Overview of networking sites for scientists along with tips/best practices for using LinkedIn.

1. SUCCESSFUL SOCIAL
NETWORKING FOR
SCIENTISTS: HOW TO USE
THE TOOLS TO MAXIMIZE
THEIR POTENTIAL
1 March 2013

2. Setting today’s agenda
How to use online networking
to find a job
How to connect with people
online to advance my career
How to build a profile
What types of networking
sites are there
0 20 40 60 80 100

3. Agenda
 History and overview of professional
networking sites for scientists
 Deep Dive: LinkedIn
 Member demographics
 Establishing a network
 Leveraging LinkedIn for a job search
 Q&A

4. The Social Media Landscape in
2012

5. A Brief History of Online
Science Networks
433K
2.5M +
20K
2.25M +
2.19M +
200M +
25K
2003 2005 2007 2008

6. Survey Results: What are you
using?
None 17.9
5.1
Academia.edu
Nature Networks 5.1
38.5
ResearchGate
LinkedIn 74.4
Percent…
0 20 40 60 80

7. Survey Results:
What are you using it for?
Boost my online presence
Connect with former colleagues
As an online Rolodex
Build community with researchers…
Answers to research questions
Career advice
Looking for a job outside of academia
Looking for a job in academia
0 20 40 60 80 100

8. Membership
Breakdown
• 427, 500+ in
Medicine
• 356, 000+ in
Biology
• 157,000+ in
Chemistry
• 92,000+ in
Education

9. Job Postings:14506 international listings in science and research
Publications: Millions
Groups can be a forum for crowdsourcing problems and solutions
Reasons to join from the Founder, Dr. Ijad Madisch:
1. It lets you build your own profile within your field by posting your
publications and research and if you publish, it gives you the
opportunity to share datasets that weren’t in the final journal
version.
2. It allows you to engage in discussion with other scientists if
you’re looking for advice or suggestions on a particular topic.
3. It allows you to keep up with the work in your field by following
current publications in a more focused way.

10. What is your experience with ResearchGate?
 What do you like?
 What don’t you like?
 How are you able to engage, interact, connect
with others?
 If you use LinkedIn and ResearchGate, what
do you think distinguishes ResearchGate?

11. 50M + EMEA
37M+ Asia &
the Pacific
http://press.linkedin.com/about

12. Source: Blue Rise Media, June

13. Source: Blue Rise Media, June

14. Deep Dive: LinkedIn

15. 8 Tips for Building a Solid
Profile
 Brand yourself
 Treat your skills as keywords
 Get endorsements and recommendations but
don’t get them all at once
 Update your profile regularly but don’t do a
massive overhaul in one day
 Be honest
 Add a tasteful photo
 Humanize your profile
 Be descriptive and clear
Sources: Forbes, 2012;

16. Growing Your Network:
Groups and Connections

17. Groups
Source: Infographic Labs, Feb
2012

18. Group Usage: Survey Results
50
40
30
20
10
0
Join Groups Don't Join Groups Don't Use Online
Networking
Source: Lab42, 2011

19. LinkedIn Groups
 12,657 groups with “Science” in the title
 Ex. Science Jobs, PharmaIQ, Life Science
Professionals
 Subgroups for specific fields
 120 “Post doc” and “Post-doctoral” groups
 Post Doc Forum
 PhD Careers Outside of Academia
 Universityof Chicago Postdoctoral Association
 Alumni groups
 Professional societies
 Association for Women in Science, American Society
for Clinical Laboratory Science

20. Why join Groups?
 Connect to others with shared interests or
common goals that you may never meet in-
person
 Optimize your profile for searching
 Learn about offline events
 Crowdsourcing and idea sharing
 Recruiters and HR join too
Don’t join Groups that are not relevant to you.
If a Group you want to join doesn’t exist, make it.

21. Connections
Goal: Turn a weak connection into a
strong one and keep your strong
connections strong
 Connect with co-workers
Connect with friends—you never know
who is in their extended network!
 Stay in touch: Take the in-person
connections online
 Leverage Groups to connect to people
with similar interests and/or career

22. Tips on Connecting
 Contacting people in Groups is easier than
you think
 Personalize requests to connect
 Only invite people you are fairly certain will
connect
 Let the other do the work by including a link to
your profile in other places, such as your email
signature, blog, etc.

23. Cautions
 “When stalking other people on
LinkedIn, make yourself anonymous”
 Don’t invite too many people you don’t know

24. The Job Search:
Evolution of the Resume
Source: The Undercover

25. The Job Search
Source: Infographic Labs, Feb

26. The Job Search:
What do Employers Think?
Source: The Undercover

27. Tips for the Job Search
1. Finish your profile and cultivate your network
2. If your job search is public, consider updating your status
3. Use the advanced search feature to learn about career paths
for others with similar skills
4. Search the jobs section (duh!)
5. Track where people in various positions came from
(Companies: Insights) and related companies
6. “Follow” companies you’re interested in working for up-to-
date job postings
7. Check out the “Similar jobs” section when looking at position
details
8. If you can, connect to HR/hiring managers—if they’re
second-level connections but no further away
9. Let recruiters come to you

28. Using LinkedIn “Recommended
Skills”
 Endorsements are tricky and have received
mixed reviews from the LinkedIn community
 Consensus is that Recommendations are
better
 Request from current and former colleagues and
bosses to flesh out your profile
 Don’t ask for them all at once
 It is helpful to provide a draft for the recommender
to revise

29. Is a premium account worth it?
The Answer: It depends…
Source: Lab42, 2011

30. Enhancing your online
presence
 Keep your brand consistent
 Link your online identities
 LinkedIn
 Blog
 Twitter handle (if content is professional)
 Participate and engage
 Use key words that are “searchable”—
optimize your profile for search engines (SEO)

31. Q&A and Discussion

32. Resources
 14 Terrible LinkedIn Mistakes You’re Making. Business Insider. Sept. 4, 2012
http://www.businessinsider.com/common-linkedin-mistakes-2012-
8?op=1#ixzz2LpcrXAzX
 The Undercover Recruiter: http://www.theundercoverrecruiter.com
 Avoiding LinkedIn's Top 10 Pitfalls (While Kicking The Competition's Butt). Forbes.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/brettnelson/2012/08/02/avoiding-linkedins-top-10-pitfalls-
while-kicking-the-competitions-butt/
 Your LinkedIn Intervention: 5 Changes You Must Make. Forbes. 2012.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/dailymuse/2012/07/06/your-linkedin-intervention-5-
changes-you-must-make/
How to Build Your Personal Brand on LinkedIn. 2009.
http://mashable.com/2009/07/27/linkedin-personal-brand/
 LinkedIn SEO: How to Increase the Visibility of Your Business Profile. Entrepreneur.
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/225438
Guy Kowasaki—10 ways to use LinkedIn to find a job. 2009.
http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2009/02/10-ways-to-use.html
LinkedIn Invitations: Everything You Need to Know (and Then Some!)
http://theundercoverrecruiter.com/linkedin-invitations/

33. Thank You For Your Attention!