Kia ora koutou katoa! Just a few weeks ago I had an enlightening kōrero with a colleague who was creating her online profile for the first time. We talked about walking in two worlds and ways to reflect our Māori worldview within the limitations of the structured sections. In this article I’ll share some insights prompted by that kōrero. Although there are off-line and other online places to create and manage your career profile, I focus here on the one I’m most familiar with - LinkedIn.
Our company has an organisational LinkedIn page and I’ve had a personal account for some time, thanks to a school-leaver I was supporting through my career development mahi in a school. Now there are multiple online resources demonstrating how to manage the set-up, but I remember his patience in taking me through the unfamiliar steps. He became my very first LinkedIn connection!

What is an effective career profile?
An effective career profile goes beyond a simple CV or resume. It serves as a personalised and concise representation of our mahi, education, interests, and relevant experiences to showcase our professional identity. While it can demonstrate why we might be the ideal candidate for a role, it is important to remember that it is an overview, not a targeted application. However, during the job search journey, we may choose to supplement our profile with our CV or resume. A well-crafted online career profile helps build our professional online presence, making it essential to manage and update it regularly.

Importance of visual presentation
Unless there are compelling reasons not to, I highly recommend including a recent photo on a LinkedIn profile. It allows others to connect with us visually. We may choose to invest in a professional portrait, but with the quality of cell phone cameras today, it is possible to have a current photo without ongoing costs. Careful selection of a background image can make a statement about our identity. I like to add my art work, but because I update it infrequently I usually have to check how to resize the image to the specifications.

Finding ways to reflect our authentic selves
My colleague’s impression of having to navigate multiple layers to create a LinkedIn profile seemed to us a great metaphor for the different ways we navigate ao Māori and a sense of identity in our lives. In many ways, career development and identity development have common threads, especially in relation to the process of gaining a sense of self and how we are different from others. Importantly, our online career profile should reflect our authentic selves. Our worldview can flow through how we present ourselves in some or all of the following profile layers:

• Individual photo and background image: choose a photo that represents you professionally and a background image that resonates with your aspirations and cultural identity
  
• Headline: select a meaningful whakataukī/whakatauākī or a short statement that encapsulates your professional goals and values
  
• Contact: personalise the URL to make it memorable and reflective of your personal brand
  
• About: craft a compelling professional summary that highlights your unique strengths, skills, and achievements
  
• Featured: showcase any relevant media, such as articles, presentations, or projects that highlight your expertise
  
• Activity: actively engage with content and create posts to demonstrate your knowledge, insights, and thought leadership in your field
  
• Services, Skills, Experience, Publications, Volunteering: add relevant information that showcases your community involvement and expertise
  
• Education, Licenses & Certifications: highlight your training and expertise  
  
• Organizations, Interests, Causes: include organisations, causes, and interest groups that align with your professional goals and cultural values.
  

Finding inspiration
It’s a good idea to search a range of profiles on LinkedIn for ideas, and LinkedIn publishes resources you can draw from. Increasingly, people are using prompts in Generative AI to select phrases they can adapt. I wish you well in creating or updating your online career profile. Embrace the opportunity to incorporate ao Māori in your profile. You are welcome to message me on LinkedIn with any insights. 

In summary:

• a career profile is a holistic overview 
  
• keep your online career profile up to date
  
• find an authentic way to share your worldview.
  

Note: This article was written with assistance from Generative AI (ChatGPT, 2023).

Dr Val O’Reilly (Kāi Tahu) Executive Director, The Career Development Company, Co-designer, RECI® model