Managing Your Public Domain CV online: complete series 1 to 6

1. What is Mahara?

Managing Your Public Domain CV Why Mahara?

Jon Curwin

Business School

Michael Schmidt

Centre for Academic Success

Poster Series

No. 1 of 6

• describe the skills you have and employers will value

• keep a record of your achievements

• create electronic pages to showcase your skills

• create your own ePortfolio webpage (LinkedIn can connect to this)

• For more ideas visit: https://mahara.org/

Use

Mahara to:

6. What Next?

How to contact us:

Mahara is an open source ePortfolio and

social networking system

• An ePortfolio is a collection of materials, including text and images, that can evidence achievement to date, present an audit of current skills and outline plans for the future.

• Mahara allows the individual to articulate their knowledge and skills, collate files of evidence and build electronic pages securely behind a password protected system. The user can control access to these electronic pages.

• Mahara also offers a range of other features including blogging, group formation and linkage to Moodle

Your content is always safe behind your password unless

you choose to give access.

• Let Mahara guide your resume building e.g. you will find sections on education, employment, skills and interests. You can always review and revise in the future.

• Try using a range of materials e.g. Excel spreadsheets, Images, PowerPoint presentations, Video. You can always delete a file.

• Try some of the features like making a collection of pages, forming your own group or making a plan for the future.

3. Adding Content

Source: http://manual.mahara.org/en/1.4/intro/introduction.html

I am certain the

Mahara experience

made a difference to

my successful job

application.

2. What can Mahara do for You?

Provides an easy way

• To capture your thoughts on your

skills and ability

• To produce an electronic page to

showcase your skills to a potential

employer

• To deliver an assignment or

reflective learning journal to your

tutor

• To produce an electronic page for

friends and family

Ninis,Nancy MBA September,2011

An Example of a

Student Page

Source: http://manual.mahara.org/en/1.4/intro/introduction.html

The diagram below of example artefacts, pages and

groups illustrates how content in Mahara can be shared

and reused in different contexts and for different

audiences.

4. Sharing Content

5. Benefits and Limitations

Christa Appleton: eLearning Advisor Higher Education,

JISC Regional Support Centre West Midlands

Students learn by doing

and reflecting, developing

digital literacy and other

skills pertinent to

employment as they

progress

Mahara aims to move

learning from passive

to active

Mahara is a good tool provided

students engage with it,

meaning training and examples

of how others have used

Mahara is essential at the right

time to inspire new users

Mahara can help provide that

first contact and memorable

good impression so difficult to

achieve with a paper CV.

Jon Curwin

Senior Learning and Teaching Fellow

Business School

[email protected]

http://www.linkedin.com/in/joncurwin

https://twitter.com/joncurwin

Michael Schmidt

Academic Skills Development Tutor


[email protected]

http://www.linkedin.com/in/schmidtuk

https://twitter.com/mschmidtuk

Posters available from:

http://www.slideshare.net/

michaelschmidtuk/

Posters available from: http://www.slideshare.net/michaelschmidtuk/

http://manual.mahara.org/en/1.4/intro/introduction.html

http://manual.mahara.org/en/1.4/intro/introduction.html

1. What is

Managing Your Public Domain CV Why LinkedIn ?

Jon Curwin

Business School

Michael Schmidt


Poster Series

No. 2 of 6

• Develop your LinkedIn Profile.

• Add evidence in form of website links or Mahara pages to it.

• For more information visit www.linkedin.com

Useful Steps forward:

How to contact us:

3. Adding Content

• Adding limited content

may do little for your

professional profile

and show lack of

‘public domain’

awareness

• You need to maintain

your LinkedIn profile –

a neglected page will

give dated information

and potentially the

wrong message

• LinkedIn is a professional networking site that had

over 175 million members in over 200 countries and

territories by August 2012

• It allows members to create a summary of

professional expertise and achievement to share with

others

• The network consist of connections and connections

to connections that provide links to exchange of

knowledge, ideas, and opportunities

• More than 10 million users in the UK (Sept. 2012)

/

Why is LinkedIn important

• Being visible in search

results is essential to

participating in Internet

commerce and

discourse.

