Here’s the blunt truth: Social media can’t actually get you a job in global health. There aren’t any magic bullets in a job search, and social media is no exception.
But using social media actively and regularly can give you a leg up. It can quickly expand your professional network and help set you apart from other job applicants.
All you need to do is be active. And strategic. Here’s how.
1. Converse on Twitter
Twitter is the quickest way to connect with people in the field. A lot of what you get out of it depends on who you’re following, so make sure you’re conversing with global health thought leaders. How do you find them? The global health directory on WeFollow or Health Hawk’s list is a good place to start. You should also pay attention to #globalhealth and related hashtags. Take note of who is tweeting. Not only will this help you identify who to connect with, but it is a good way to keep your ear to the ground for industry trends.
Following accounts like @JobsAtPATH and @MSF_USA might help you find a great job listing, but it won’t get you any closer to landing the job. To make that happen, you need to tweet actively, not just listen. The ideal is to create Twitter relationships that evolve beyond the website – at tweetups, on phone calls and over email.
Kathleen McDonald, who received her Master in Public Health from Boston University in 2008, said this approach was instrumental in her job search.
“I was unemployed for almost a year, and Twitter was a great resource for keeping me up to speed on current global health topics, networking and leveling the playing field so I could contact global health experts,” said McDonald, who got Twitter connections to provide feedback on her resume.
2. Optimize your LinkedIn profile
Even though 2011 was a big year for LinkedIn – with its IPO and the introduction of LinkedIn Today earlier in the year – most people still don’t seem to be getting all they could out of the platform. But there’s no reason for that! LinkedIn offers excellent, free resources – especially for job seekers – on how to improve your profile and use the network to find jobs.
But perhaps the quickest thing you can do to improve your profile is to complete the skills section. This will increase your chances of showing up in relevant searches and will help categorize your experience for anyone who happens to scan your profile. (The same is true with your Devex profile, of course.)
Getting active in groups and participating in LinkedIn’s Q&A opportunities can also be very helpful, but there’s another even more basic way to use LinkedIn to get your foot in the door for a global health job. If you see a job you’re interested in applying for, it’s a good idea to search LinkedIn (as well as Devex, which hosts the largest database of global development professionals) to see if you know anyone or if someone in your network has a contact at the organization you’re interested in. You can then contact him or her to find out more information and perhaps pass on a resume. But in order for this to work, you’ll need to be diligent about adding all your professional contacts on LinkedIn so that your searches actually turn up connections.
3. Blog about your field
If you really want to position yourself as an (emerging) authority in global health and get attention for your ideas, blogging may just be the way to go. There are countless stories of people whose blogs have helped them switch to an exciting new job or attract other interesting professional opportunities, such as speaking gigs.
Writing consistently can be very challenging, but it is essential to provide regular updates if you want the networking benefit of a blog. There’s a growing group of global health blogs out there – some with large audiences – which creates an opportunity to share your content and get in front of lots of different readers. For example, The Guardian’s Global Development blog network syndicates content from several sources. Devex also accepts guest contributions.
Kate Mitchell, who now works in rural India as a William J. Clinton fellow, is a great example of a global health professional who used blogging to elevate her personal brand. While working with EngenderHealth, Kate started the Maternal Mortality Daily as a way to share news and research about maternal mortality. Her blog soon became a robust information platform for anyone working on maternal health issues, and a great way for Kate to broaden her professional network. Just take a look at the comments on her blog’s “About” page to see how many people from around the world wanted to connect with Kate because of her blog.
4. Be creative
The tips above illustrate just a few ways to use social media to get your name out there. But you’ll probably get the most visibility from being original and using new tools, or finding new ways to use old tools.
For example, when a job in social media and global health caught my eye, I created an Xtranormal video to complement my application. It made my application stand out and I was invited in for an interview.
Of course, social media campaigns to get hired are nothing new. And even though their success rates vary, the creativity involved usually gets noticed, which can lead to opportunities down the road.
The moral of the story: Don’t shy away from taking a risk every now and then.
Read last week’s Career Matters.
Jaclyn Schiff’s is published by Devex in collaboration with the Brazen Life blog.
