edtechdev/chatbotfiles · Datasets at Hugging Face

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learn. And in terms of your profile itself, keep it professional, not personal.
• LinkedIn is not a replacement for a real resume.
There’s no need to rush to build and post an online professional profile—certainly not in your freshman year.
But when the time is right, it can be a useful resource for you and future employers.

Social Media and Online Activity Never Go Away
While thinking about LinkedIn and other networks, it’s a good time to remember that future employers,
educational institutions, internship coordinators, and anyone else who may hire or develop a relationship with
you can see most of what you’ve posted or done online. Companies are well within their rights to dig through
your social media pages, and those of your friends or groups you’re part of, to learn about you. Tasteless
posts, inappropriate memes, harassment, pictures or videos of high-risk behavior, and even aggressive and
mean comments are all problematic. They may convince a potential employer that you’re not right for their
organization. Be careful of who and what you retweet, like, and share. It’s all traceable, and it can all have
consequences.
For other activities on social media, such as strong political views, activism, or opinions on controversial topics,
you should use your judgment. Most strong organizations will not be dissuaded from working with you
because you’re passionate about something within the realm of civility, but any posts or descriptions that
seem insensitive to groups of people can be taken as a reason not to hire you. While you have freedom of
speech with regard to the government, that freedom does not extend to private companies’ decisions on
whether to hire you. Even public institutions, such as universities and government agencies, can reject you for
unlawful activity (including threats or harassment) revealed online; they can also reject you if you frequently
post opinions that conflict with the expectations of both your employer and the people/organizations they
serve.
With those cautions in mind, it’s important to remember that anything on your social media or professional
network profiles related to federally protected aspects of your identity—race, national origin, color, disability,
veteran status, parental/pregnancy status, religion, gender, age, or genetic information (including family
medical history)—cannot be held against you in hiring decisions.

Access for free at openstax.org

12.2 • Your Map to Success: The Career Planning Cycle

Building Your Portfolio
Future employers or educational institutions may want to see the work you’ve done during school. Also, you
may need to recall projects or papers you wrote to remember details about your studies. Your portfolio can be
one of your most important resources.
Portfolio components vary according to field. Business students should save projects, simulations, case
studies, and any mock companies or competitions they worked on. Occupational therapy students may have
patient thank-you letters, summaries of volunteer activity, and completed patient paperwork (identities
removed). Education majors will likely have lesson plans, student teaching materials, sample projects they
created, and papers or research related to their specialization.
Other items to include a portfolio:
• Evidence of any workshops or special classes you attended. Include a certificate, registration letter, or
something else indicating you attended/completed it.
• Evidence of volunteer work, including a write-up of your experience and how it impacted you.
• Related experience and work products from your time prior to college.
• Materials associated with career-related talks, performances, debates, or competitions that you delivered
or took part in.
• Products, projects, or experiences developed in internships, fieldwork, clinicals, or other experiences (see
below).
• Evidence of “universal” workplace skills such as computer abilities or communication, or specialized
abilities such as computation/number crunching.
A portfolio is neither a scrapbook nor an Instagram story. No need to fill it with pictures of your college
experience unless those pictures directly relate to your career. If you’re studying theology and ran a religious
camp, include a picture. If you’re studying theology and worked in a food store, leave it out.
Certain disciplines, such as graphic design, music, computer science, and other technologies, may have more
specific portfolio requirements and desired styles. You’ll likely learn about that in the course of your studies,
but be sure to proactively inquire about these needs or seek examples. Early in your college career, you should
be most focused on gathering components for your portfolio, not formalizing it for display or sharing.

Preparing to Network
Throughout this chapter, we have discussed how important relationships are to your career development. It
can sometimes be a little intimidating to meet new people in the professional environment. But with
preparation and understanding, these encounters can be not only helpful, but also rewarding. Here are some
ideas to consider when meeting new people who can be helpful to your career:
• Be yourself. You’re your own best asset. If you’re comfortable with who you are and where you come
from, others will be, too.
• Remember, you’re in college and they know it. Don’t try to impress everyone with what you know;
alumni or faculty know more. Instead, talk about what you’re learning—your favorite class, the project
you’re most proud of, or even the ones by which you’ve been most challenged.
• Be polite, not too casual. If your goal is to become a professional, look and sound the part.
• Listen.
• Think of some questions ahead of time. Don’t aim for difficult questions or anything too personal, but
asking people how they got into their career, with whom they studied in college, what their job is like, and
similar questions will both start conversations and provide you with meaningful insight.
• Don’t stress. Remember, if alumni, even highly successful ones, are speaking to you, it’s usually because
they want to. An encounter over finger food or a brief meetup in the Rad Tech department office isn’t
going to make or break your job prospects.

391

392

12 • Planning for Your Future

• If appropriate and timely, ask if you can keep in touch. Be prepared with a polished email address and
phone number. For example, if your current address is “[email protected],” consider creating a
second account that’s more professional.
• Say thank you. No need to go on and on, but thank them for any advice they give or simply for taking the
time to talk with you
While you’re in college, don’t try to impress everyone with what you know. Instead, talk about
what you’re learning.

Making Your Case through the Words of Others: Letters of Recommendation
Whether you go on to graduate school or directly into the workforce (or both at the same time), decision
makers will want to learn more about you. Your grades, interviews, test scores, and other performance data
will tell them a lot. But sometimes they’ll want to hear from others.
Letters of recommendation are often a standard component of convincing people you’re the right person to
join their organization. Some positions or institutions require a certain quantity of letters and may have
specific guidance on who should write them. Other companies will accept them as additional evidence that

learn. And in terms of your profile itself, keep it professional, not personal.

