Maximizing LinkedIn: Tips for Healthcare Professionals

LinkedIn is the largest online network for working professionals with over a billion users and over 30 million active job listings. More than just an electronic copy of your resume, LinkedIn gives you access to four important career assets:

1. A place to showcase your experience
2. Networking opportunities with other healthcare professionals
3. Filtered job search and position recommendations based on your experience
4. Current industry trends

It used to be that healthcare professionals were sparsely represented on LinkedIn, but that has changed. The number of healthcare professionals using the platform has increased significantly, as has the presence of hospitals and other healthcare providers. A quick search on LinkedIn shows more than 500,000 medical assistants, for example.

Using the tips in this article, you can set yourself apart in your field with a polished, professional profile on LinkedIn. Start by creating a LinkedIn account either on a computer or by downloading the LinkedIn app on your phone.

Show off your professional achievements

Once you create an account, LinkedIn is a great place to gather all your professional achievements and create a positive online professional image. You can choose to display your education, allied healthcare professional work experience, training courses, and certifications in a single location that is specific for this purpose.

One of your greatest career achievements, your AMT credential, should be shown directly following your name. For example, Jane Doe, RMA (AMT). A LinkedIn headline for healthcare professionals doesn’t include a place to put your credentials, so we suggest adding them after your last name. Listing credentials after your name means they will be prominently displayed at the top of your profile.

Network and make connections

Making connections and professional networking is what LinkedIn is all about. You can form connections with current and former co-workers, supervisors, professors, mentors, industry leaders, and other healthcare professionals on LinkedIn. Connections lead to opportunities, and building your professional network is important no matter what point you are at in your career.

Your connections can help you by giving you a recommendation or endorsing your skills. A recommendation will display directly on your profile and tells others how your connections feel about your work. Don’t be afraid to ask your connections for a recommendation, especially if they were your superior, such as a professor or supervisor. Your connections can also endorse the skills you have added to your profile, displaying a form of social proof that you have those skills.

You can form another type of connection by following companies and organizations on LinkedIn. You can follow the hospital you work for, the school you attended, and your professional association such as American Medical Technologists (AMT). You can also connect with companies you are interested in working for, which shows them you have done your research before pursuing them. Just do a search to find their profiles.

Look for a new job

If you are planning to move to another city or are ready to make a move to a new position, LinkedIn’s job search function can help you find local employers looking to hire someone with your credentials. As a bonus, by keeping your profile current, you may appear in search results for employers looking to hire healthcare professionals on LinkedIn, and they may reach out to you if they feel you would be a good fit for a position they are trying to fill. That is why it’s crucial to have skills to put on LinkedIn for healthcare that match the job descriptions of positions you’re interested in.

If you are searching for a job opportunity, consider creating a profile on the AMT Career Center. This is a free service through your association membership that lets you post your resume and search for a job. When creating your profile, be sure to add your personal LinkedIn URL so employers can learn more about you and your allied healthcare professional work experience. Many allied health professionals have found great success using AMT’s Career Center.

Join groups

LinkedIn Groups provide a place for professionals in the healthcare industry to share content, find answers, and make business contacts. Search for groups of healthcare professionals that post valuable information and can help you enhance your career. Once you're a group member, you're able to join like-minded members in conversations, ask them questions, and gain valuable insights.

Read and share content

There are many organizations and associations in the healthcare industry that are active on LinkedIn. They often share professional articles and links to industry news. By following these organizations, their content will show up on your LinkedIn newsfeed. This is a quick and easy way to stay current on topics trending in the healthcare industry. You can share these articles on your own LinkedIn newsfeed, showing your interest in the industry for which you are employed.

Connect with your professional association

If you are certified through American Medical Technologists, you belong to a large national professional association. Make the most of your membership benefits to showcase your professional achievements and grow professionally. Connect with us and our 25,000+ followers on LinkedIn.

If you decide to use LinkedIn, creating a strong profile and updating it often is important. A quick Google search will produce plenty of websites with tips on perfecting your LinkedIn profile, but here are a few of our favorite tips:

• Use a good photo. If you don’t have a high-quality, professional headshot for your profile, ask a friend to take a photo of how you would look in a job interview in professional dress with a plain background
• Personalize your LinkedIn URL. When you edit your profile, you have the option to create a personal URL, which adds a professional flair to your resume or cover letter. Your personal URL will look something like this: LinkedIn.com/in/JaneDoeRMA.
• Perfect your summary. Write this in the first person and talk about your strengths, experiences, and what you bring to the table as an allied health professional. You can also mention opportunities you’re looking for or the types of people with whom you are looking to connect.
• Expand your resume. While it is usually recommended that resumes don’t exceed one page, your LinkedIn profile has no limits on space. This gives you the freedom to elaborate on your career goals and bio, to add more details to your job duties and expand on your professional accomplishments.

Professional networking is an ongoing process. A strong LinkedIn profile can help you get noticed, open the door to new professional relationships, and enhance your professional presence. We hope these tools help you take advantage of LinkedIn as an asset in your professional life.