Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

6 ways physicians can improve their LinkedIn profile

Health eCareers
Social media
October 22, 2018
Share
Tweet
Share

This article is sponsored by Careers by KevinMD.com.

Whether you’re looking for a new position or just wanting to connect with colleagues, LinkedIn is a great resource to advance your career. As a healthcare professional, having an online presence can understandably make you uneasy, especially when it comes to concerns about privacy or potential HIPAA violations. However, in today’s technological age, having some type of online professional profile is essential to landing your next job, and LinkedIn is your best option to build one.

Although your LinkedIn profile is important, it shouldn’t be a digital carbon copy of your resume. Take advantage of the opportunity LinkedIn gives you to not only explain your skills and experience with more depth, but to showcase the many dimensions that make you unique.

Tip: Turn off your activity when you’re updating your profile. If not, your connections will be notified of all the updates you’re making. This is especially important if you’re looking to change jobs and don’t want to alert your current employer!

Here are six easy ways to improve your LinkedIn profile:

1. Upload a current, professional profile photo. Profiles that include a photo are 14 times more likely to be viewed, so it’s important to have one. If your profile picture is more than a few years old, consider updating it to a more current photo. Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words. Make sure your photo is professional and reflects the image you want to portray.

2. Create a unique URL. Make your LinkedIn profile URL as unique as you are by creating a custom URL (For example: linkedin. com/yourname). A custom URL makes your profile more professional and allows you to add the link to your resume so others can connect with you on LinkedIn.

3. Customize your headline. Every time you change jobs, LinkedIn defaults your headline to your updated title. However, by customizing your headline, you can include specific keywords employers may search for. For example, if you want to spotlight your experience, you could change your headline to “Internal Medicine MD with 20 years of experience,” which will increase the chances of your profile showing up in both LinkedIn and Google search results.

4. Update your contact information. It’s simple, but oftentimes overlooked. Check the contact information section of your profile to make sure your information is up to date. Remember that everything you post in this section is public, so don’t share any contact information you’d prefer to keep private.

5. Make your summary personal. The thought of writing a summary can feel daunting, but it’s an important component to creating a great first impression and is the gateway to your profile’s search engine optimization (essentially your online findability). So, take the time needed to make your summary unique and personal to you. Don’t forget to showcase your strengths and achievements, along with your passions, interests, and goals.

6. Be a thought leader. Want to really stand out on LinkedIn? In addition to keeping your contact information, education and experience up to date, show potential employers that you’re on the cutting edge of the medical advancements by sharing relevant articles and engaging with posts from colleagues.

Find jobs at Careers by KevinMD.com. Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

ADVERTISEMENT

Prev

Personal intimacy as an overlooked antidepressant

October 21, 2018 Kevin 0
…
Next

Why physicians should embrace failure

October 22, 2018 Kevin 2
…

Tagged as: Practice Management

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Personal intimacy as an overlooked antidepressant
Next Post >
Why physicians should embrace failure

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Health eCareers

  • What are the top non-clinical physician jobs and salaries?

    Health eCareers
  • Regret medical school? Here are 3 things you can do.

    Health eCareers
  • Best jobs for retired physicians: What are the options?

    Health eCareers

Related Posts

  • Are patients using social media to attack physicians?

    David R. Stukus, MD
  • The risk physicians take when going on social media

    Anonymous
  • Beware of pseudoscience: The desperate need for physicians on social media

    Valerie A. Jones, MD
  • Surprising and unlikely rewards of social media engagement by physicians

    Lisa Chan, MD
  • Physicians who don’t play the social media game may be left behind

    Xrayvsn, MD
  • When physicians are cyberbullied: an interview with ZDoggMD

    Monique Tello, MD

More in Social media

  • How social media and telemedicine are transforming patient care

    Jalene Jacob, MD, MBA
  • How DrKoop.com rose and fell: the untold story behind the Surgeon General’s startup

    Nigel Cameron, PhD
  • How I escaped the toxic grip of social media

    Dr. Damane Zehra
  • Why doctors must fight health misinformation on social media

    Olapeju Simoyan, MD
  • I was trolled by another physician on social media. I am happy I did not respond.

    Casey P. Schukow, DO
  • Social media: Striking a balance for physicians and parents

    Dawn Baker, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The broken health care system doesn’t have to break you

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
    • How scales of justice saved a doctor-patient relationship

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
    • How dismantling DEI endangers the future of medical care

      Shashank Madhu and Christian Tallo | Education
    • Why shared decision-making in medicine often fails

      M. Bennet Broner, PhD | Conditions
    • “Think twice, heal once”: Why medical decision-making needs a second opinion from your slower brain (and AI)

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Tech
    • Do Jewish students face rising bias in holistic admissions?

      Anonymous | Education
  • Past 6 Months

    • What’s driving medical students away from primary care?

      ​​Vineeth Amba, MPH, Archita Goyal, and Wayne Altman, MD | Education
    • Internal Medicine 2025: inspiration at the annual meeting

      American College of Physicians | Physician
    • A faster path to becoming a doctor is possible—here’s how

      Ankit Jain | Education
    • Residency as rehearsal: the new pediatric hospitalist fellowship requirement scam

      Anonymous | Physician
    • Are quotas a solution to physician shortages?

      Jacob Murphy | Education
    • The hidden bias in how we treat chronic pain

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
  • Recent Posts

    • Surviving kidney disease and reforming patient care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why we fear being forgotten more than death itself

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • My journey from misdiagnosis to living fully with APBD

      Jeff Cooper | Conditions
    • Antimicrobial resistance: a public health crisis that needs your voice [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why a fourth year will not fix emergency medicine’s real problems

      Anna Heffron, MD, PhD & Polly Wiltz, DO | Education
    • Why shared decision-making in medicine often fails

      M. Bennet Broner, PhD | Conditions

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The broken health care system doesn’t have to break you

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
    • How scales of justice saved a doctor-patient relationship

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
    • How dismantling DEI endangers the future of medical care

      Shashank Madhu and Christian Tallo | Education
    • Why shared decision-making in medicine often fails

      M. Bennet Broner, PhD | Conditions
    • “Think twice, heal once”: Why medical decision-making needs a second opinion from your slower brain (and AI)

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Tech
    • Do Jewish students face rising bias in holistic admissions?

      Anonymous | Education
  • Past 6 Months

    • What’s driving medical students away from primary care?

      ​​Vineeth Amba, MPH, Archita Goyal, and Wayne Altman, MD | Education
    • Internal Medicine 2025: inspiration at the annual meeting

      American College of Physicians | Physician
    • A faster path to becoming a doctor is possible—here’s how

      Ankit Jain | Education
    • Residency as rehearsal: the new pediatric hospitalist fellowship requirement scam

      Anonymous | Physician
    • Are quotas a solution to physician shortages?

      Jacob Murphy | Education
    • The hidden bias in how we treat chronic pain

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
  • Recent Posts

    • Surviving kidney disease and reforming patient care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why we fear being forgotten more than death itself

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • My journey from misdiagnosis to living fully with APBD

      Jeff Cooper | Conditions
    • Antimicrobial resistance: a public health crisis that needs your voice [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why a fourth year will not fix emergency medicine’s real problems

      Anna Heffron, MD, PhD & Polly Wiltz, DO | Education
    • Why shared decision-making in medicine often fails

      M. Bennet Broner, PhD | Conditions

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...