Using LinkedIn to manage your career after grad school dan hanssel

1. Using LinkedIn to Manage
Your Career After
Grad School
danhanssel@gmail.com

2. Dan Hanssel Bio
• Buffalo native and UB Graduate
• Marketing VP/Director: Time Warner, Verizon, tech start-ups
• Master Trainer – 10 years
• Got two great 6-figure dream jobs using LinkedIn!
• Used LinkedIn & Twitter to attract 12 new consulting clients
• Specialties: Marketing Automation, Social Media, SEO/SEM
• Winner of 5 Mark Awards for Best Marketing (2008-2010)

3. Social Media in Recruiting
80% of Organizations in US Use
Social Media For Recruitment
95% of these use
Your Goal: Network and Be Found!

4. What is and Why Use It?
• One of the first Social Media websites-launched May ‘03
• Career oriented – used for professional networking
• More than 367 Million users – 110 million in US
• Over 12 Million Medical Professionals on LinkedIn
• Includes 39 Million students and recent grads
• Ave. Age = 41; 56% Male, average income: $109K
• Members from 200+ countries/territories, 20 languages
• Employs degrees of separation/trusted contact concept

5. Question #1
How many people here have a
LinkedIn profile?

6. Create/Maintain Your Profile
• The most important part of being on Linkedin
• Name, Headline, Location, Industry
• Include a professional recent head shot (just you)
• Sell your personal value proposition!
• Avoid hackneyed descriptors: Responsible, Mature,
Creative, Motivated,
• Summary and Specialties (key words)
• Experience – include current and former employers
• Education, Websites, Associations, Honors and Awards
• Quantifiable accomplishments are essential!

7. Your Headline is Your Brand!
• LI Headline = UVP - your Unique Value
Proposition that describes what you do
• You are NOT your job title!
• Your UVP should be accurate & highly specific
• Great: “Intl. Tax Accountant Saves Clients Millions”,
“Process Reengineering Superstar with 15 patents”,
“B2B Big Ticket Sales Leader”
• Weak: “Sharp CPA Knows Numbers”, “Process
Engineer with MBA”, “Sr. Technology Sales Exec”
• Make yourself the A-list candidate they must talk to!

8. Profile Search Optimization
• Like Google, Linked In changes its Advanced
People Search algorithm frequently
• Identify (one to four word) search terms that
best describe you and what you want to do
• Key profile fields: Headline, Current Title(s),
Summary, Specialties
• Load up key fields with your search terms, but
do it logically and elegantly

9. Profile Dos and Don’ts
• Do upload professional photo of just you
• Be creative with your headline
• Setup personalized profile URL – helps SEO
• Include all education and positions held
• Profile should be 100% complete
• Don’t put your email address or phone number in
your headline or name
• Don’t embellish your education or experience
• Don’t use meaningless modifiers like: motivated,
creative, experienced, strategic, entrepreneurial, etc.

10. Settings/Personalization
• 1) The Account & Settings section allows you to choose
how your information is displayed, how you want to be
contacted, and your overall privacy preferences
 2) Settings for privacy, profile, email, personal info, etc.
 3) Increase your exposure: maximize public settings
 4) Be sure you have a public profile and vanity URL

11. Question #2
On which social media site do you spend
most of your networking time online?
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Pinterest
• Other

12. Strategies to Build Connections
• Target recruiters from your industry and career
specialty to connect
• Make sure to connect with Super Connectors, those
with 500+ connections. Builds your network fast.
• Include both outside AND inside (HR) recruiters
• Connect with likely hiring executives at your target
employers
• Connect with influential people that have contacts that
are useful to you for job search networking

13. Question #3
How many medical professionals
are on LinkedIn?
12.3 Million

14. Jobs
• LI is a great source for professional and executive jobs
• Some jobs are advertised on LI exclusively!
• Use the Job Search function at least once a week
• Advanced search facilitates a more targeted search
• Use your LI network to communicate with members at
target employers to identify recruiters and hiring mgrs
• Once identified, connect with recruiter/hiring manager
– use your invitation to pitch your candidacy
• Use your network - learn about culture and mgr’s style

15. Linked in Job Search Strategies
• Update your LI profile regularly
• Use an attention grabbing headline!
• Make sure your Summary and Specialties contain
lots of key words about your area of specialization,
as well as key accomplishments from your jobs in
the Experience section of your profile

16. Company Pages and Groups
• Profiles feature a company overview, who you know at
the company, and unique data from the LI network
• Follow company to get frequent updates
• Groups are a great way to expand your network!
• Join any group related to your industry, career
specialty, location, schools, associations, etc.
• Be sure to join the RPCI Alumni Association group!

17. Keys to Success
• Remember, you are more than the sum of
your degrees, experience and abilities
• Employers want to know: what are your
life experiences and how have they shaped
you? Who are you as a person?
• Design a great resume and customize it for
each job opportunity
• Most importantly, learn to be a great
story teller and to ask insightful questions
during interviews.

18. Organizing Your Search
• What are your unique marketable skills?
• What is your targeted geography?
• What is the demand for your skills in your geography?
• Compile a list of all area employers that hire people
like you and have the operational size to afford you
• In which of those companies/organizations would your
skills give you an edge over other candidates?
• Search those employers’ Company pages on LI
• See if your LI network includes people from target cos.

19. Be Realistic About Your Challenge
• Spend some time doing a deep dive into your
experience: explore everything you’ve done
• You are the product manager & the product!
• Create a must-have product: the new you!
• There are dozens of people competing for every
job…why hire you?
• Shy? Passive? Get over it if you want a great job!
• You need to become confident & energetic

20. Social Media, Networking & Recruiting
Resources for Career Opportunities in Science
• LinkedIn.com
• Indeed.com/science
• Researchgate.net
• Jobs2careers.com
• jobs.sciencecareers.org
• sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/

21. Summary
• Design a personal website and promote it
• Create a compelling LinkedIn profile
• Use social media extensively to promote your
personal brand and accomplishments
• Connect with target employers & recruiters
• Research employers and track their mentions
• Be discovered! Make recruiters excited to find
you! Always be ready for that phone call!
• After you land a position, never stop networking!

22. 7 Things You Can Do To Build
An Awesome Personal Brand
• Start thinking of yourself as a brand
• Audit your online presence
• Build a branded personal website
• Create a great profile on LinkedIn
• Associate with other strong brands
• Share valuable content, become an SME
• Build your network on LinkedIn and IRL

23. Interviewing & Starting Your Job
• Research employer and interviewers on
Glassdoor, LinkedIn, current/former staff
• Ask great, well-researched questions
• Negotiate pay & benefits based on demand
• Learn people, policies. What are office politics?
• Establish exactly what your boss expects
• Find a great mentor to guide your career!

25. Never stop networking!

26. Connect With Dan!
• After we meet, send me an invitation to connect on
Linked In
• See videos on my blog: http://danhanssel.com
• Follow me on Twitter: @dannyhanssel
• Contact me at danhanssel@gmail.com
• Call me about Linked In training: 716-289-7486

27. LinkedIn
Individual Coaching
716-289-7486

28. Thank You
And
Good Luck!