stated below, I don’t think that innovative CVs could ever replace hard copies of one’s CV, and in agreement with peer Tim Hodgkins, they are much more appropriate for creative industries such as marketing, as you are able to display specific desirable traits. Like Tim said, I’m not sure how much investment banking firms would appreciate a Google Map CV for example, and self branding methods all depend on one’s area of interest. If you really want to get noticed with a viral campaign, originality is key.

I reached out to another professional of interest this week, with the aim of further developing my learning and improving my online professional profile; above is my brief interaction with Carolyn Hyams, an Australian Digital Marketing Director for recruitment brands:@FirebrandTalent @vitamintalent & @Aquen wih 10.3k followers who wrote the extremely helpful piece on how to develop your professional brand on LinkedIn. This interaction shows how praising other’s work and being a genuine person online, can capture the attention of professionals and start helpful interactions.

I was extremely surprised to see my blog reaching a lot of people outside the module this week. As I posted early, I seemed to have missed a huge wave of comments from my peers, however I am pleased to see that people and entrepreneurs who share an interest in Social Media have liked and followed my blog recently. Very promising indeed, I will just have to improve my plugging with peers!

LinkedIn seemed to be the focal point for Topic 3, and understandably, as it is at the heart of developing your online professional profile. Maintaining a relevant and engaging LinkedIn profile is just the first step however, as it is even more important to provide evidence of authenticity to support your online professional profile with your digital footprint across other social media. Social networks such as Twitter will allow future employers to see your personality and your ability to interact with others, so it is important to show off these character traits in voicing our own opinions and personal thoughts. Simply transferring your CV to your LinkedIn profile is not enough, we must ensure that it is an interactive profile, and one learning point for me this week was the importance of including all external links, leaving nothing hidden.

In conclusion, authenticity is key to developing a reputable and genuine online professional profile; stay true to yourself and display all interests across the range of social media networks you may be updating, as ultimately, employers are interested in YOU.