eProfessionalism

Building online networks

There are social networks created specifically for professionals and businesses. Some advantages of creating a professional online account to compliment your resume include:

• A strong professional brand
• Visibility in an online recruitment world
• Some sites provide access to daily feeds with relevant posts
• Many online networks allow you to search and apply for jobs
• You may be able to showcase your work through video, documents and other mediums such as my ePortfolio
• Often employers can look for you rather than you searching for a job.

UQ ePortfolio

Your UQ ePortfolio provides a platform that enables you to:

• track and showcase the development of competency and professional skills while studying.
• reflect on skills developed outside of study which illustrate your employability skills such a volunteering and work experiences.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a popular professional networking site that allows individuals and companies to establish a network. This enables you to follow or interact with people you work with, or ;are interested in collaborating with. Your LinkedIn profile is usually the first thing that appears in a Google search.

Creating a Personal Learning Network (PLN)

A Personal/Professional Learning Network (PLN) is an informal learning network that uses social media to help you connect with peers and future colleagues. It can be described as “a situation where nobody knows everything, everyone knows something, and what any given member knows is accessible to any other member upon request on an ad hoc basis” (Fans, bloggers, and gamers : exploring participatory culture, Jenkins, 2006).

Watch Creating a PLN (YouTube, 1m39s)

Using a PLN provides opportunities to collaborate and share information, continually develop your skills and remain competitive in the job market.

How to build and grow your PLN

• Spend 10 to 20 minutes a day interacting with your peers
• Create a Twitter account and follow peers within your area of interest
• Join and follow groups in LinkedIn and Facebook based on your professional interests
• Start following relevant blogs, podcasts and YouTube channels to engage with peers

Twitter

One popular tool that you can use to build a PLN is Twitter. Having a Twitter account and using it regularly will allow you to connect with peers. You can create networks by responding with questions to recent journal articles or online posts allowing engagement with the author or other commentators.

Communication

In your professional life, it is likely you will communicate online regularly via different mediums, including email, messaging and online meetings. The Communicate and collaborate online module explains different strategies for communicating effectively.