THE TOP 3 RESULTS

RECEIVE 88% OF

USERS’ CLICKS

• …and those appearing

past the first three pages

of search results receive

NONE.

4. Sharing Content

Sharing content you want others to see on LinkedIn is easy

Requires an email address and password to setup an account

You are given options to add details of your work experience, education and links to personal websites which include blogs and Mahara pages

You decide whether to share with your connections, join groups, and accept other networking options

Benefits

Limitations

5. Benefits and Limitations

• Develop and maintain a

professional profile and set

of connections.

2. What can LinkedIn do for You?

• Get you connected to other

professionals

• Allow you to find new professionals

for your network

• Stay in touch with friends and

colleagues

• See new professional opportunities

• Build professional relationships

with individuals and groups

• Be seen – Stand Out from the Crowd

6. What next?

Yes 73%

Don’t know 4%

No 14%

Plan to Begin 9%

Q: Do you or your company use social networks or social media

to support your recruitment efforts?

0 20 40 60 80

LinkedIn

Facebook

Twitter

Blog

Youtube

MySpace

None

Q: Which social media do you or your company use for

recruiting?

Series1

1. is the likely choice of

employers. Google accounts for

94% of searches in Europe

91% of searches worldwide.

98% of Mobile Phone searches

2. Expect LinkedIn to show first on a

Google search

a) builds professional relationships

with past and potential colleagues

b) allows participation in communities

with a shared interest

Jobvite Social Recruiting Survey 2010

Jon Curwin


Business School

[email protected]



Michael Schmidt



[email protected]




http://www.linkedin.com/

1. A Public Domain CV?

A self presentation to be found online (for others to see)

A profile that is likely to differ from a traditional (paper) CV - because of the means of communication and audience

An opportunity to showcase a range of skills, characteristics and attributes like ‘a can do attitude’ by multimedia

An opportunity to connect to other business professionals and their organisations

2. Is There a Problem?

Paper CV

• Produced for a specific

purpose, perhaps using an

employer specification

• Known and limited

circulation

• No picture

• Controlled references to

age, ethnic origin and other

personal data

Online (public domain) CV

• Created using social

media for self

presentation and

networking

• Open

• Extensive use of

images

• Included material a

matter of choice

Managing Your Public Domain CV Ethical Issues to be Considered.

Jon Curwin

Business School

Michael Schmidt


Interdisciplinary

Ethics Event,

Winner

21st June 2012

Poster No. 3 of 6

We need to make choices about the:

• boundaries between our personal and

professional lives

• person we present to others (our self-

evaluation) – our image

• information we share with others – what

we include and exclude

3. Ethical Issues (online)

Inclusion

• ‘Following the crowd’ –

do we do what others

do?

• What ‘picture’ do we

present. Images will

stereotype!

• To what extend do we

‘big ourselves up’?

• How selectively can we

share information (use of

settings)?

Exclusion

• Do we present only

strengths and

achievements?

• Do we profile only

the person we want

to be rather than the

person we are?

• Are we honest about

our aspirations?

5. Ethical Issues (online)

• many employers will Google search a job applicant’s name, check social media

• an impression may be formed within seconds of looking at social media

• a picture may be noticed first

• an individual’s social media presence may advantage or disadvantage their employability

How should students be

advised given that:

6. Sharing Research Outcomes

How to contact us:

‘It’s not who you know but

who knows you‘ (David Avrin)

4. Think about …

If these were YOUR Mahara pages, who

would you like to see them?

Jon Curwin


Business School

[email protected]



Michael Schmidt



[email protected]





michaelschmidtuk/

1. What is Twitter? 2. What can Twitter do for you?

.

Managing Your Public Domain CV

How to make Twitter work for you?

Jon Curwin

Business School

Michael Schmidt


Poster Series

No. 4 of 6

3. Become more Employable

6. The Way Forward

5. Twitter Messages

Jon Curwin


Business School

[email protected]



Michael Schmidt



[email protected]



How to contact us:

4. Company Connections

Twitter is an online social networking service and micro blogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based messages of up to 140 characters, known as "tweets".

