Enhancing your Academic online presence using

Sue Beckingham @suebecks Sheffield Hallam University

“Social Media gives more people a voice and provides

a powerful tool for value creation and competitive

differentiation”

Advanced Human Technologies 2010

We need to be seen as role models for our students

Our students returning from placement and graduates can also be

role models

http://www.slideshare.net/suebeckingham/social-media-for-placement-networking

Our students need to be prepared for 'social recruitment'

Social media screening, Skype interviews and online CVs

• 42% of companies are now using video interviews to recruit roles• 45% of employers now use social media to screen job candidates• 34% of Jobseekers are using online profiles and using Twitter to make

first contact with employers

Guardian Careers 2015

http://www.theguardian.com/careers/2015/nov/22/social-media-skype-and-online-cvs-new-ways-to-get-a-job-live-chat

https://press.linkedin.com/about-linkedin

build connections

group discussions

collaboration opportunities

share your expertise

Why LinkedIn?

https://blogs.shu.ac.uk/profiles/cases-2/

This project has developed a toolkit of resources to support the effective use of LinkedIn by staff and students made up of artefacts in multiple media, including:• Video ‘talking heads’ of employers describing how they scrutinise LinkedIn

profiles, and other social media, as part of their recruitment strategies;• Short video case studies featuring alumni and how they understand the

importance of social media in relation to getting a job;• Case studies from students and advisors describing their use of LinkedIn and

how this has helped them, especially in becoming confident, networked professionals;

• Leading academics talking about the importance of maintaining a professional network.

The interface keeps changing so do refer to the up to date resources

provided by LinkedIn

https://help.linkedin.com/app/home

LinkedIn Help

Questions to consider

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?

Shining the spotlight on LinkedIn

MAKING CONNECTIONS

SKILLS AND ENDORSEMENTS

RECOMMENDATIONS

SEARCH GROUPS

DIGITAL SCHOLARSHIP

Expand your network

Image source: Noah Sussman

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1

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Building a valuable network

Weak Ties

Strong Ties

YOUStrong Ties

Strong TiesFriends or Peers are less likely to be able to provide new information or connections

Weak TiesMay be able to introduce you to new people with potential company information and potential job offerings

The power of online connections

• recruitment/job seeking• develop a personal brand• opportunity to learn and share• global connections• maintain connections• ongoing 24/7 networking• ability to be known and found • 6 degrees of separation

4.74*

* Facebook study

Understand your audienceThe way you tell your story will depend on whose attention you’re trying to attract. Whether it’s peers in your professional network, potential research or business partners, or other useful business contacts, understanding your audience will help you tailor your LinkedIn profile to speak directly to them.

Complete your profile

Put a face to your nameFirst impressions count. Including a professional photo in your profile brings your story to life and attracts more attention on LinkedIn. LinkedIn state that members with profile photos receive 14x more profile views than those without.

Create a headline that reflects your skills/interestsAlong with your photo, your headline is the first thing people see on your LinkedIn profile. Use this area to speak directly to your target audience, including phrases or keywords they might be using to find you.

Tell your professional storyDemonstrate your expertise.

Use the Summary and Experience sections of your profile to showcase your career and experience – and show others why you’re someone worth knowing.

Be sure to include keywords and phrases that highlight your best skills and improve your visibility in LinkedIn and Google search results.

Let your network speak for youGet recommendations and endorsements of your skills from colleagues, employers, and professionals who can speak to your abilities and contributions. Having personal advocates will give you even more credibility.

Leadership

Team working

DigitalLiteracy

Problem Solving

Negotiation and persuasion

Communication

Organisation

Emotional Intelligence

Showcase your workNothing shows your quality of work to contacts better than rich, tangible examples. Upload or link to previous work, such as blog posts, presentations, images, and websites, and give people a reason to engage with you.

You may also link your SlideShare presentations and auto upload them to your profile in your Summary section.

SlideShare

http://www.slideshare.net/suebeckingham

Showcase conference presentations

SlideShare analytics

Showcase your publications

Make yourself easy to find

Your LinkedIn profile tells your professional story and can help cement new relationships. Make sure people are seeing it. Customise your public profile URL to increase your chances of appearing in search results and make it easy for people to find you. Add to business cards, website/blog, email signature.

Updating your profile

On your profile page you can turn updates off whilst you are making edits

When adding new publications also consider adding to:• LinkedIn profile• SHURA Sheffield Hallam Research Archive

(or your institution's equivalent)• Academia.edu• ResearchGate• Mendeley

Using social media to remain in good standing

Middleton and Beckingham 2015

“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)

Remember....

Senior Lecturer in Information Systems and Educational Developer with a research interest in the use of social media in education.

Blog: http://socialmediaforlearning.com/ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/suebeckingham

Sue Beckingham | @suebecks