By Szczepan Baran, VMD, Elizabeth Johnson, VMD, and Marcel Perret-Gentil, DVM, MS

 

Technological advances have dramatically changed the approach to job hunting making traditional approaches, such as browsing through journal classifieds, less significant. Job seekers are more frequently utilizing current technologies to increase their chances of success in finding employment. One of these technologies is social media through the internet. However, those using this approach in the field of laboratory animal medicine must be cautious about social media to find employment. Invasion of privacy becomes an issue as personal information, areas of expertise, and prior employment become available for many to see. This article provides guidance on the use of social media for job hunting. It is important to understand that social media may not completely replace other job seeking venues, at least in the foreseeable future, but is a useful tool when used responsibly. It is also important to remember that social media are developing technologies and there are many different and divergent views on how it should be used during job hunting and posting. This article concentrates on LinkedIn because it is currently the largest professional network. However, many of the ideas specified for this venue can be implemented on other websites such as Xing (www.xing.com) or Lab Roots (www.labroots.com).

 

LinkedIn
LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com) is the largest professional internet network (2010). LinkedIn is used by recruiters and employers as the place to look for potential candidates, and it is also used by job seekers to scout potential employers. If job seeking is a priority, having a complete profile should be a first step so that your profile shows up when recruiters search for a specific position. A complete profile serves as an online resume and allows a recruiter get a quick glimpse at that person’s qualifications and experience. For the same reasons, it is also important to ensure that the profile’s summary section is not only complete but also compact and grammatically correct. If a person is unemployed, their profile should state something like “seeking new opportunities” instead of “unemployed.” The word “unemployed” has a negative connotation, and all efforts should be made to have the profile be as positive as possible.

 

The LinkedIn profile provides an ability to incorporate a photo. Whether or not a photo should be included has received a lot of attention and it is still slightly controversial. The main reason for not including a photo is that it potentially could be an equal opportunity violation, since age, gender, and physical characteristics become available to the potential employer. Additionally, some organizations and recruiters, especially governmental agencies, limit their search to candidates that have not included their photos in their profile. Conversely, when a candidate is eventually interviewed in person, the interviewer is going to see what the candidate looks like anyway, thus our recommendation is to, in most cases, include a professional looking photograph as part of the online profile. This adds authenticity and credibility to the overall profile.

 

The next step in completing a profile is obtaining recommendations, ideally for each one of your previous and current positions. Building your network on LinkedIn is important, because the wider the network, the greater the exposure you receive. This can be initiated by importing your email contacts and then add on to it. Keeping the profile updated is imperative especially since it draws the attention of contacts with alerts that the account has been updated. Another way that LinkedIn allows candidates to introduce themselves is through active participation in discussions. However, during discussions participation should contain substance, as futile contributions will more likely portray a negative image. The comments must be well thought out and well written. Providing references adds credibility to the comments.