Blog Post 2

What digital platforms are students currently using to develop their professional network?

Professional networks are essential to growing and maintaining one’s passion in any line of work. A PLN really doesn’t require a personal connection. You follow someone on Twitter who provides you with links to resources, inspiration, and advice through their tweets. There are a variety of social platforms you can use to create a PLN: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Slack, Github, LinkedIn and the latter being the most popular.

What could the student consider in expanding their professional learning network?

 In the digital age there are no boundaries, PLNs can exist on any social media platform, which creates endless possibilities for sharing, mentorship, and growth. We have to be mindful about our social media presence for both personal and professional awareness. Many employers take the holistic approach the evaluating candidates. The rise of the start-up culture has caused candidates to be scrutinised more because companies are trying to build the right culture. Social media is now widespread and there is an extremely thin line between personal and professional lives and dare I say they are blurred more times than ever.

The post pandemic era has really changed the way employees and employers view their relationships. This is the time we have to be extremely careful in realising that personal accounts and professional accounts are not isolated. Managers and bosses alike are always going to want to follow you on your private accounts or stalk you accounts from time to time. Having your Instagram as a private account, updating security on who can view your posts and feed on Facebook and just being aware of your privacy settings really helps filtering out any potential threats in relation to your professional setting.

As we transition out of the pandemic there is a distinct grouping of employers. There is the old-school group that is still stuck in what used to work. The new group is current and wants to be relatable to younger employees. Beers at the office, gaming rooms and accommodating to children and pets at the office. Generally employers appreciate hard-working employees who are responsible enough not to put the company’s reputation in question in whatever situations they find themselves in outside. Employers want to see the family photos, hiking trips, road trip videos, and your hobbies. However, we must avoid being too political or dare I say be apolitical, avoid oversharing of extremist views on your timeline or inappropriate messages the insight tension.

Other resources:

• https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/innovative-digital-identity-solutions-will-redefine-security-and-identity-recognition-by-2030-finds-frost-amp-sullivan-872794311.html
• https://www.edutopia.org/article/leveraging-social-media-build-digital-pln
• https://scalar.usc.edu/works/everything-you-always-wanted-to-know-about-social-media-but-were-too-afraid-to-ask/how–social-media-can-bind-people-and-business-together