Twitter was created in March 2006 and has as of 2012 over 500 million registered users, generating over 340 million tweets daily and handling over 1.6 billion search queries per day.

Since its launch, Twitter has become one of the ten most visited websites on the Internet, and has been described as "the SMS of the Internet."

Unregistered users can read tweets, while registered users can post tweets through the website interface, SMS, or a range of apps for mobile devices.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org

/wiki/Twitter

Try to understand the company you are following. Build an interest. Do that additional research.

The idea of any company's feed is to come across as a unified trail of thought coming from a company as a whole. Try to understand how the company is managing their (complete) social media presence.

Remember, at the end of the day, you will be connecting to a person. This person may not effectively represent the company or even have much influence. You need to balance your wish to connect with judgement.

Be aware that it is tempting to build a social media persona that does not match the reality. Individuals and companies expect to see honesty and integrity.

Build a Twitter presence that is of interest to others including potential employers

Present your professional self in the Twitter bio

Use a professional looking photo or avatar

Tweet about your job search in an interesting and insightful way

Create a link to an online CV in your bio (LinkedIn is perfect)

Become an expert in something that may be of interest e.g. travel to London, the state of beaches in Kent or exchange rates

Don’t do @JMChadd's no-fuss approach: "Fancy hiring me then @guardiannews?"

Better: Communicate with your existing contacts showing potential employers and others that you have something interesting to say.’

Follow up an initial meeting: "Enjoyed the day, challenging interview, did not get the job this time but learned a lot."

Show that you have done your research about a company,: "I blogged about you a while ago & have followed your growth @pennies.org.uk. Can I join your team?“

Confidence and creativity also stands out (but needs judgement). "GSOH advertising student seeks attractive Advertising Agency for work placement, possibly more.“

Use your work history and be not afraid to tweet it: "Highly experienced administrator/assistant buyer looking for work in London. I type to 70wpm with good IT skills.“

Demonstrate digital skills and beat the space constraints by adding links to an online CV: "@Publicasity interested in graduate opening positions please check out my digital CV at http://mywebsite.net… or of course: use your LinkedIn profile. And the most successful way:

Keep an eye on company twitter feeds and swiftly respond when an opportunity arises. Most companies value it when people approach them via Twitter – so don't be shy!“

Your Tweets can evidence your social media skills – think about what you tweet and who will read them Think about why you are

tweeting – is it to share your sense of adventure or your

professional insight? Few will be interested in your latest coffee but some might be interested in your holiday

travel to China and your latest market research

Re-tweet interesting industry tweets, blogs or other news including job opportunities for others

Use hash tags to follow topics of interest. You can find job listings this way e.g. #jobs # recruiting, #jobsearch, #mediajobs, #gradjobs, #londonitjobs, #fashionjobs, #marketingjobs

Follow employers and

recruiters active on Twitter

Build a network and news will come your way but be aware that Twitter is not for everyone and you may just lose interest before you have an effective presence

another platform to self-present with a profile including a photo, short bio (biography) and web links

another form of public domain presence where you can be

following others or have followers

a chance to follow the ideas of others, their tweets and a chance to share your ideas, your tweets

a chance to network with others who have similar

interests e.g. become professionally known

Like other social media, Twitter can

give you:


1.

Managing Your Public Domain CV Make LinkedIn Work Harder and Smarter

for You

Jon Curwin

Business School

Michael Schmidt


Poster Series

No. 5 of 6

How to contact us:

3. 10 Tips to Maximise Your Impact

2. First: What to Avoid

This poster will highlight

• Strategies to enable LinkedIn to work

better for you

• Additions (add ons) to help you stand out,

even of the LinkedIn crowd.

1. Add a professional picture. Ask yourself while browsing

LinkedIn: are you giving connections without a picture the

same attention? If you prefer pictures yourself, what type do

you find most suitable? Invest the time to get it right. This is

your one chance to make a good first impression.

2. Be creative with your image (photo) space. Use an avatar or

embellish with Photoshop effects.

