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Last year was the year of figuring out how to truly use LinkedIn to my advantage. I updated my profile and began building connections and started to participate in groups. This morning, in the Private Speech Therapy Network group, a few of us were discussing how to locate new, part-time employees. I suggested that the person looked on LinkedIn and then I thought, “Yeah – but how?”
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How Many Therapy Providers are on LinkedIn?
From new grads to those with decades of experience, there are over 200,000 clinicians who can be identified as a speech, occupational or physical therapist by a keyword search of their profile.
When I put the following keywords words in quotes, I found:
68,516 “CCC SLP,” “Speech Therapist,” “Speech Pathologist”*
76,258 “Occupational Therapist”
112,291 “Physical Therapist”
*You know how SLP’s are –> they have several possible titles…
Anyway, my next step is to enter a zip code and select a radius. Depending on where you live, you’ll probably pick between 5 and 25 miles.
Seeking OT’s in NYC?
*Your search results will vary by your geographic location, radius and search terms
Narrowing Down the Search Results
Hopefully after your advanced search you’ll have a list of names and profiles of potential candidates to reach out to. Go ahead and save this search.
Look at Each Profile:
1.) Do you know them (or know of them?) Reaching out to people you already know – or know through a connection is often easier than contacting them blind.
*Hint – look at your “shared connections.” You may not realize that you know people in common!
2.) Is their area of interest/expertise in line with what you’re looking for?
3.) Do they have the level of experience you’re looking for? (ie are they an established clinician vs. a new grad)
4.) Is there any additional information such as a link to a blog or LinkedIn groups to get a better sense of their professional interests?
5.) At the bottom, what does it say that they are interested in? Some people list things like “career opportunities” “consulting offers” “expertise requests” all of which are signs that they may be looking for additional work. Looks Like She Might be Interested…
The Right Way to Make Initial Contact
After you’ve narrowed down your list, it’s time to start making contact. Some peoples LinkedIn profiles will include an e-mail address. Others will leave the option to “Send [name] a Message.”
Compose a brief message introducing yourself and mentioning something that drew you to contact them. For example, maybe you went to the same graduate school, are both members of the Brain Injury Association or are impressed with their level of experience with autism.
By taking the time to acknowledge and compliment them, it sets a nice tone and even if it doesn’t result in a job situation, can become a professional contact for the future.
From there, you can share a little about your clinic and your needs and give them the option to contact you if they are interested.
