By Joie N. Marhefka
Before digging into the meat of my column, I want to take a moment to welcome Carol Davis-Smith to “The Future.” I really look forward to reading Carol’s columns this year, as well as to reading another year of Steve Yelton’s insights. Carol and Steve are two of the many professional contacts I’ve made over the past 10 years teaching in HTM. Making connections and maintaining a professional network is the topic of my column this month.
Time and time again I hear that it’s who you know, not what you know, that will get you a job. While I don’t completely agree – in a field like HTM, what you know is certainly important – the people that you know may very well be instrumental in helping you get that next job. This is a point I try to emphasize with my students. Obviously, I spend much of my time in class teaching students the skills they need to have to enter the HTM workforce while giving them opportunities to practice technical and soft skills. However, I also try to help them build their professional networks and understand how to continue to build those networks as they go through school and become professionals. Here are just a few ways that I encourage my students to establish professional connections – and a few methods I use to build my own network.
• College: Classmates, professors, coworkers and supervisors can provide a good start for a professional network. These are people you generally get to know in your daily life who can provide job advice, opportunities and recommendations. I encourage my students to keep in touch with me, their other instructors and each other after they graduate. I often share job opportunities with my students and alumni and am generally happy to provide a recommendation for those who ask. As students graduate and enter the HTM field, I know they often share opportunities with each other. It’s also a good idea to reach out to connections regularly, not just when you are looking for a new job.
• Mentors: In addition to the folks mentioned above, mentors can be invaluable when looking for a new position or making a career change. I pair each of my students with an alumni mentor during their first semester of school. I encourage them to stay in touch as they go through the program, graduate and start their careers. Mentors can provide advice and answer questions throughout the job search process. I have benefited from having strong mentors as I have progressed through my career and strive to be a good mentor to others.
• Social Media: LinkedIn is another valuable resource when building and maintaining a professional network. It is a great way to keep up with professional contacts and to seek out new contacts. I am fairly active on LinkedIn, mostly promoting the things that our students and faculty at Penn State New Kensington are doing (check it out if you have the time and feel free to connect), but also as a way to keep up with contacts in the field. Our students were required to set up a LinkedIn profile this year and encouraged to connect with others in HTM. Several recent graduates of our program have told me that LinkedIn has helped them to find a new opportunity.
• HTM Groups & Events: Finally, joining professional societies and attending conferences are excellent ways to expand your network. I have met numerous wonderful people in the HTM field by attending conferences including AAMI eXchange, MD Expo and the HTMA-OH conference. Attending these sorts of events on a regular basis allows me to catch up with folks in person. This year, students are joining me at these conferences, giving them an opportunity to practice their networking stills and make valuable connections as they prepare to start their careers. The professional organizations that I belong to and volunteer with, including AAMI, Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and Women In Bio (WIB), have also given me the chance to connect with various professionals. I always encourage my students to join professional organizations, especially those which students can join for free or reduced rates.
Having a strong professional network offers many benefits beyond job searching. My professional network has given me access to opportunities, such as speaking at conferences, helped me to stay current in the field and been instrumental in solving problems that I’ve encountered. I hope that this column has given you some ideas about how to grow and maintain a professional network.
