Building a Strong LinkedIn Profile for Your Pharma Job Search

On average, 4 people are hired every minute on LinkedIn, with 41 million people using the platform to search for jobs each week. It’s the world’s biggest online professional network, and something you should make the most of when searching for your next pharma job.

Creating a strong LinkedIn profile is key in growing your network with high-quality, valuable connections and making your name known in the industry. In this article, we outline 13 things you can do to build a strong profile and develop your pharma career…

Choose a Professional Profile Picture

Your profile picture is one of the first things people will see on your page, so it’s a good opportunity to make a strong first impression. The photograph you choose should be professional and consistent with your online brand. Read our advice on how to choose a professional profile picture here.

Write a Strong Headline

Your headline will also be one of the first things people see on your profile. Instead of writing something vague like ‘jobseeker’, consider something like “Clinical Research Professional | Winner of X Award 2020 | Seeking a Clinical Research Associate Role”. This tells people who you are, what you’re looking for, and one of your key achievements. 

Add a Background Image

Adding a background image to your profile can make your page more engaging and can be a great way of emphasising your personal brand. If you have your own website for example, you can use your website branding here to keep things consistent across all the platforms you use.

Write a Compelling Summary

In your summary, don’t just list all the skills and experiences that are listed elsewhere on your page, and instead use it as a place to tell your story. This is a place to talk about what motivates you, what you do in your spare time, the journey you’ve been on, or your favourite thing about the role you’re in. Just like your introduction on your CV, this is your chance to really stand out and build relationships with like-minded people.

Be Selective

When filling out your profile, be selective about the information you include. You want your profile to highlight the strongest parts of your skills and experiences, so just like a CV, don’t list every single thing you’ve ever done. If you’re looking for a role in Pharmacovigilance, then only highlight the skills and experiences that would stand out for that role.

Be Specific About Your Skills

When it comes to listing your skills, quality is better than quantity. Think about the skills that are most important to the roles you’re applying for and focus on those in your profile. Also consider taking LinkedIn Skills Assessments; these will allow you to earn badges for your skills to prove the strength of your abilities, and will show you job recommendations based on your strongest areas.

Gather Testimonials

Ask current or previous employers, clients, or colleagues to write a recommendation for your profile. Again, you don’t need to gather loads, but try and get a few really strong ones to highlight your achievements and to give recruiters a deeper insight into how you work. You could also ask these people to endorse some of your skills, but make sure your endorsements are genuine and are done by relevant connections.

Get a Free, Personal URL

Customise your LinkedIn URL to improve your visibility in search results. This is free, easy to set up and is just one small thing you can do to help recruiters find you.

Be Selective About the Personal Information you Share

If you’re going to be growing your network with people outside of your group of friends, family, and colleagues, be careful with the amount of personal information you include on your profile. If you upload a CV to your profile, follow our tips on staying safe when sharing your CV online. Don’t send any personal information via LinkedIn, and if you’re unsure about a request for personal information, contact the company directly.

Let People Know You’re Open to Work

Let recruiters on LinkedIn know you’re open to new opportunities by enabling the #OpenToWork feature on your profile. This will improve your chances of getting recruiters to connect with you, and of growing your network with relevant connections.

Add to Your ‘Featured’ Section

The featured section on your profile is the place for you to highlight any articles you’ve written, interesting or popular posts you’ve shared, external links, and media including photos, videos and presentations. Use this section to showcase your best work and to tell recruiters what you’re about in a more engaging way.

Keep Your Profile Up to Date

Make an effort to regularly update your LinkedIn profile regardless of whether you’re actively job searching or not. This will help you to keep growing your network even when you’re not looking for a job, with relevant connections who could bring value to your search later down the line.

Be Consistent

Make sure that what you put on your LinkedIn profile reflects the information you’ve given recruiters in CVs and job applications. They shouldn’t see any discrepancies between the two, so make sure to cross reference what’s on your profile with what you’ve written in supporting documents before sending out lots of applications.

Grow Your Network…

Once you’ve created a strong profile, make growing your network with high-quality connections your next priority. Remember that it’s not about the number of connections that you have, but rather the quality of those connections and the value they can add to your network.

Visit PharmiWeb.Jobs for more careers advice or to start your pharma job search.