Building Your Digital Avatar Using LinkedIn

Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash

I remember preparing for a middle school debate competition: “Is social media a boon or bane?” My argument was centered around the popularity of Blackberry BBM. Recently, as I was reflecting on my 2021 experience, I stopped to question: What are the implications of my digital presence? I wish I could go back in time and inform my middle school self that Blackberry BBM is no longer the problem. However, I now need an app to monitor my screen time for Instagram reels! After more than a year of Zoom school and professors encouraging everyone to turn on their cameras, I’ve spent a lot of time pondering over my social media usage and digital identity.

My favourite pandemic activity was to use quirky Zoom virtual backgrounds for team meetings. This was fun until I walked into an interview with an Elon Musk meme. I hope this blog post helps you avoid such career fiascos and encourages you to scrutinize your digital Avatar!

We constantly share snippets of our life online. Almost everything that you have ever posted, shared, commented or liked is floating out there somewhere in the `Meta`verse! If you have never Googled yourself, now is the time. What pops up on the first page of results? (I hope it’s not your old Dubsmash video on YouTube!) As you go through your time at university, and take on volunteer positions, part-time jobs, co-op positions and eventually full-time jobs, it is likely that potential employers will Google you. As you build your digital identity, it is important that your Google search results leave a good impression!

As an upper year student, I’ve spent a lot of time creating a brief reflection of my entire identity, or as I refer to it, my digital Avatar: my LinkedIn Profile. Using LinkedIn, I was able to secure an internship at one of the largest tech companies, and a full-time job at a well-known consulting firm, more than a year before graduating! From connecting with mentors to researching future employers, LinkedIn has been an important part of my professional journey. Just like Facebook rebranded to ‘Meta’ – let’s revamp your LinkedIn profile and leverage that network!

Name Pronunciation

LinkedIn allows recording your name in your voice for 10 seconds. Great feature to help people who may not know the correct pronunciation of your name. My tech internship recruiter actually checked my LinkedIn before the interview and appreciated the audio clip!

Connections

You need to find, approach and connect with folks you already know, folks you would like to know and folks you should know. Pro Tip – add Santa Ono on LinkedIn and magically most of the UBC network turns into 2nd connections!
As you build your network, I recommend reaching out to alumni who graduated 2-3 years ago. They have experience within the industry and also still relate to student life! Establishing mentor-mentee relationships is less awkward if you have lots to talk about (like your favorite UBC cafe and that notorious ECON final). With the pandemic, traditional coffee chats have turned into Zoom meetings so have fun connecting with those in Toronto and London (just remember to calculate time-zones accurately when sending meeting invites!).

Personalized connection requests don’t have to be cold. Ensure that the digital Avatar reflects your true personality and a genuine interest in learning about the industry. I usually scan a LinkedIn profile to look for common interests, current or previous jobs, mutual connections or university courses taken, etc. Next, while writing a personalized note for the connection request, I reference a fact from the profile. Personally, LinkedIn has also helped me make new friends in cities I moved to for summer internships!

Managing Endorsements

Be proactive in managing your endorsements list in the Skills section of your profile – you can choose which skills to show, and which to hide. Make sure you emphasize the skills most important for your job search! Endorsements from your coworkers and managers add immense credibility to your profile.
Pick someone who you work with closely and can vouch for your professional or academic qualifications. An endorsement for advanced econometrics, from your friend who studies Psychology, can look questionable.

Skills Assessment

The online test allows you to demonstrate the level of your skills, and display a Verified Skills badge on your profile. Displaying the results of your assessments is entirely voluntary, and you can retake the tests as often as you like before showing that you’ve passed. A wide range of skills assessments are available including AWS, C++, Java, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, QuickBooks, WordPress etc.
Review a job description that you are interested in to identify skills your LinkedIn page should highlight. Recruiters often use skills keywords to filter candidates, so demonstrate your industry specific knowledge!

Profile and Background Photo

These are the most visual elements at the top of your profile page. It will help your page stand out and engage attention! Many UBC departments have a LinkedIn headshots event at the start of the term, do check it out.
 

Remember: Don’t be shy- LinkedIn is an appropriate place to show off your achievements, experience, courses, and GPA. Let the world know! A thoughtful LinkedIn presence can skyrocket your career and professional relationships! Make the most of available resources and pursue the job-search with confidence. Gen Z is a social media pro, LinkedIn doesn’t have to be intimidating.

Supplemental Resources