developing a professional online presence as a graduate
Post on 18-Oct-2014
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Guest lecture for Law and Criminology students on developing a professional online presence. A spotlight on the use of LinkedIn as a professional networking tool looks at ten top tips to develop an effective profile.TRANSCRIPT
Using Social Networking to Develop a Professional Online
Presence as a Graduate
Putting LinkedIn under the spotlight
Sue BeckinghamSheffield Hallam University
Social use of Social Networking Tools
Think about the Digital Identity and Footprints you leave behind
Raise your privacy settings on Facebook
Create secure passwords and lock your phone
Don’t disclose personal information
Be careful what you share and who you share it with
Initial Tips
What do we mean by a professional online presence?
values and personal commitment
skills and abilities
knowledge and
understanding
Why would you want to use LinkedIn?
The key professional networking tool
the corporate office
the water cooler
the staff canteen
the bar
http://www.alexa.com/topsites/global
LinkedIn is in the Top 20 most visited websites in the world
Nearly 5.7 billion people searches on LinkedIn
LinkedIn Demographics
277 million members worldwide students and recent graduates - fastest
growing demographic 13m+ members in the UK professionals are signing up to LinkedIn at a
rate of approx. 2 new members per second.
Company presence 3m companies have a page
LinkedIn Groups 2.1 million
LinkedIn Demographics
LinkedIn Demographics
26%
34%
33%
7%
Members Worldwide
18-2425-3435-5454+
30,000,000 are students and recent graduates
There were 5.7 billion professionally-oriented searches undertaken by LinkedIn members on the platform in 2012 alone
Understanding the value of
personal rolodex
The Employer Perspective
Take note…. an unprofessional profile can be more damaging than not having one at all.
http://www.alexa.com/topsites/global!
will find you!
Be mindful of how people search for information
LinkedIn ranks highly!
What happened in Vegas, stays on Facebook!
93% of recruiters are likely to look at a candidate’s social profile (Jobvite 2013). Employers may reject those that come across in a negative light
Job applicant screening using social
networks
Employers are discussing the
implications of a negative digital
footprint
What Employers are saying
"All our applicants are ‘Googled’
during the screening process"
"We use LinkedIn to recruit for internships"
"We actively use the people search
in LinkedIn for applicants"
"Applicants have been rejected
based on information found
online"
Who will look at your online profile?
What do people want to know about you?
Where will they use this information?
Why is your profile important?
When and how often do you update it?
How will you use your profile to your advantage?
Questions to consider
Developing your professional online profile
Think about the key search words employers would use if they were:
looking for people with skills in your field
looking for graduates, interns or students for work placements
Keywords
Building your profile
#1Check the
privacy settings and
options
Whilst developing your profile you can opt to make it private until you are ready to share it
Building your profile
#2 Use
keywords
Think about the keywords you would use in a search and include relevant ones within your profile so that
people searching for your expertise can find you.
Include in your headline, current and past work experiences, summary and specialities
Building your profile
#3 Complete
your profile
Aim for
NOT this
Building your profile
#4Include a picture
People want to connect with you as an individual, so avoid displaying an avatar or worse leaving the default image
Building your profile
#5 Customize your profile
URL
Add to your email signature, blog, business cards
Building your profile
#6 Include
volunteering experience
Building your profile
#7 Add your skills
Consider the keywords employers might use to search
Your skills can
be endorsed
Building your profile
#8 Ask for
recommendations
Consider:• Employers • Club and organisation leaders• Parents of friends
Building your profile
#9 Build you
connections
is NOT
Quality not Quantity
Building your profile
#10 Be a Gardener
Career networking on
Your initial steps will include seeking career advice and
information helpful for refining your job search and building a network
is an iterative process
A minimalistic approach to you r profile might be fine for
Mark Zuckerberg but potential employers want to know
about you!
Better to take a leaf out of Reid Hoffman’s book
Exploring LinkedIn beyond your profile page
Developing new contacts
People search
A good way to find the head of any company
People search
Search for Companies
http://www.linkedin.com/directory/groups/
Follow Companies
Groups search
Additional useful LinkedIn tools
Student internships and graduate job opportunities
http://www.linkedin.com/studentjobs
http://resume.linkedinlabs.com/
To be aware of
The LinkedIn Apply Button
https://developer.linkedin.com/apply
Companies can add this to their job page on the company website
Applicants are asked to submit a link to their LinkedIn profile
Considerations
Considerations
Standing out from the crowd
“Social Media gives more people a voice and provides a powerful tool for value creation and competitive differentiation”
• develop confident face to face and online communication skills1
• work collaboratively both synchronously and asynchronously2
• develop a professional online presence 3
• use digital tools responsibly and effectively4
We want our students and graduates to
“Social Media gives more people a voice and provides a powerful tool for value creation and competitive differentiation”
“Social Media gives more people a voice and
provides a powerful tool for value creation and
competitive differentiation”
Advanced Human Technologies 2010
“Your brand isn’t what you say, it is, it’s what Google says it is…”
It has the power to influence people to invest (or divest) in you.
(Joel 2009)
“Social Media gives more people a voice and provides a powerful tool for value creation and competitive differentiation”
Don’t underestimate the value of YOUR
Professional Online Presence
Guidance
Students can access these four resources at http://go.shu.ac.uk/socialmedia
Creating guidance for students
LinkedIn workshops
Creating a positive impression
Sue BeckinghamEducational Developer
Sheffield Hallam University
@suebeckshttp://uk.linkedin.com/in/suebeckinghamhttp://gplus.to/suebecks