Using LinkedIn to Your Advantage: Career Advice in Public Health in 2022, Part 1

The public health workforce is not okay. In this series of articles, I will share what it’s like to work on the front lines of public health during the COVID-19 pandemic and how these experiences have changed me forever. I will share the lessons I have learned and what I want those around me to know, both in and out of the public health sector.

I’ve been looking for a job in public health for over 20 years: does that make me an expert, or am I by definition not very good at it? In a previous column, I shared some examples of well-worn job search advice that is no longer applicable to public health in 2022. Based on my personal experience and input from my friends, colleagues, students and contacts, I am developing some career advice suggestions in public health that are actually relevant today. Please find here the first part focused on using LinkedIn, the social media site for professional interests. As always, please take my advice with a pinch of salt and a healthy dose of cynicism.

Networking

My strong suspicion is that most job opportunities come from personal networking rather than openly advertised recruitment processes. So network network network. Transfer all previously received wisdom about in-person networking at conferences and meetings to their online equivalents, which can often be much less hierarchical. LinkedIn is your friend and almost inevitable when searching for #publichealthjobs.

Especially for a staunch introvert like myself, LinkedIn is much easier to navigate than in-person conferences, with the added bonus that you can just log out as soon as it all gets too much. Come out of your shell online and reach out to develop and shape a professional network that will be an asset to you throughout your career. Below I’ve listed some helpful people to follow on LinkedIn whose posts I’ve found to be relevant to my public health job search right now.

Profile and links

Many qualified experts have published general advice on developing your LinkedIn profile, so I will refrain from repeating what is readily available online, except to repeat what is particularly important in our public health niche. Use the job title you want and the language of the job postings you’re aiming for. Speaking of aspirations, avoid using the word “ambitious” in your profile: tell me what you’re willing to do right now, even if it’s hard.

Focus on the organizations you want to work for and cultivate personal connections. Develop connections with people who have the job title you want and work in the field or organization you are looking for. Follow their posts and interests, see what skills and topics they post about and prioritize for discussion. They may not be recruiting for specific vacancies right now, but maybe they will in time. Engage with them in an online conversation in the comments if you have something valuable to say. Perhaps even more importantly: do not engage with them if you have nothing valuable to say.

When attending a professional meeting or webinar in your chosen field, pursue contact requests for speakers whose messages resonated with you. When you read a key paper or article in your professional area of ​​specialization that makes you nod in recognition, contact the author. Consider sending them a message with feedback or a follow-up question. Tell them what resonates with you and what else you’re wondering. You are not directly looking for a job opportunity, you are expanding your professional network.

Seeking informational interviews can be a useful strategy at the right time. But don’t make a new connection and then immediately pester them asking for a time to meet for an informational interview. First, watch and learn. Respond to their posts from time to time. Take the time to understand what impression they want to make on LinkedIn before you approach them. When you start a conversation, address what you already know to be their professional interests.

Remember that the job interview process is also part of networking. Even when an application is unsuccessful, follow up to make connections on LinkedIn and develop networking opportunities with the people you met in the recruiting process. (Yes, it’s embarrassing if you’ve been ghosted. Get over it—you’ve done nothing to be ashamed of.) These people will be the first to know when another position opens up on their team and you want them to continue to think highly of you. Don’t burn any bridges. The people I’ve watched climb the career ladder are the people who have managed professional relationships and played the long game.

Finally, don’t buy into the pernicious myth that any of this mess leads to a genuine meritocracy. Like the sorry state of the academic job market right now, so much of this is pure luck; luck that has historically been distributed along lines of privilege, including race, gender, and immigration status. Be in the right place at the right time – how do you plan for that? I really see LinkedIn as part of the answer to this question.

Next week, I’ll offer more tips for building a career in public health in 2022 outside of LinkedIn and answer some of the specific questions I’ve received.

Please let me know what you think of these suggestions and share your own tips for developing a career in public health in the comments or on LinkedIn.

Read previous columns in this series:

Connected