| A resource for new graduates & Chartered Physiotherapists
How to apply for a job, even if it's not advertised...
Linked in is the leading website used for professional networking. People in professional occupations create an online profile of their education, past working experiences, interest specialties, and areas of skills and expertise.
It is a very useful tool to market yourself, seek job opportunities and connect with people in your field all over the world.
Be sure to connect with organizations that you are already associated with such as UCD and the ISCP. Many physiotherapists also connect with the organization called physiotherapy jobs wanted.
Many useful resources are available to guide you through the setting up of your profile..
10 simple steps to creating your account:
10 do’s and don’ts of Linked in
10 tips to a more professional Linked in Profile
Blogging
There are numerous professional benefits associated with blogging. You can express your professional interests, follow people who have similar interests, learn and up skill yourself, exchange ideas, generate publicity, and become inspired.
Blogging is a useful way to connect with many different groups of people, such as colleagues, clients, potential employers, students, and companies. Blogs are free marketing tools and are easy to link to websites.
You can blog about absolutely anything and there are many ways of presenting your information; videos, pictures, words.
Some interesting blogs related to physiotherapy
Top 10 Physical Therapy blogs to learn from:
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http://www.worldwidelearn.com/education-articles/10-physical-therapy-blogs-for-a-mental-workout.html
The benefits of blogging for physiotherapists:
How to start a successful blog today:
.physio
What is .physio?
Dot Physio is a newfound internet domain extension serving interests of the physiotherapy and physical therapy professions (like .com or .org). This newly recognised profession-specific domain serves as a unique identity for the worldwide physio community. Of course this extends to qualified practitioners, retired practitioners, assistants and students, as well as organisations, associations, businesses and education providers related to this profession.
How does it work?
Professionals around the world can request a dot physio domain to promote themselves or their organization, for example
Why join .physio?
As well as the ease-of-access benefits of having a dot physio domain, users will join an online membership that offers special discounts, deals and promotions, as well as interactions with the dot physio community.
The dot physio domain has been endorsed by the World Confederation for Physical Therapy, which represents around 350,000 physio’s globally.
The domain is expected to be up and running by the middle of this year. In the meantime, individuals and organisations can request their chosen domain for free via http://www.dotphysio.com/Domain-Request. For more information, FAQ’s, and policy details on this upcoming domain, visit www.dotphysio.com.
Online Profiling
Remember, the aim of an online profile is to get noticed by employers. What information you decide to include, or exclude, could affect future job opportunities as well as your overall identity on the public internet. Navigating the social media landscape can have its fair share of rewards and consequences. It is critical to be in control of your own “Online Brand.” The following “Do’s” and “Don’ts” will help leverage social media in your job search or networking. With personal branding and business marketing it is vital to have an effective online presence.Your profile projects who you are and serves as the foundation of your personal brand. Your profile must initiate the best possible impression and be the conduit for the messages you and your organization need to deliver. Having a well written profile can mean the difference between getting and losing a new client or job.
DO’S
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Google yourself (you could be surprised what information is freely available on search engines)
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It sounds like common sense, but think before posting. Remember your Facebook page is accessible around the world; the same goes for blog posts. Those spur-of-the-moment posts about your two-day hangover or how much your hate your boss will creep up on you! Keep tabs of how others are representing you online. Monitor friends’ pictures, tags, comments, etc, as employers can view their pages too.
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Use neutral, daytime photographs on professional social networking sites. Photos that show what you wore last Saturday night in Coppers will not appeal to professionals.
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Use the privacy option! This setting helps you control who sees (and more importantly, who doesn’t see) your online information.
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Set up a LinkedIn profile. Facebook is the be-all and end-all of exhibiting your social life; your professional life can now be broadcasted on LinkedIn.
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Research various online professional networking sites that suit your profession. For example, profile yourself on research gate, follow twitter career pages, join the Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists facebook page, etc.
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Keep your profile information up-to-date and ready for the eyes of employers.
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Focus on your expertise- Include present and past employment, accomplishments, skills, competencies, education. A good tip is to use key words that will pop up in search engines.
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Think outside the box- Vamp up your profile with new phrases, word pictures; be authentic and individual. Captivate your audience with an eye-catching advertisement of what you have to offer
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Quality not Quantity- First impressions are key, so open with a powerful heading that leaves them wanting more. Keep details specific and relevant, and every word on your profile should be included for your benefit.
DON’TS
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The biggest mistake of all is not profiling yourself online; everything is done via internet these days so don’t miss out.
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An online profile is not a CV, so don’t regurgitate the information. Outline your all-round skills that will help get you an interview.
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Don’t go OTT with self-praise- eg “superior” “exclusing” “outstanding”
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Some details are irrelevant and therefore don't need to go into your profile, such as date of birth or relationship status.
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Avoid clichés and cheesy sayings, they're full of empty praise and they've heard them all before.
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Do not make reference to politics or religion, as you may unintentionally offend fellow professionals.
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Don’t post anything you don’t want your employer to see. There are many cases of employees getting fired because of an inappropriate photo/post.
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Don’t badmouth your current, previous, or future employer online. This can easily be found by your hiring manager, supervisor, or co-workers.
See more at: http://socialmediaclub.org/blogs/from-the-clubhouse/dos-and-donts-your-profile#sthash.sR8mlssc.dpuf