LinkedIn

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
K

Keri

Full Member
7+ Year Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2016
Messages
33
Reaction score
66
Points
4,631
  1. Pre-Veterinary
Members do not see this ad.
From your experience, have you found LinkedIn to be useful throughout school for getting internships/externships or job placement following graduation? Simply asking to gauge whether I should invest the time into my profile now or not-- thank you in advance for any input!
 
LinkedIn hasn't "directly" helped me get an internship/externship. But I still keep it updated if people should want to do some research on me through a search engine. I know I look up individuals I meet or will meet during my research applying for programs.

I would say the most important thing would be to make sure your CV looks professional, is properly formatted, and free of errors.
 
Last edited:
And hence the hesitation , WTF. I'm torn between giving in to the norm should it actually benefit, or otherwise abstaining. Not-so-secretly hoping for the later as a naturally introverted individual who hates social media, but it looks like the world is shifting that direction
 
I guess I don’t really “get” LinkedIn? I have one because I know recruiters for some of the places I’d like to work have them and I’ll be looking for a job soon. But it kinda seems like a ‘set it and forget it’ kind of thing to me, or at least that’s how I’m approaching it. I don’t understand how it’s really a social thing. I am applying for a residency-externship now and it had the option to apply via LinkedIn so it seems like a few places care?
 
JaynaAli said:
I guess I don’t really “get” LinkedIn? I have one because I know recruiters for some of the places I’d like to work have them and I’ll be looking for a job soon. But it kinda seems like a ‘set it and forget it’ kind of thing to me, or at least that’s how I’m approaching it. I don’t understand how it’s really a social thing. I am applying for a residency-externship now and it had the option to apply via LinkedIn so it seems like a few places care?
Click to expand...

Sorry, I didn't mean it was a social thing. I meant more that everyone and their mother is on it, and it isn't exactly anything special or professional. I see Linkedin profiles for high schoolers with side jobs and stay-at-home moms. It's kind of a joke.

I have one and I have never found it useful for anything.
 
If you don't want to make a LinkedIn that's perfectly fine. But it's the 21st century, the age of social media, and you can bet that a significant number of vet students have updated profiles to help promote themselves. TBH I'd keep an updated profile on 10 platforms if they were free. Hiring managers definitely make online searches of applicants. What's the harm in having a professional profile page???

Again, it's whatever but also... why not?
 
Keri said:
From your experience, have you found LinkedIn to be useful throughout school for getting internships/externships or job placement following graduation? Simply asking to gauge whether I should invest the time into my profile now or not-- thank you in advance for any input!
Click to expand...
I've had a LinkedIn account for a number of years (long before vet school- a friend of mine in the tech world first introduced me to it). It's helpful to connect with folks in the field that you come across at meetings, etc. Before vet school, I had a rep from a desirable company contact me out of the blue while I was gainfully employed to discuss an interview and potential move. These things do happen. I've also subscribed on/off to LinkedIn's premium service. There are several added features that come along with the fee-for-service subscription, and one of these is knowing the names of individuals (not currently in your network) who search your profile. There were several individuals associated with this year's Match (program directors, current residents) that stopped by to visit my LinkedIn page [my LinkedIn profile address was listed at the top of my CV]. So, yes, LinkedIn does get traffic from individuals in the position to offer you a job.

Our career counselor at NCSU spent one class period in my last block discussing the pros/cons of LinkedIn. Chief among the pro's was using LinkedIn to (1) showcase your employment history [what has been discussed in this thread], but also (2) creating a personal 'brand' and (3) demonstrating a history of interest/influence, and establishing yourself as a current 'player/mover/shaker,' in your field of choice. Benefits 2 and 3 can take a substantial amount of time, and I'm currently on the fence as to whether I should be investing more into my LinkedIn account for these reasons.

That being said, I don't believe that LinkedIn is necessary, by any stretch of the imagination, to succeed in vet med. Although I don't have personal experience with the AVMA careers site as @DVMDream mentioned, I do have multiple classmates who were successful in landing many interviews (and eventual positions) as a result of this feature. Most of the jobs advertised (I did search the site- just never uploaded my information) are for the SA folks, but there are a spattering of other jobs listed there as well. One of the nice features of the AVMA job site is the capability to search by geographical location, experience level, and species interest.
 
I have a LinkedIn account but don't really use it. I don't actively search for people to add/message and really only keep an account so that prospective employers can look me up on it.
 
I have a LinkedIn profile that I created mainly for freelance work (my side hustle). I end up getting contacted by veterinary recruiters maybe once a month or so.... so it definitely wouldn't hurt to set up a profile!
 
I don't think LinkedIn is widely used in vet med, so it seems irrelevant to many vet med people. I just get a lot of random 'We're interested in you, please contact us!' spam from random veterinary-related companies/recruiters.

With that being said, Linkedin is actually pretty big in other fields like engineering. My brother in law's current employer 'discovered' him on Linkedin and offered him a interview/position when he wasn't even looking, for example. My fiance has been contacted with job openings at other auto companies, too.
 
Last edited:
I had experience in getting a first job through LinkedIn. It was a good start, but in a half a year I decided to quit and find something better.
 
Lots of head hunters on Linkedin. Lots of Banfield people looking to fill positions. Nothing super useful so far. I feel like it's a lot more relevant for the tech industry - my husb gets something like one job offer a day. It's for contract work usually, so nothing he wants right now, but it's pretty heavy.
 
Had a Lunch & Learn yesterday given by a industry professional for 36 years. I guess I can really only speak for students and those beginning our career, but a big takeaway from the lecture was "it's YOUR career and YOUR responsibility." So I say put yourself out there. People want to connect. Over the course of vet school connect with colleagues and people you meet. It's all about networking and building that network. During my internship this summer I'm definitely going to connect with people over LinkedIn and get as many business cards as possible.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom