Get Found and Remembered on Social Media
If you’re looking for a new healthcare job, conduct a Google search of your name. What comes up? Is it horrifying? Is it glorifying? Does your LinkedIn profile provide a clear and accurate picture of your skills and experiences? Are there recommendations and skill endorsements that you can leverage? Do you have a blog that might highlight your experience and value to a potential employer?
Today, everyone, even healthcare organizations, are using search engines like Google and social media sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to check out job candidates (at every level) before they reach out to them. Shrewed technicians, therapists, medical assistants and other healthcare professionals are leveraging their online profiles to make fantastic first impressions.
One of the first steps to begin building your professional image online is to either create or complete a LinkedIn profile. Take the time to summarize your accomplishments, add a professional headshot, and highlight your key skills. Use your resume as a guide. Gather endorsements and recommendations from managers and cohorts. Ask to connect and accept connections from other healthcare professionals and keep building your online network. There is no other better way to build an online network than through LinkedIn.
Next, open a Twitter account, not to give updates on your cat or to make rude comments about strangers in the mall, but to:
- follow health care executives, organizations and recruiters in your field.
- share relevant, health care-related articles and videos.
These days, many open jobs are posted on Twitter, and if you’re following a healthcare organization in your community, you might be able to act to it before anyone else can.
If you already have experience in a particular area, start a blog, where you can highlight your knowledge on issues related to your specialty. If you have any videos of you leading a training session or giving a speech at a professional gathering, post them.
Finally, keep your Facebook profile respectable. Health care organizations will look at your Facebook profile as part of their hiring process. Therefore, treat Facebook as an extension of your resume. Pay close attention to privacy settings and photos in which you are tagged. Update your “info” tab with your work history and education, and “like” any targeted healthcare organizations in your area.
Remember, when searching for a job, it is important to pay attention to your entire online image. When able to pick between two highly qualified candidates, many organizations will turn to social media and base their hiring decisions on what they see.
If you want more information on how social media can help you in your job search, visit the Social Media section of the Candidate Resource Hub. Bookmark it and visit often; we update regularly.
By Christiane Soto, 
