Unit Two involved multiple tasks consisting of creating a LinkedIn profile, preparing my report proposal and a couple of peer-reviews. I’ll highlight what I felt about each below.
Reflection on creating a LinkedIn profile
In week 5, we were tasked with the process of creating our LinkedIn profiles for networking. This was a new step for me because I usually keep all my social accounts on high privacy. LinkedIn is such a website that in order to network successfully, the user is supposed to detail all aspects of their professional life and be open. This reason is why the process of creating a LinkedIn profile was daunting to me. However, since this is a platform for learning and growing, I looked at what my peers outlined in their memo, which highlighted the best practices for creating and maintaining a LinkedIn profile. Advice like keeping the URL unique, providing an attention-grabbing summary and attaching a professional photo really helped me break out of my shell and create a LinkedIn profile.
Once I entered the professional social media network, I began to enjoy it immensely. I ended up connecting with almost everyone I knew, even the people in my Engl 301 team and was given suggestions to network with people who work in places I aim for. Apart from connecting with peers and mentors, LinkedIn allowed me to look at the social feed of companies I am interested in. It allowed me to gain an insight into what causes they believed in, when were they rolling out the next intake of internships, and how was their work environment.
Overall, I was proud that I got out of my shell through this assignment and found ways to network professionally which will help me in the future.
Reflection on the Report Proposal
Brainstorming for the report proposal was a place where I faced hiccups. In assignment 2.1, the proposal I came up with was to increase the means of safe social interaction among returning UBC students. Although at the time I felt that the proposal was passable, I wasn’t passionate about that topic. This was reflected in the outline of the proposal I wrote. My peer, Amol Chahal, reviewed it and highlighted that I did not include details on how I was going to implement a way to have safe social interactions. I mentioned using an app, but I did not say how that app would be different from the current social media networks we have today. Upon receiving feedback from Dr. Erika Paterson as well, I decided that my proposal was too vague and aimed to be a solution for something unspecific.
Peer-reviewing for the proposal outline helped me immensely in this regard. After getting feedback from my peer-review partner, Amol, I looked at his proposal outline to gain some insight as to where I was going wrong. Amol’s proposal focused on one problem, and its one solution, namely digitizing the way flu-shot appointments were booked, in order to decrease the spread of COVID-19. What I learned from Amol’s proposal was how it was built with pinpoint accuracy and how I should implement the same. Hence, I began brainstorming about a problem that I felt passionate about. It had to be something on which I could write a report, interview people, make surveys and eventually propose a solution. It had to be something which I felt a connection to, and hence I scraped my initial proposal and came up with a new one. My new proposal was to reduce bicycle theft at UBC Student Family housing, where I currently reside.
I have no doubt that with the peer-reviews and the constructive feedback I receive from my instructor, my investigation will become a comprehensive formal report. I have detailed the plan regarding its construction and once I have all the data from the interviews and surveys, it will all come together in a consolidated report for a real problem which I am passionate about.
Reflection on the Peer-review process
The peer-review process for me was definitely an eye-opener in this Unit. Both in making a LinkedIn profile and in outlining a proposal, the peer-review process was helpful to me in identifying the points which I missed. This was something as simple as suggesting that I put up a more professional photo, to something more complex as including more details in my proposal relating to the app implementation.
With the peer-review process, I have improved upon my 2 key weaknesses, namely focusing my writing on the intended audience and including details in my work. It allowed me to completely refocus my old proposal and come up with a brand-new idea that highlighted one key problem of bicycle theft and its solution. I am truly lucky to have such an amazing team with members who love to help me out and grow. I look forward to working with this team throughout the rest of the semester.
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