Tuesday, February 21, 2012

LinkedIn

The resume and CV may become obsolete in the near future, if not already. Most companies, when looking at your application, will check out your LinkedIn profile. If you are a graduate student and you do not have one yet, please make one. I am mentoring high school students who have profiles which are quite impressive. Remember, this is a professional networking site so anything you do not want on your CV or cover letter, please leave out.

A few years ago, I introduced some friends to LinkedIn and they were a bit wary. A few year later, they all have profiles and business networks have grown.

All of my initial LinkedIn connections were those people I knew as friends and colleagues. Here are some examples of my personal experiences. 1) A connection of one of my connections wanted a biotech consulting job and posted it for those connections. Hence, only the "inside" group knew about this job. 2) I asked a question on Science Careers Forum, and through this, one of the moderators linked me in. Through his connections, I found some relevant professionals I wanted to speak to. 3) I linkedin to Women in Science and found a potential speaker to help with one of my talks. I emailed her, chatted with her and now I have found a professional who shares the same career interests. 4) I received an email about a potential job through someone looking through my profile. All of these would not have been possible in the old world.

The world is becoming more connected. Stay LinkedIn, especially if you promoting a business or yourself in finding the dream career.

Groups to consider:
Parents with PhDs
PhD Careers Outside of Academia
Life Sciences Ontario
Biotech Toronto
Women in Science and Technology Businesses
Association for Women In Science

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