HOW TO CREATE A STANDOUT LINKEDIN PROFILE – THE PHARMACIST EDITION

So you’re probably on Facebook, Instagram maybe even Twitter, Snapchat or Tik Tok… and then someone asks you, “Do you have LinkedIn?”

Seriously, ANOTHER social media platform to be active on? Who has the time? Is LinkedIn worth it?

If you’re like a lot of people, the idea of setting up a LinkedIn profile is overwhelming. Maybe you made one years ago, but it desperately needs a spruce up. It’s the LAST thing you feel like doing after a long day on your feet dispensing medications and chatting with patients and doctors. I get it.

BUT I’m here to tell you it doesn’t have to be hard! Here is your guide for setting up a fantastic LinkedIn profile that will have you networking with health professionals in no time.

Why should you set up a LinkedIn profile?

LinkedIn is basically an online version of your resumé. It allows you to show off your skills and work experience to potential recruiters and is a powerful networking tool. You know the saying, ‘it’s not what you know, it’s who you know’. Whether you’re looking for job opportunities or just wanting to connect with likeminded health professionals, LinkedIn is the social media platform you need.

The set-up process

Think of setting up your profile as an online resumé, but with a bit more flair. LinkedIn is your professional, online identity, so be authentic and let your personality come through. You’ll want to make sure you have a professional profile photo (a headshot is great if you have one, or a photo of you in your uniform, no selfies), a simple background photo (cover photo) and then follow the prompts for filling out information.

You’ll want to include:

·         Your current position – this comes up at the top, under your name.

·         Education – here you’ll include your university, degree/s and the year you graduated.

·         Experience – in this section include the places you’ve worked, the years you worked there, your role and a description of what you did/are doing there. You can also add skills that are relevant to the position and mention any highlights or achievements.

·         Skills – you can include up to 50 skills. It’s a good idea to list at least 10. Only list skills that are relevant to your profession e.g. hospital pharmacy, community pharmacy, health education, medication compounding, business management etc.

·         Licenses and Certifications – if you’ve done extra training, you can list this here. Examples might be vaccination training, HMR training, becoming a certified consultant for a weight-loss program etc.

·         Courses – list any courses you’ve done relevant to pharmacy or health (medicinal cannabis training, compounding, vitamins, diabetes care etc.).

Writing a killer bio

Here’s the best part. The ‘About’ section. This is what will grab the attention of potential connections and make sure you stand out. Don’t just list dot points or write a one sentence professional summary. This is YOUR time to shine!

Start your about section with a ‘hook’, something interesting that will make people want to click ‘read more’. It can be a story about your childhood, a career highlight, the reason you decided to become a pharmacist, something unique. Tell your story. You can include your career highlights, your future aspirations, and your areas of professional interest. Your about section should always be written in the first person and try not to include pharmacy jargon. Finish off with an invitation for people to connect with you.

Networking and making connections

Start making connections! You can search for people you know and send them an invitation to connect. It’s a good idea to personalise your message, as some people won’t accept a connection with a generic message. Anyone you know from university, family, friends, former colleagues, current colleagues are all great people to have on your connections list. You can also ‘follow’ people you may not know and are not connected with if you are interested in seeing their posts.

The Dos and Don’ts of posting

If you choose to post on LinkedIn, make sure it’s professional and relevant to your work life. This isn’t the platform for sharing meal inspo, your child’s latest school performance, bad puns or photos of your dog in a Christmas outfit. If you wouldn’t share it with your future boss, clients or patients, don’t post it! Examples of relevant posts include updates after attending seminars or workshops, marking a career anniversary, sharing a feature in a publication, or sharing a professional milestone.

Don’t get involved in political debates, rants or anything else that may not paint you in the best light. Your connections can see what you’ve liked and commented on, so you want your activity to represent what you stand for.

Extra tips!

Privacy: if you’re partial to the old online ‘stalk’ now and then, or you want to keep tabs on your ex, be aware that people can see when you’ve viewed their profile! You can go to privacy settings and change this if you like. Whatever privacy setting you choose, make sure it suits you.

Recommendations: these are like customer testimonials or a reference. You can request recommendations from your connections (a former boss or colleague would be a good one) and they will (hopefully) write you a glowing review! This can be a powerful tool to add credibility.

Endorsements: your connections can endorse your skills, basically saying you really do know what you’re talking about! If someone endorses your skills it’s always kind to return the favour.

There you have it! LinkedIn in a nutshell. Follow these steps and you’ll be on your way to navigating the online professional networking world!

Good luck!