UTS Students are learning the right way to develop their professional brand
Photography (c) 2017, Toby Burrows
Over 90% of the professional services industry in Australia is using LinkedIn; but are they using it effectively? Our Curriculum Career and Development team has been working with students around the development and promotion of ‘personal-brand’ through workshops throughout the year. We sat down with two of our Recruitment Advisors, Sarah and Courtney, to find out what makes communicating online so valuable for employers and students.
Both of you are Recruitment Advisors here at UTS; give us a little insight into your day-to-day.
Sarah: Well a lot of our time is spent helping students find their next steps in terms of their career education. We see students one-on-one for short appointments to walk them through issues they might have such as job searches, editing their CV’s and cover letters, what they can do to improve their skills, things like that.
Courtney: We also develop resources for students to use when it comes to their professional development; from e-guides to workshops and presentations. It’s a lot of fun, we get to meet all sorts of different students from diverse backgrounds. No consultation or interaction is ever the same.
It does seem like you are almost always working with students; that brings me to the LinkedIn Lab which both of you facilitate throughout the year. Surely, LinkedIn is something that is 'optional' in the eyes of employers, a bit like whether you get involved in social media or not?
Sarah: I personally like having a LinkedIn account, because it conveys much more than a CV or portfolio. Traditional docs are quite limiting in their ability to express the ‘real’ you; with LinkedIn, expressing your character is easier. There are more tools to use which can help you express your professional brand and tone so that people get the right sense of who you are. Of course, it's not 100% effective all the time. But it’s a lot better than a resume alone.
What is the LinkedIn Lab workshop and who is it for?
Sarah: The LinkedIn Lab is a one-hour interactive workshop that we offer to help students get started with LinkedIn. They bring their own device along and we work through some steps to help them develop a profile and start using the platform effectively.
Courtney: It’s a basic introduction which appeals to students from many backgrounds, some have literally never even used it. We introduce the idea of “professional brand”, communicating skills and strengths, how to communicate appropriately. This is important because many students haven’t yet been exposed to an environment where they need to be professional. As with many other initiatives, we are trying to get students thinking this way from the minute they arrive at UTS, so that when they begin their first internship or role, they’ve been work-ready for some time; it’s not such a big leap for them.
What are some of the things you notice in working with the students in the workshop? Are there changes in the way they see themselves?
Courtney: With many of our workshops, building self-awareness is key. Here, we are showing students how to identify and articulate their skills, across this platform, to engage with the world around them as a professional.
Sarah: Often, we are seeing students begin to realise there are many more things to list in their skills and experience section. We see them grow in confidence, they learn to believe that their experience, whatever that looks like, can be valid.
Are students using LinkedIn for job searching?
Courtney: It’s not just about a jobs board, it’s about building a network, which, as you invest in over a period becomes a strong support for finding the right roles. Friends and contacts can easily share job postings quite organically, adding their own comments and sending specifically to people who might be a good fit. And many users who aren’t necessarily looking for roles are still engaged every day, helping connect the dots.
It's also important to learn how to showcase your career progression. You may not think some skills are relevant, but small things can make a difference. It’s also interesting to see how and where you connect with different people. It's great to see who may work within an organisation you're applying to work for.
Is there anything you say to workshop participants that they really SHOULDN'T do with their LinkedIn profiles?
Courtney: We talk through basic things like photographs. A benefit of LinkedIn is being able to convey who you are in a photo; resumes don’t usually call for this. But, instead of a party-selfie (which we do see a lot, and not just from students), professionalism is key.
Sarah: Expressing extreme views on touchy topics is a little difficult on LinkedIn. Students are often finding their voice and are passionate about issues which could be great to discuss on other platforms. Our rule of thumb is that you shouldn’t be talking about things that you wouldn’t talk to your boss about. It comes back to soft skills and self-awareness of how we are communicating with others.
Courtney: We also work through ways to connect professionally. We have seen examples of requesting contacts that don’t translate well. We want to make sure students put their best foot forward, respect boundaries, and value others’ privacy.
Privacy is an interesting one. There has been a lot of conversation around protecting information and right to privacy; is this something you discuss?
Sarah: When we talk to students about their privacy, we discuss their ability to control connections. You can change privacy settings so that only legitimate connections can see certain information and I encourage people to do this. We help students to understand the need to be transparent and without hidden agendas, and to explain why they are making a new connection.
Do you have any advice for people who might need to dust off their profile?
Sarah: Update regularly, either share content you find interesting or create something. The blogging function is great, but you don’t have to be a master-creative writer. Perhaps list your skills, achievements and endorse others on what you think they do well.
Sarah: Another useful tool is the alumni function. Particularly if you are considering career changes or wondering where a certain path can lead. If you click through to the main UTS page and then click ‘see alumni’, students can ‘investigate their futures’, they can see what graduates are doing, what different pathways may look like. It's actually very helpful when it comes to career planning.
- For students: UTS Careers offers a variety of workshops, resources and advice for UTS Students and alumni; for more information click here.
- For employers: We work with employers to reach, engage with and source UTS talent. For more information go to industry.uts.edu.au