Is it at all possible to blend your online personal persona and your online professional persona?
I've been mulling this over for a while now, as it pertains to the Student Affairs field, and I'm sure some professionals could speak up and say "of course it's not possible!" and others might disagree.
I bring this up now because during my recent graduate school and job search, I've kept a close eye on what I post publicly and even watching the content of my posts, sometimes not being myself or as casual. It's not that I post anything inappropriate, I just don't want to post anything that might offend an employer/search committee trying to get a feel for my online reputation.
My Skype and emails have recently changed screen-names to become more professional; or should I say grown-up. I happen to still be using screen-names I created in middle school, and you can imagine how creative and embarrassing they were.
I just realized this is one of the reasons I love Google Plus. On Google Plus you can put people in different "circles" (for example, family, friends, coworkers, soccer club, etc) and then chose which circles you share the post with. But my personal issue with blending a personal and professional online persona pertains mostly to Twitter. Ideally, I would like to continue using it as a crossbreed account where I share posts both of personal nature and professional nature. I am just curious as to if this method is going to work in my future. I suppose it might depend on the universities I'll work in. But what if it means I don't get a job somewhere? Okay, so as a young one in the student affairs field this might be a bit of paranoia. But maybe someone can comment with feedback.
Here is a link to my Twitter, if you're interested!
https://twitter.com/#!/CatieHolker
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Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
How do we chose?
I've been mulling over which area of Student Affairs I would like to pursue. I realize I have plenty of time to figure this out between now and the time I'm waiting to get to graduate school, however it is something that bothers me.
According to the Student Affairs page on Wikipedia, there are at least 25 different areas I could consider. I've crossed out the areas that I'm not qualified for or not interested in and bolded my favorites;
According to the Student Affairs page on Wikipedia, there are at least 25 different areas I could consider. I've crossed out the areas that I'm not qualified for or not interested in and bolded my favorites;
- Academic Advising
- Admissions
- Assessment and Research
AthleticsCampus Safety or Police Services- Career Development or Career Services
- College/Student Union
- Community Service and Service Learning
Commuter Services or Adult Students- Counseling Services
Dining and Food ServicesDisability Support ServicesEnrollment ManagementFinancial AidFund RaisingGreek Affairs- Health Services
- International Student Services
Judicial Affairs- Leadership
- Multicultural Affairs
- Orientation or First-Year Experience
- Recreation and Fitness
- Residence Life
Spirituality, Faith, or Religious Services
Even narrowing this list still leaves me with a lot of options.
A graduate assistant in the student activities department on campus where I work has helped me find websites and links to jobs that I'm qualified for at community colleges. So far I have applied for positions such as a Program Assistant in Continuing Education, Admissions Representative, Admissions Assistant, Center for Humanities Coordinator, Student Services Operations and Account Manger, Counseling Services Coordinator Pre-College, and even some administrative assistant positions in colleges and universities, just because I need a job once I'm out of school and I might as well get my foot in the door of an institution.
Lately I have most strongly considering a position in an Education Abroad office, maybe some kind of director or coordinator of programs. When I was at a Minnesota College Personell Careers in Student Affairs conference in February I did a mock interview and pretended I was applying for such a position. It felt comfortable discussing my experiences and views on studying abroad; I thought it could be something I would be good at.
The thing I most have to work on now is confidence.
When I look at various positions and see that I'm over qualified, I get excited and start my resume and cover letter, however after I hit submit my confidence goes down and I worry that there are too many candidates who are older or more qualified than I.
When I look at various positions and see that I'm over qualified, I get excited and start my resume and cover letter, however after I hit submit my confidence goes down and I worry that there are too many candidates who are older or more qualified than I.
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