I hope this week was filled with good vibes and you're feeling in the Christmas spirit! Today's blog post marks my 3 month anniversary since I have started my personal blog. I'd like to reflect with everyone what I have learned during my fall semester of my senior year from my Professional Writing class.
Using a LinkedIn Account
During this semester, I learned how important networking is and how it will help you find a job easier after undergrad and grad school. You have to break the cycle of being shy and sell/market yourself as a professional for doors to open. An easy way to start to market and sell yourself is to create a LinkedIn account. LinkedIn is a website where you can customize your profile by adding your work history, education, and get connected with professionals of your chosen profession and people nearby who have the similar interest as you job wise. You are able to choose what interest you when you create your LinkedIn account by hashtagging keywords. For example, if you are interested in corporate law, you will hashtag "#corporatelaw" and corporate Law articles and law firms will appear on your timeline when you go to the home page of your LinkedIn. I had personally made a LinkedIn account about a year ago and never had any interest in using it until I learned how much of a useful job search tool it can be and how the website allows a user to connect to the professional world. If you do not have a LinkedIn, I highly recommend the website to everyone no matter what your profession may consist of. You can also connect with your peers, classmates, and professors that may help lead you to opportunities that you never knew you had. If you are interested in creating a LinkedIn account, make sure to finish all the steps to complete your profile to give you a higher chance of getting noticed by employers and finding connections.Creating Reports for the First Time
Another important thing I learned was how to design a report. I had never designed a report in my 4 years of being an undergrad student and it made me feel behind with a lack of experince. It was intimidating at first when I found out I had to create a report of my own and pick the organization i'd like to proposal my report for. My professor explained and elaborated how important creating reports would be in graduate school and continued to explain that this was not going to be the first or last time creating a report. The report I worked on consisted of having a cover page, table of contents, cover memo, an abstract, introduction, methods, findings, findings, and finalizing our recommendations in that order. I went ahead and chose a non-profit organization that stood against child abuse in Texas. This organization needed a lot of work to be at the success level it aimed to be. That's where I came in and explained on my report to the organization to why I would be the best person to chose to get the job done. Doing this report taught me how to present my skills, talents, and aspiration to make a difference to an organization and allowed me to get familiar with future reports I'll have to conduct in the future.
Designing a Personal Website
Creating a website for the first time may have you looking like a deer in headlights, but I promise it's fun! My first time creating my own personal website was a bit challenging trying to get the navigation bar right to make my website user-friendly. There are many things to be aware of when creating your own professional website. You must consider who your audience is, what will be the first thing they see when they enter your website, is your contact information available, and does your professional bio going to interest people enough to work with you. The most fun part about creating your own website is your the boss and you get to chose how you want the world to see you. The background you chose for your website is extremely important because you're not going to choose a glitter background with hearts if you are creating a website for a lawyer career. As cute as a glitter background with hearts sounds, you have to stay professional. Your background has to consist with the font you chose and it will give your website the personality it needs to thrive and catch the attention of the right viewers and potential clients if your website is a professional one. The way I saw things while creating my own professional website is to think of your website as a resume that you can customize with detail and personality. Make it presentable, sharp, and that makes others want to hire you or work with you.
I Mentioned 3 Things I Have Learned...
Concluding that I have reflected on some things I learned during my Professional Writing course, the question is if I will be returning to blog again as I have been every Sunday. I have decided to stop blogging until I have been accepted into law school. I feel within the next year and being a law student, I will be a completely different person with a lot more experince and stories to share with everyone. As I have made this blog based on becoming an attorney, I look forward to growing and perfecting my craft as a writer and sharing information with other law students when I actually become a law student myself. I have never in my life blogged until this fall semester and it's a nice mental getaway to type about what I have learned, overcome, and experince. The journey to becoming an attorney will continue, as I look forward to growing through life with knowledge and personal insights to help, inspire, and express myself. Until next time,
Best Wishes,
Natalie
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