"At the beginning of the course I did not have a clear understanding of what all I had to do before I graduated. It definitely opened my eyes to all the possibilities for a career in psychology."
A very important part of our lives these days is our presence and how we interact in the digital world. As you approach entering the 'real world' it is time to evaluate how you appear to others who may not know you. This is especially true for people your age who have been surrounded by digital media since birth.
There are many sources of information about you 'out there,' some that might be under your control (like your own twitter or facebook account), or others that may not be under your control (like all those awful baby pictures your mom posted on her fb account or your friend's pics of you), as well as publicly available information about you that is out there that you might not be aware of.
So let's search.
First, google yourself. Yep, type your name into google and see what comes up. Use your regular day to day name, your full given name, and whatever variations. Browse through the first three pages and see if there is anything surprising or concerning to you. Next, and importantly, do those searches again, but select 'images' instead of the default 'web'. Scroll down awhile and see if there is anything surprising or concerning.
Next, run a criminal background check on yourself.
https://www.iowacourts.state.ia.us/ESAWebApp/DefaultFrame
click on 'start a case search here'
then under 'trial court' click on 'case search'
Put your last name and your first name into the appropriate fields. click on search.
If there are any matches for your name or a similar name, a list will come up. You can click on the blue links to see more information about that particular case.
Click on 'criminal charges/disposition' to see information about the case (if it is a criminal case). Feel free to click on any of the other headings that are in brackets, those are free to look at. Notice also if someone has your same name, and see what they have done. It can be very important to let prospective employers know that someone else with your name is a creep (and request that people who run background checks on you to make sure to use your middle name and verify birthdate).
Next, check the sex offender registry for your name: http://www.iowasexoffender.com/ (click on search and follow directions).
If you are not on the registry (which of course most of you are not), this again is to be aware if someone with your name has a charge. If you are on the registry, it is important to monitor your record for accuracy.
Next, check the white pages (www.whitepages.com). Are you surprised by the information available about you there?
Next, review your facebook account (if you have one). Evaluate your privacy settings. Really, unless you are a public figure, or an aspiring blogger or entertainer, there is really no reason that your facebook account be publicly accessible. View your account, and your newsfeed with the eye of an employer. What is the first impression?
What about your other social media presence? Twitter? Instagram? Pinterest? etc, etc?
Here are some articles with relevant information:
Managing Your Digital Identity - http://www.reppler.com/
After doing all of this, modify your facebook account as necessary; or create a new one (or delete your old one! or don't create one at all!). Verify that your voicemail greeting, texting signature and email signature are all appropriate. You SHOULD have a voicemail greeting set up (there is nothing more unprofessional and frustrating than to return someone's call, and it says, the subscriber you have reached does not have a mailbox set up). Also consider that not everyone in the world has the same musical taste as you. I find it very disconcerting to sit there and listen for sometimes as long as 30 seconds to a music ringtone or voicemail greeting from some genre of music that i hate. What a bad first impression that you can control! Consider changing your actual email address to something professional and appropriate (no-brainer, your name!)...some email addresses can be hard to remember (smithak5420), or inappropriate (sexkitten).
Next, create a professional social networking account on Linkedin www.linkedin.com (if you don't already have one)...feel free to search me and add me as a professional contact. This is essentially a professional social networking site where you display your professional qualifications. It's sort of an online, interactive resume. It can be very helpful when job seeking.
LinkedIn is Boring--In a Good Way
Bring a summary of your experience doing this assignment to class.
All Week 2 materials are due by Thursday class time.
Explore!
Met with faculty member in psychology department. I went to her yesterday with help with preparing to see what classes I needed to take for my last semester here at school. We then got into the discussion of graduate school. I told her that I was wanting to attend grad school but had not the first clue how to go about doing it. Especially since it is coming up so quickly and I haven't had much time to prepare. She told me everything that needed to be turned in to the admissions office if I was considering attending here at UNI; which is actually my first choice. Obviously everything I need to turn in is everything that we are accomplishing in this class, except there is no GRE necessary. She told me the due date for everything is February 1st. Although this is a ways a way she stated I definitely need to start on it now and give professors time to complete reference letters. She was a big help and I will definitely be talking to her again!