Recently, I attended a conference dinner and sat at a table with seven undergraduate physics students. All of them were nearing graduation and the conversation largely centered on career issues. At one point, I asked who had a LinkedIn™ profile and only one of the seven raised their hand. I congratulated the young woman on her foresight and suggested to the others that they follow her example.
The center of gravity for professional recruiting is moving strongly towards LinkedIn™, and that includes physicists at all levels of education (BS, MS, PhD). If you are planning to look for a job within the next year or two, then you should start on a profile now. Here are a few of the many reasons why:
Build a Positive Online Presence
If your CV or résumé lands in my inbox, and piques my interest in the slightest, then I will immediately check out your LinkedIn™ profile. Résumés are useful, but they rarely convey a full picture of someone’s talents. A good LinkedIn™ profile can offer a better basis for deciding whether to pursue a particular candidate or move on. It will also provide a good first-page search result when you are inevitably Googled. There is vastly more you can do to build up an online presence, but a solid LinkedIn™ profile is probably where you want to start.
Practice Self-Promotion
It is my observation that most physicists are not natural self-promoters, myself included. Long term career success does, however, appear to require a least some degree of tooting your own horn. After all, what is a CV or résumé but promotional material for the product of you? LinkedIn™ is a wonderful platform to both learn about how to tastefully promote yourself and experiment with different approaches. If you want to be inspired (and/or intimidated) by an outstanding example of what a LinkedIn™ profile can be, check out Jim Dodgen. I had the opportunity to hear him speak about LinkedIn™ and personal branding a few months ago and it opened my eyes. I read his profile and immediately feel like I have a good sense of who his is and what he does far beyond what a few bullet points could convey. That is the effect you are looking for, eventually. Building up a good profile takes time.
Network, Network, Network
The content of your profile provides only a fraction of its value. The rest comes from your connections. Building up your connections takes time as well. As you do so, remember not to limit yourself to just the obvious poeple, e.g. other physicists in your sub-discipline. You never know which direction opportunity will come from, so be sure to talk to strangers and then (assuming your interaction was positive) connect with them on LinkedIn. It costs you nothing but a few moments of your time.
You are also welcome to connect with me on the about page.