3. Edit your LinkedIn web address into something more

meaningful. (see section 4)

4. Use your LinkedIn account address on your business cards

and email signatures.

5. Link externall websites to your profile or create/record

evidence using Mahara, Eblogger or Wordpress. Instead of

just writing about your abilities demonstrate them in a picture

or video clip (a good picture says more than 1000 words)

6. People need to know in less than 20 seconds what you can

offer them (Elevator Pitch) and then want to see evidence

and testimonials that you can do the job.

7. Others want to know what you can do now and what you can

offer in the future. This showcase should be an honest

representation of your strengths and abilities.

8. Remind your existing networks that you exist by:

• Updating your profile – keep it fresh – it creates activity

which is shared across your network.

• Endorsing other people

• Sharing your innovative ideas and recent insights e.g.

a link showing Prezi as an alternative to PowerPoint

9. Easy Resume builder: LinkedIn allows you to save all your

details into one document, creating a very presentable

resume of yourself. To print your profile as a PDF, go to the

profile menu and view either Edit Profile or View

Profile. Click on the Edit icon and then Export to PDF

10.Use Facebook and Twitter to enhance your visibility. LinkedIn

allows you to inform your contacts on other networks about

any important changes if you choose to do so.

The Top 10 overused buzzwords in LinkedIn

Profiles in the United States: Avoid!!

Extensive Experience

Innovative

Motivated

Results-oriented

Dynamic

Proven Track Record

Team Player

Fast-paced

Problem solver

Entrepreneurial

6. Customise your LinkedIn address

Your first Linked web address is usually generated randomly

and is a mix between a name you have chosen and a long

string of numbers e.g /joncurwin143668p4 Why not simplify

and personalise it? It creates a more tidy and memorable web

address for you which you can easily use on your Business

cards or email communications. For an example please see

box below (How to contact us). If you want to adjust your

address:

• Go to Settings and click "Edit your public profile".

• In the "Your public profile URL" box on the right, click the

"Customize your public profile URL" link.

• Type the last part of your new custom URL in the text box.

• Click Set Custom URL.

‘You have only one chance to make a first impression’

What does your LinkedIn account says about you?

Jon Curwin Lecturer in Business Analysis with interests in creativity and photography

Birmingham, West Midlands, United Kingdom (Birmingham, United Kingdom)

Higher Education

Current Enthusiast of e-Portolios and Digital Storytelling at Birmingham City

University

Principal Lecturer in Business Analysis at Birmingham City University Education Aston University

University of Southampton

Recommendations 1 person has recommended Jon Connections 108 connections

Websites The creative problem solver

My ePortfolio

My photos

Jon Curwin's Summary

What I do

I teach creative problem solving, quantitative methods (statistics) and stategy. I love to see the

difference education can make and believe that it is important to balance continuing learning with

other interests and activities.

My academic interests

I believe that improved digital literacy can offer new creative insights in a variety of ways

particularly with the use of digital storytelling and video. I use the ePortfolio, Mahara with my

students and believe it offers an effective way for them to articulate the skills valued by business.

Other interests

I love to sea dive and believe that the marine environment needs to be valued for the amazing

place it is. I instruct with a local diving and snorkelling club and see this as an ideal way of

introducing others to water sports.

Specialties

Statistics, Quantitative Methods, Creative Problem Solving, Mahara, Seasearch,Snorkelling,

Diving, Marine Environment, Photography, ePortfolio, digital storytelling

Search Job Sort by: Relevance 20 Jobs + Save

Keywords: Summer Internships

Job Title:

Company:

Location:

Aon Summer Internships

Aon - Aberdeen - Jan 15, 2013

IBM Summer Internships & Industrial Placements

IBM (UK) Ltd - North East - Jan 11, 2013

Engineering Summer Internship

McLaren Automotive Ltd - Woking - Jan 21, 2013

Summer Internship in the Blades and Razors Process and Engineering Group Procter & Gamble - GB-England-Reading - Jan 28, 2013

22 people in your network at Procter & Gamble

4. An Example Job Search

5. An Example Profile

Jon Curwin


Business School

[email protected]



Michael Schmidt



[email protected]





michaelschmidtuk/

http://uk.linkedin.com/company/birmingham-city-university?trk=ppro_cprof



Managing Your Public Domain CV How to ‘clean up’ your reputation online?

