ASHP Intersections Summer 2010 - 11

“Assume that people are going to Google you…”
social networks, don’t be afraid to avail yourself of the opportunities they offer for collaboration. Some sites, like LinkedIn, have been designed solely for enhancing your career. “LinkedIn is great for professional networking,” said Amy Baker, vice chair of ASHP’s Student Forum Executive Committee. “You can post your curriculum vitae and published papers there, link to your professional blogs, and integrate your Twitter tweets there.” Cain noted that online social networks can help strengthen weak professional ties. “If you met someone at a conference,” he said, “you can reconnect when you get home and build from there. You can also find former classmates who are now colleagues.” You can also branch out into video with a network like YouTube, Cain said. “YouTube can be very useful for education and training,” he said. “For the pharmacy classroom, you can learn or instruct someone in different techniques. It’s also valuable for public health education. For example, there are now videos that show patients how to use an asthma inhaler. YouTube is especially effective if you want to reach a broad audience.” Baker, who is one of several contributors to the Society’s blog, ASHPConnect, added that writing about pharmacy practice in various social media benefits the entire field. “It’s great for projecting enthusiasm and advocating for pharmacy,” she said. Regardless of which medium you use, Baker notes that if you approach it as you would approach colleagues directly, you can’t go wrong. “Put on your white coat, even if it’s only in your mind.”

NETWORKING IN A NUTSHELL
Several rules of thumb will help you navigate social networking sites with professionalism, according to Meredith Jannsen, director of ASHP’s CareerPharm, the Society’s pharmacy employment and career development service: • Conduct an Internet search of yourself frequently. You may be surprised that there is information about you online that you didn’t know was there. Conducting frequent searches will help you manage your professional image. • When creating online profiles, mark them as private. Make sure your friends’ profiles don’t have any personal information about you that you don’t want viewed by others. • Be very careful with the content and visuals you post on your personal webpages, online social networks, and blogs. Avoid stating personal views about your school, teachers, employers, or colleagues. If you decide to blog, tweet, or update your status, make sure you have something worthwhile to say that is universally inoffensive. Never post photos that could appear scandalous. • Join an online social network like LinkedIn to highlight your work history and experience and to connect with others.

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INTERSECTIONS

summer 2010

ASHP Intersections Summer 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ASHP Intersections Summer 2010