Climbing the informatics career ladder: maximising LinkedIn

Jobseeking in 2023 is easier than ever before, largely thanks to the power of LinkedIn, through which 8 people are hired every minute. [1] Follow our top tips on optimising your profile to ensure you’re on the right people’s radars and seeing all of the opportunities available to you.

Whether you are actively looking for a new role, or just keeping an eye out for that amazing opportunity that might turn your head, you’re probably aware that you should dust off your LinkedIn profile, not just your CV. In fact, in doing so, that elusive opportunity of a lifetime is much more likely to reach you. Plus, it doesn’t take as much time and effort as you might think. Here, we summarise 6 key things you can do today to optimise your LinkedIn profile and open the door to exciting new opportunities for advancing your career in informatics.

1. Connect, connect, connect

In a LinkedIn study of 4,000 job seekers, of those who found work within 3 months, 87% added 10 or more connections in that time. [2] The more connections you have, the greater your chances of finding opportunities and being found by those looking for new hires. What’s more, the more connections you have, the more attractive you will be to those potential employers who understand the value of networks.

When asking someone to connect with you, personalise the message to maximise the chance of them accepting. You can mention shared connections or common groups you are members of, or simply tell them why you’d be interested in connecting.

It’s also a great idea to join groups relevant to your sector. But don’t just join and ‘lurk’, interact, join events, post comments and questions and build new connections organically. In the informatics sector, key LinkedIn groups worth checking out include: LIMS/Laboratory Informatics, Imaging Informatics Solutions, Laboratory Informatics (LIMS, ELN, SDMS) Selection and Implementation. Follow companies that you admire and aspire to work at too, so you don’t miss out on any possible opportunities.

2. Own your skills

Of the successful LinkedIn users in the study mentioned above, 91% listed 5 skills or more on their profile and, according to LinkedIn, 45% of hirers explicitly use skills data to fill their roles. [1] Focus on the skills that are most relevant to your industry and the kind of role you want, so you’re more likely to be found in searches for those key terms – and use them (carefully) throughout your profile too. When asking others to endorse your skills, be specific so you don’t end up with a long, watered-down list of skills that could be confusing to recruiters.

Ask key connections – colleagues, clients or even tutors or mentors – for recommendations. Click on the plus sign next to the recommendations section at the bottom of your profile and click ‘Ask for a recommendation’.

Make sure you personalise the request, to give you a better chance of getting recommendations. Once your connection agrees to recommend you, don’t be afraid to guide them on what you’d like them to highlight, remembering to focus on your key skills. Recommendations from real people help bring your profile to life and reassure recruiters that you have genuine work-related ‘fans’.

3. Turn creator mode on… and use it!

With creator mode turned on, you can run LinkedIn live events, audio events, write newsletters (and get subscribers) and access the ‘follow me’ link / button which you should add to all of your emails / website / other social media, as relevant.

Even without creator mode, you can post blogs on relevant and interesting topics and share your own and other people’s posts. Stick to a core set of topics and themes so that anyone following you knows what you are passionate about and expert in.

Anything you post should be accompanied by an insightful comment (never just share a post from someone else with no comment). You can also tag people into your posts, and this makes them more likely to like or share, as long as it is relevant to them. Using appropriate hashtags in your content also helps get it in front of relevant people, again, helping to boost your reach and grow your network.

4. Be yourself

Some (poor) LinkedIn profiles are simply a copy and paste of a CV, but what a waste. It’s your opportunity to showcase your personality and what makes you stand out from the crowd. Include interesting facts and insights, and fill your job history with examples, accomplishments, and even anecdotes. Informaticians love numbers, so why not intersperse your profile with stand-out statistics that highlight your achievements. Include a section on your hopes and aspirations to showcase your ambition. Use accessible language and try to be your authentic self. And it goes without saying, we hope… use a current, professional-but-friendly profile image.

5. Keep your headline clear

We’ve probably all rolled our eyes at those LinkedIn headlines that you have to read several times to try to understand! Those long-winded descriptions, full of buzzwords and little else. Don’t be that person, keep it clear, concise and meaningful. If you’re an expert in informatics, enterprise resource management or a data analyst, say so, but with gusto.

6. Go global

Now you can create a LinkedIn profile in another language, so if you are bi-lingual, or looking for a job based in another country, or with a company that is headquartered somewhere else, take advantage of this feature. It not only shows employers your language skills, but makes you easier to find for more specialist, local roles.

To keep up to date with the latest informatics job vacancies, follow 32 Stripes on LinkedIn.

References

  1. https://news.linkedin.com/about-us#Statistics
  2. 7 Smart Habits of Successful Job Seekers (slideshare.net)

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