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Overview

Show your skills to employers  Slides► Narrated Slides► Video►

Objectives

Objectives

1. Identify which organization is hiring health informatics graduates and why
2. Identify which employers have hired non-immigrant foreign trainees
3. Clarify who inside the organization is leading the effort
4. Apply for jobs or apply for practicum projects at places that might hire you later

Assigned Reading

1. Read Linked by Omar Garriott and Jeremy Schifeling
2. Create your LinkedIn persona Slides►
3. Improve your network of contacts Slides►

Background

Health informatics graduates are sought after by a variety of organizations within the healthcare industry, as well as in other sectors where health data management and technology intersect. Some examples of organizations that commonly hire health informatics graduates include:

1. Healthcare Providers: Hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare facilities employ health informatics professionals to manage electronic health records (EHRs), implement health information systems, and optimize data analysis for improved patient care and outcomes.
2. Health Insurance Companies: Insurance providers utilize health informatics specialists to analyze health data for risk assessment, claims processing, and developing strategies for improving population health and reducing costs.
3. Pharmaceutical Companies: Pharmaceutical firms employ health informatics professionals for research and development, drug safety monitoring, clinical trials management, and pharmaco-vigilance activities.
4. Government Agencies: Government health departments, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or the National Institutes of Health (NIH), hire health informatics experts to manage health data, track disease outbreaks, and develop health policies and initiatives.
5. Research Institutions: Academic institutions and research organizations employ health informatics graduates to conduct studies on healthcare delivery, health outcomes, epidemiology, and public health informatics.
6. Healthcare IT Vendors: Companies that develop and sell healthcare information technology solutions, such as electronic medical record (EMR) systems, health data analytics platforms, and telemedicine platforms, hire health informatics professionals for product development, implementation, and customer support.
7. Consulting Firms: Consulting firms specializing in healthcare or technology often hire health informatics consultants to assist healthcare organizations with system implementations, process optimization, data analysis, and regulatory compliance.
8. Nonprofit Organizations: Nonprofit organizations focused on healthcare advocacy, patient education, and health equity may employ health informatics experts to support their programs, research initiatives, and data-driven advocacy efforts.
9. Healthcare Startups: Startups developing innovative healthcare technologies and digital health solutions frequently seek health informatics talent to drive product development, data analytics, and business strategy.

Overall, the demand for health informatics professionals continues to grow. Since you are looking for job or change in your career soon, you cannot rely on the overall demand. You need to find out which organizations are hiring.  Use LinkedIn to identify organizations that are hiring health informatics graduates. Using LinkedIn to identify organizations that are hiring health informatics graduates can be an effective strategy. Here's a detailed approach:

1. Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile: Before you start using LinkedIn for job search, make sure your profile is complete and optimized. Highlight your skills, education, and experience related to health informatics. Use relevant keywords in your profile summary, headline, and job descriptions to increase visibility.
2. Search for Relevant Job Titles: Use LinkedIn's job search feature to search for relevant job titles such as "health informatics specialist," "clinical informatics analyst," "healthcare data analyst," or other related terms. Narrow down your search by location, industry, and job function to find positions that match your criteria.
3. Follow Companies You Want to Work For: Identify healthcare organizations, pharmaceutical companies, government agencies, and healthcare IT vendors that you're interested in working for. Follow their LinkedIn company pages to stay updated on their latest news, job openings, and hiring trends.
4. Set Up Job Alerts: LinkedIn allows you to set up job alerts based on specific criteria, such as keywords, location, and industry. Create job alerts for health informatics-related positions to receive notifications when new job openings are posted.
5. Join Groups: Join George Mason University's Health Informatics group on LinkedIn.  Join other groups related to health informatics, healthcare technology, and related fields. Engage with group members, participate in discussions, and share relevant content. Sometimes, group members may share job postings or insider information about job opportunities.
6. Post Projects You Have Done: Once a month post a project that you have done in your courses. In your post refer to others who have done similar work and posted their work.  Be complimentary.
7. Utilize Advanced Search Filters: LinkedIn's advanced search feature allows you to filter search results based on various criteria, including company size, job seniority level, and date posted. Use these filters to narrow down your search and find organizations that are actively hiring health informatics graduates.
8. Connect with Recruiters and Professionals: Connect with recruiters, hiring managers, and professionals working in the health informatics field. Personalize your connection requests and engage with their content to build relationships. Networking on LinkedIn can often lead to job referrals and insider information about job openings.
9. Engage with Company: Identify individuals in your future work place that you want to talk to and ask the instructor to introduce you to them.  Approach with caution.  Do not connect until you have been introduced.  

By using these strategies effectively, you can leverage LinkedIn as a powerful tool to identify organizations that are hiring health informatics graduates and connect with relevant job opportunities in the field.

Assignments

Instruction for Submission of Assignments:

1. Provide a summary statement (one sentence per Task).
2. Submit you answers in Canvas.

Task 1: Create your profile on LinkedIn.  

• Include an image of yourself. Are you smiling?  Correct answer is "Yes". Is image clear?  Correct answer is "Yes". 
• Education details.  Include list of degrees and key courses you have taken
• List work details and/or real projects you did in classes
• List skills and proof of your expertise

Task 2:Connect with others including faculty, recruiters, and specific groups that are relevant to your career.

Task 3: Identify 3 organization you want to work for and are likely to hire you.  Search within LinkedIn for 5 people within your target organizations.  Adjust your profile to meet the vocabulary used by others hired into the target organizations.

Task 4: Review 2 profiles from students in class and identify if they have done each of the three tasks correctly. 

Task 5: Attend 2 in-person job fairs or industry events. Talk to at least 5 companies in each job fair or industry event. Follow through with a thank you letter to the people you talked to.  Add a LinkedIn connection with the companies and individuals you contacted. This task is due at midterm.

Task 6: List 3 individuals and their organizations you want to network with.  The organization should be a place where you would like to eventually work.  International students should list organizations that have in the past supported H1b visas.  Please do not contact the individuals you have identified.