We would love to hear from you:

2. Show the Good Stuff

A study from Microsoft Research indicates that 70% of online

recruiters have turned down candidates because of search results.

You may never know if your potential employer will Google your

name but you can find ways to manage what they see and what

they don’t see.

“The Internet knows a lot about you, maybe too much. So how do

you clean up your online reputation and get control of your image to

reflect who you are now — or how you want a prospective

employer to perceive you” (Becky Worley, http://yhoo.it/Xfz292)

4. Build a Strategy

If your aim is to be a more employable then: a. you will need to update your (traditional) CV anyway and your related public domain profile

b. you might consider uploading your CV to a website like Guardian jobs

Setup your own business, a. Your profile should reflect this capability and your previous experience. b. It could show you at work: if you offer outdoor pursuits or training, why not share the pictures of your recent long-distance walk or open water swim.

There is a pool of resources waiting for you: a. use Wordpress for your website

b. sell using an eBay or Amazon shop

c. use Flickr to share your photos

But is your approach sustainable? a. Are you going to create a presence now that will look dated and incorrect in one or two years? Just look at the number of graduates that are still students on LikedIn! b. Will you tweet or blog for a few week until you move on to something else? Are you trying to live several lives online? The sports person, the employable business profession, the entrepreneur?

At the end of the day it is content that makes the difference. A poor photo, standard information or dated information about where you live and work and little of real interest will tell a story! If your social media appearance is not going to showcase your skills, knowledge and aspirations, then perhaps you need a strategy to minimise your presence.

An effective social media presence needs an investment – your time. You

need a photo or image of you that speaks for you (just look at me). Your

photo should make you stand out as the business professional (or anything

else) you want to be. .

Focus on the skills that make you uniquely good and try to evidence those skills. If you can speak publically with confidence, show that in a linked YouTube video. If you have certificates, even a recent First Aid qualification, try to include it. If you have realistic goals that are relevant, like improving language skills through travel, share them.

3. Bury the Bad Stuff

5. Get the Good Stuff to the Top 1. Introduction

Tweak your name. Any chance you can apply for a job using a slightly different form of your name? If you are Bob Smith with a slightly murky online reputation, applying for jobs as Robert Smith and representing yourself online as Robert going forward could help you distance yourself from that rascal "Bob."

Manage social sites Go over to namechk.com, type in your real name (or your new professional name) and sign up for those sites that add to your presence AND those that you are prepared to maintain..

Use images to your advantage Start a Flickr photo sharing site and write your name on all the (appropriate) pictures you post. Do the same with Instagram, Tumblr and Photobucket.

6. Action

Jon Curwin

Business School

Michael Schmidt


Poster Series

No. 6 of 6

Manage the content of the sites that a Google search is likely to find first:

LinkedIn is known as the network site for business professionals. It will

show early, if not first, on a name search. You control the content seen.

Google+ is big and getting bigger. Your Google+ account will quickly

climb toward the top of any listing. Again you control the content but

watch the settings.

Visit NameChk.com just to see the social networking sites open to you.

Be careful with this one. You may be present on some of these sites and

this may not show on the results. Also you don’t want a clutter of out-of-

date, poorly presented profiles.

We all move on and employers do understand this. Your swimming

badges from primary school will be of diminishing importance. You

want your social media presence to paint an acceptable picture of

you.

As the more recent (hopefully) good stuff rises, the dregs from the

past will sink.

Take comfort from the fact that:

• most search time is on the first page

• one picture on LinkedIn that is seen early can make a big difference

• few searches get past the third page

• any ‘bad stuff’ can be forced down to the fourth page or beyond

You need to be clear about your longer-term aims, manage limited

resources (like time) and find an approach that is sustainable.

Jon Curwin


Business School

[email protected]



Michael Schmidt



[email protected]





michaelschmidtuk/