Having a professional LinkedIn profile is a must if you are seeking a job in medical device sales. You can simultaneously promote your current business and open yourself to new opportunities.
If you want to be found by an enterprising recruiter who may have a great job opportunity for you, you need to make yourself easy to be found. Here are a few ways to do it:
- If you can pull it off, select Medical Devices or Hospital & Healthcare as your industry. At a minimum, list medical devices as one of your interests or as part of your summary.
- Be sure you are “Interested In” career opportunities. This gives recruiters and others permission to approach you through LinkedIn with positions that might interest you.
- Join a few groups centered on the medical device industry. A few I recommend are: Medical Device Networkers, Medical Device Sales Professionals, MedCareerVillage and and local medical device groups that may be in your area. Be sure you set your permissions to be open to emails from other group members.
- Have a complete profile, including your complete work history, select accomplishments and awards. You should list your education. The more detailed your profile is, the more attention you will attract.
- If you feel comfortable doing so, list your email address and your phone number on your profile. I also recommend having LinkedIn messages (called “inmails”) forwarded to your personal email account. That way you won’t miss out on important messages because you’ve haven’t checked your account in a while. Timing can be everything.
And don’t forget to add a picture. When you begin to network through LinkedIn, having a picture will increase the level of interest in your profile. It’s simple, but people like to see who they are dealing with. When you are ready, ask for a few recommendations and your profile will really be impressive!
If you’d like to get even more in-depth, see my earlier post on recommended reading or contact a professional, like Resumé Wonders, for assistance in developing a truly stellar profile.
Lisa McCallister specializes in recruiting for medical device sales and marketing positions with an operating room focus, such as orthopedics, electrosurgery, endoscopy and a wide range of surgical specialties. She has recruited two Rookie of the Year award winners. Connect with her on LinkedIn or check out her blog, MyJobScope.com.