Blog Post 3

Blog Post 3

Blog Prompts

• What digital platforms are students currently using to develop their professional network?
• What can you (as a student) consider to expand your professional learning network?
• In your network, how can you create a digital identity/reputation?
• Consider what a local employer would do if you applied for a job with them – can they search the content, is it of benefit to the career path, does it hinder the opportunity of employment?

 

Visitor & Resident Map, by Chunlin Liu

 

This week, we not only created our own Visitor and Resident Map (screenshot shown above), but also discussed about professional and personal digital identity. Currently, some social media platforms are using widely to develop students’ professional network, such as LinkedIn and Zoom. LinkedIn is an invaluable site for job seekers and professional networking. A LinkedIn profile plays an important and meaningful role in managing an individual’s professional identity. From the web article, “LinkedIn and Your Professional Identity”, Beth describes that “LinkedIn is great for staying abreast of the latest work-related news” and also “recruiters really do use LinkedIn for screening, selection, and hiring purposes” (Beth, 2019). Therefore, LinkedIn will be a useful and important digital platform for students to develop their professional network. Also, during this COVID-19 pandemic, Zoom has become one of the most popular digital tools for students to grow and develop their professional network as well. This digital tool allows users to communicate with other people synchronously in order to build connection.

For me, in order to expand my professional learning network, I will build connections with other people publicly by using digital tools. For example, if I want to pursue a career as an accountant in the future after graduating from the university, I will follow some professional accounts on social media tools (i.e. LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook) and join online communities in relation to accounting or business. Also, I will set up my LinkedIn profile professionally in order to expand my professional identity.

In my network, I can use separated accounts or digital tools to create my professional digital identity and personal digital identity respectively. In order to create my professional digital identity, I will post constructive and professional contents or ideas in relation to my careers, and share them with my peers or colleagues. To create my personal digital identity, I will share my personal experiences or ideas only with my friends and family on my personal digital tools. Additionally, no matter from a professional identity perspective, or from a personal identity perspective, it is important to ensure our own data, identity, and personal information is secure.

Personally, I always pay attention to what I have posted on my digital tools, so I do not think it will hinder my opportunity of employment if the local employers search my personal social media accounts or contents. All my personal digital tools are set up as privacy accounts, so people in public will not see my content and follow my accounts. By searching my professional content, it will be beneficial for my career path because it shows my professional identity clearly.

References

Brooks, B. A. (2019). LinkedIn and your professional identity. Nurse Leader, 17(3), 173-175. doi:10.1016/j.mnl.2019.03.001

“Digital Visitors and Residents” (2020). Retrieved from: http://experimental.worldcat.org/vandrmapping/signIn