• LinkedIn is not a replacement for a real resume.

There’s no need to rush to build and post an online professional profile—certainly not in your freshman year.

But when the time is right, it can be a useful resource for you and future employers.

Social Media and Online Activity Never Go Away

While thinking about LinkedIn and other networks, it’s a good time to remember that future employers,

educational institutions, internship coordinators, and anyone else who may hire or develop a relationship with

you can see most of what you’ve posted or done online. Companies are well within their rights to dig through

your social media pages, and those of your friends or groups you’re part of, to learn about you. Tasteless

posts, inappropriate memes, harassment, pictures or videos of high-risk behavior, and even aggressive and

mean comments are all problematic. They may convince a potential employer that you’re not right for their

organization. Be careful of who and what you retweet, like, and share. It’s all traceable, and it can all have

consequences.

For other activities on social media, such as strong political views, activism, or opinions on controversial topics,

you should use your judgment. Most strong organizations will not be dissuaded from working with you

because you’re passionate about something within the realm of civility, but any posts or descriptions that

seem insensitive to groups of people can be taken as a reason not to hire you. While you have freedom of

speech with regard to the government, that freedom does not extend to private companies’ decisions on

whether to hire you. Even public institutions, such as universities and government agencies, can reject you for

unlawful activity (including threats or harassment) revealed online; they can also reject you if you frequently

post opinions that conflict with the expectations of both your employer and the people/organizations they

serve.

With those cautions in mind, it’s important to remember that anything on your social media or professional

network profiles related to federally protected aspects of your identity—race, national origin, color, disability,

veteran status, parental/pregnancy status, religion, gender, age, or genetic information (including family

medical history)—cannot be held against you in hiring decisions.

Access for free at openstax.org

12.2 • Your Map to Success: The Career Planning Cycle

Building Your Portfolio

Future employers or educational institutions may want to see the work you’ve done during school. Also, you

may need to recall projects or papers you wrote to remember details about your studies. Your portfolio can be

one of your most important resources.

Portfolio components vary according to field. Business students should save projects, simulations, case

studies, and any mock companies or competitions they worked on. Occupational therapy students may have

patient thank-you letters, summaries of volunteer activity, and completed patient paperwork (identities

removed). Education majors will likely have lesson plans, student teaching materials, sample projects they

created, and papers or research related to their specialization.

Other items to include a portfolio:

• Evidence of any workshops or special classes you attended. Include a certificate, registration letter, or

something else indicating you attended/completed it.

• Evidence of volunteer work, including a write-up of your experience and how it impacted you.

• Related experience and work products from your time prior to college.

• Materials associated with career-related talks, performances, debates, or competitions that you delivered

or took part in.

• Products, projects, or experiences developed in internships, fieldwork, clinicals, or other experiences (see

below).

• Evidence of “universal” workplace skills such as computer abilities or communication, or specialized

abilities such as computation/number crunching.

A portfolio is neither a scrapbook nor an Instagram story. No need to fill it with pictures of your college

experience unless those pictures directly relate to your career. If you’re studying theology and ran a religious

camp, include a picture. If you’re studying theology and worked in a food store, leave it out.

Certain disciplines, such as graphic design, music, computer science, and other technologies, may have more

specific portfolio requirements and desired styles. You’ll likely learn about that in the course of your studies,

but be sure to proactively inquire about these needs or seek examples. Early in your college career, you should

be most focused on gathering components for your portfolio, not formalizing it for display or sharing.

Preparing to Network

Throughout this chapter, we have discussed how important relationships are to your career development. It

can sometimes be a little intimidating to meet new people in the professional environment. But with

preparation and understanding, these encounters can be not only helpful, but also rewarding. Here are some

ideas to consider when meeting new people who can be helpful to your career:

• Be yourself. You’re your own best asset. If you’re comfortable with who you are and where you come

from, others will be, too.

• Remember, you’re in college and they know it. Don’t try to impress everyone with what you know;

alumni or faculty know more. Instead, talk about what you’re learning—your favorite class, the project

you’re most proud of, or even the ones by which you’ve been most challenged.

• Be polite, not too casual. If your goal is to become a professional, look and sound the part.

• Listen.

• Think of some questions ahead of time. Don’t aim for difficult questions or anything too personal, but

asking people how they got into their career, with whom they studied in college, what their job is like, and

similar questions will both start conversations and provide you with meaningful insight.

• Don’t stress. Remember, if alumni, even highly successful ones, are speaking to you, it’s usually because

they want to. An encounter over finger food or a brief meetup in the Rad Tech department office isn’t

going to make or break your job prospects.

391

392

12 • Planning for Your Future

• If appropriate and timely, ask if you can keep in touch. Be prepared with a polished email address and

phone number. For example, if your current address is “[email protected],” consider creating a

second account that’s more professional.

• Say thank you. No need to go on and on, but thank them for any advice they give or simply for taking the

time to talk with you

While you’re in college, don’t try to impress everyone with what you know. Instead, talk about

what you’re learning.

Making Your Case through the Words of Others: Letters of Recommendation

Whether you go on to graduate school or directly into the workforce (or both at the same time), decision

makers will want to learn more about you. Your grades, interviews, test scores, and other performance data

will tell them a lot. But sometimes they’ll want to hear from others.

Letters of recommendation are often a standard component of convincing people you’re the right person to

join their organization. Some positions or institutions require a certain quantity of letters and may have

specific guidance on who should write them. Other companies will accept them as additional evidence that