My online presence has evolved over time, initially more social and expansive, now carefully curated to reflect my current life which is more family and professionally focused. However, I lack a professional social media presence, preferring to use spaces like Instagram and Blogger to share in small ways my professional work life, but not to use them to network or engage with others in my field. I am ready to reshape my digital footprint to encompass more professional aspects, particularly in the world of instructional design. This shift marks a deliberate move from classroom teaching to the strategic planning and development of training materials, which is where my passion lies. To achieve this career transition successfully, I recognize the need to proactively build my presence and skills as an Instructional Designer ahead of fully transitioning roles. Ceniza-Levine and Thanasoulis-Cerrachio (2011) propose that a key strategy for a successful career transition is to position yourself as equal to someone already established in the desired role, avoiding the appearance of a career changer. Therefore, my strategy will involve establishing an active LinkedIn presence to proactively cultivate opportunities in instructional design (ID), connecting with professionals in the ID field, and actively engaging in networking and learning within the industry.
Why have I chosen Linked In? As O’Byrne (2024) states, “LinkedIn is much more than a professional networking site; it is a multifaceted platform pivotal for shaping and elevating your professional journey” (para.1). LinkedIn is a very popular professional networking site that most professionals have a profile at, and can help me to create a digital presence in the professional sphere which is what I lack right now. It is a place where I can display my CV, skills and experiences, where I can learn what job opportunities are available, what skills and experiences that are valued, network with other professionals and learn more about my desired field of instructional design. As O’Byrne states that ‘understanding the power of LinkedIn is fundamental for anyone looking to advance their career. It’s a platform that demands active engagement and strategic use. By harnessing its full potential, you can significantly impact your professional trajectory, opening doors to new opportunities and connections that can shape your career’s future.’ (O’Byrne, 2024, para. 6) If that is my goal, then I will need to take my visitor status on LinkedIn, and transform it into a resident status through active engagement on a regular basis.
In order to achieve this goal, I will redo my LinkedIn page which I made last year when I was learning about what is Instructional Design. I will reassess my resume, update and add skills that are geared toward design on my LinkedIn page. I will look at other ID pages that exist and look at what a good page looks like, taking into consideration feedback from others, to incorporate into my own page. I will begin to write blog entries about my transition into the ID field which can be posted on LinkedIn and how LinkedIn plays a role in the transition. I will reach out to others in the field, learning from and growing a network within that sphere. These will be my primary actions to create my professional residency in LinkedIn.
To achieve this goal, I will need to analyse what skills and experience am I missing so that I can begin to close those gaps through LinkedIn profiles and job postings of ID careers I am interested in. Once I have identified those skills/requirements, I will start to plan what skills I can update and acquire and how to go about it. If it is program specific knowledge, then I will add it to my list of programs I need to learn. I can use Youtube, Google search, and Open Education courses to help me learn. Given my husband’s expertise as a graphic designer with proficiency in various Adobe programs, I intend to leverage his knowledge by requesting instruction from him. I will prioritise the skills that are most important to master and begin there.
What strategies and approaches will I use to identify these gaps? I have been listening to podcasts from experienced Instructional Designers who share their own experiences and knowledge, some who specialise in helping people transition into the field. I will read educational blogs, LinkedIn profiles and posts from people in the field, examine job postings for jobs I am interested in the future to see what areas I need to develop.
To judge my success, I would consider reaching out to 10-20 professional Instructional Designers to begin to create a network, learn from their experiences and profiles. This is something that I find deeply uncomfortable, as I am shy with people I do not know and hate bothering people. However, it is something that I think would be worthwhile, so I will overcome my feelings. I will create an Excel spreadsheet to categorise the kinds of ID jobs that are posted, to narrow down what areas I am most interested in, and what skills and requirements they most often ask for. I will post and share posts and articles on linkedIn in order to make myself a small digital presence. Meamed (2017) recommends posting regularly on LinkedIn to create a strong network and presence; “Get yourself into the rhythm of doing this at first is to set yourself a calendar reminder, then do it! It’s worth it, at least once a week” (para.12). Four times a month seems feasible and can only help me to grow my digital presence, keeping me focused on my end goal. By redesigning my linkedIn profile, updating my skills and experiences, reaching out to other professionals, creating a bank of dream future jobs and the requirements and beginning to share my own posts, I will create a strong foundational digital presence in the professional-resident field.
Why is creating a professional digital presence important to my future goals? Through the examination of my own digital map and readings of the benefits and uses of social network sites for professional purposes, I have ascertained that creating and engaging actively in LinkedIn is more important than I realised. As Davis et al (2020) discovered in their research, “employers are increasingly using LinkedIn and other social network sites to search for job candidates and advertise open positions” (Sec. 4.3). It’s crucial for me to consider this fact from Davis et al (2020): not actively participating on professional networking sites like LinkedIn could lead to missing out on job opportunities. This could happen because it might give the impression, unintentionally, that I’m not current with technology or interested in advancing my career. Therefore, I understand the importance and need to keep an active and updated social media profile for professional reasons. This will help me achieve my future career objectives and portray a favorable professional digital presence.
Bibliography:
Ceniza-Levine, C., & Thanasoulis-Cerrachio, C. (2011).Six Steps To Job Search Success. Retrieved from https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/; https://saylordotorg.github.io/text_six-steps-to-job-search-success/index.html
Davis, J., Wolff, H. G., Forret, M. L., & Sullivan, S. E. (2020). Networking via LinkedIn: An examination of usage and career benefits. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 118, 103396. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S000187912030021X?via%3Dihub
Melamed, S. (2017, March 18). What makes a personal brand – and how to leverage it through LinkedIn. Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-makes-personal-brand-how-leverage-through-linkedin-melamed/
O’Byrne, C. (2024, February 6). The Role of LinkedIn in Crafting Your Professional Legacy. Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/role-linkedin-crafting-your-professional-legacy-chris-o-byrne-md37c/
I look forward to seeing you pursue this new path, Heidi. While you feel uncomfortable and as if you’d be bothering people, you might be surprised by how enthusiastic industry folks are to engage with an academic. There is something about it that tends to strike engagement. I expect you’ll have no trouble finding IDs who are eager to speak with you as you embark on this MALAT journey.
Although you feel comfortable at first, creating a professional and meaningful online presence can be really great. LinkedIn is something that I never really spent a lot of time on as it isn’t widely used in public education, but I do see it being used heavily in other professional fields.
Similar to what Stephen said, I agree that you will likely have no issues in finding those in instructional design to engage and/or work within the development of your Linkedin or similar platforms.
I am excited to see what you end up creating on your MALAT journey 🙂
Great post Heidi, your plan sounds very achievable and is closely tied to your career goals. As Stephen noted, you should find no difficulty in connecting with IDs to build your network. If you are interested, when I transitioned between my previous and current role, I found that LinkedIn Learning (LIL) was a good resource to build skills foundations through small structured courses. I supplemented my self-directed learning with other resources (YouTube, peer-reviewed journals, conference attendance, etc.) but I found the LIL courses were a reasonble starting point. Your local library may offer free LIL access with your library membership.
Very nice initial DIDP, Heidi. As I’ve considered and developed my own approach to online presence, it has been a wonderful realization to find that so many colleagues are not just willing but happy to respond to requests for contact and networking. People have a strong tendency to reciprocate in kind, and this can be a powerful force in developing positive online networks.