Visitor and Resident Map
Graphic by Jaisal Nair in Canva
What digital platforms are students currently using to develop their professional network?
As a UVic student, I am currently utilizing tools like Linkedin, email, and Mattermost to develop a professional network.
Linkedin:
Linkedin seems to be a central hub of building a professional network in our digital age. This is a place where I find opportunities and build connections with potential employers and other professionals in my field. Additionally, Linkedin gives me an opportunity to put my strengths, experience and competencies on display in a way that is very accessible to others.
Email has been central to communication so far, both in my academic and professional careers. It provides a one-size-fits-all tool to communicate with almost anyone I need to. In an academic context, this includes my fellow classmates, my professors and TAs, and my friends that I’m collaborating on projects with. In a professional context, this includes sending and receiving invoices, communicating with students and parents (I work part-time as a high school math tutor), and reaching out to coordinators for new opportunities.
Mattermost
Mattermost is a tool that I was introduced to last September, when I took EDCI 335. It was confusing to navigate at first, but once I figured it out it was refreshing to engage in a group-based discussion forum instead of the traditional format of Brightspace.
What could the student consider in expanding their professional learning network?
As a future graduate of UVic, I feel that I need to focus more on expanding my professional learning network to appeal to potential employers, volunteer opportunities, and graduate school programs. As of right now, my focus is on gaining more applicable experience in the field of cognitive psychology and neuroscience, because that is the area of research where I’m hoping to work in the future. This will include expanding my professional connections by reaching out to professors and potential graduate program supervisors, where I will need to find a supervisor with similar research interests to mine.
If a potential employer or supervisor were to interview me right now, and tell me they are taking a look at my social media presence during the interview, I think that they would overall be left with a positive assessment. I generally don’t post much at all on my social media platforms, which is something I need to work on for my Linkedin profile especially — it’s a bit of a ghost town right now.