The importance of social media to an academic and how it can help you showcase your work
on Sep 02, 2009
A great article came out this morning on Inside Higher Ed about the importance of using social media as an academic, especially one that might be on the job search or potentially making a career change. Author Sabine Hikel highlighted ten reasons why academics should start using social media:
- It's about identity construction.
- It boosts your sense of professionalism.
- It's an alternative to job banks.
- It makes networking easier.
- It showcases your current self, and the self you want to be.
- It shows how committed you are about moving into your next career
- It opens your eyes.
- You can meet cool people.
- It makes you employable.
- It helps combat stereotypes about PhDs.
There are a lot of really great points about using social media in general to advance your career, but one overall theme popped out at us: the importance of an online presence, and one that you can be proud of.
If you're a regular reader of our blog or know our company, you may have noticed we feel pretty strongly about effectively showcasing your work online, whether it's to more easily apply to grad schools or jobs as an academic, or simply to effectively promote your work - which you've worked hard for - in a way that's engaging, professional, and impressive. We've even offered a few other ways you can expand your reach online to increase this presence.
A couple of key words and phrases that jumped out at me while reading this post were identity construction, professionalism, career commitment, and showcase.
By taking control of your identity online, and actively seeking out ways that you can put your best foot forward, you can present "a narrative about your career trajectory that makes sense to "them" -- and to you," says Hikel. You can put your best content up for people to see, highlight the things you're most proud of, and that best reflect where you want to go.
Lastly - and this is a big one - the ability to showcase your work is huge, and in many ways it's a lot easier to do so online than it is through traditional means. While you may have been able to accomplish all of the above in your resume, it becomes dependent on physically mailing it somewhere and putting it in front of people either through the application process, or being asked for it.
How are you using social media to present yourself or to actively advance your career as an academic?
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