Online Presence

My online presence involves LinkedIn, Handshake, Facebook, Instagram, and TRAIN/stem blog.

I started using Handshake and LinkedIn last year. Both platforms have helped me immensely because they’ve brought me closer to jobs and career opportunities. LinkedIn also allows me to follow and keep track of organizations, such as industry, government, or academia that I find interesting. It also helps me keep in touch with my peers and professionals in the field. I enjoy the connections I’ve made as well as updating my profile. For example, a new addition to my profile is a summer internship. It felt good to share my accomplishments on these platforms.

In regards to social media, I use it mostly to share pictures of my hiking adventures. I love hiking as well as taking pictures of anything and everything. So I feel that these are great platforms to share some beautiful photos. I also share pictures of my family and two dogs. But I have to say that I usually think twice about what I’m sharing. I worry about how it can affect my overall online presence. Especially, because I’ve heard that employers look up prospective employees online to learn more about them. And I always wonder if what I’m sharing is something that can potentially make me look good or bad. Not that I partake in bad stuff, but you never know how someone else may perceive something. So I believe it's important to be mindful about sharing.

Another platform I use is my STEM blog. I don’t use it as often but when I do, I write a lot. It seems that one prompt will send me on a spiral to 20 different ideas. It’s amazing how writing helps voice your thoughts. I’m hoping that as I’m entering my final semester as a TRAIN scholar I can blog a bit more. =)