Hope everyone had a restful holiday season and enjoyed it! I am starting the year with some tips for you all. They are mostly applicable to all young professionals, but there are some extra tips for public health professionals.
Start!
My first tip is to start! If there is an idea you have, or you want to post more regularly on social media pages, you need to start. Do not hold off on your idea or what you want to accomplish for too long as the earlier you start the more you can grow and you also have the opportunity to see how your idea resonates with others so you can make amendments along the way.
Plan adequately and write down all the needed steps to turn your idea into an action. You can even use this as an example of project management in an interview discussing how you conceptualized an idea and led to action. Start planning early and take action so that you can accomplish your goals and reach the next steps in your career trajectory. The important and hardest part is starting.
Search!
My second tip is to search and to become good at searching! There is a lot of valuable information that is on the internet, you just need to know where to search and be very targeted. If you are looking for specific opportunities search the name of the topic and if you are not receiving results, make sure you refine the words that you are using to search. If you are looking for careers or academic programs search the names and see what comes up
If you are looking for certain people or pages to follow, start typing areas that interest you and see what pages and groups appear on LinkedIn. If they are the ones you want to join, request to join the group.
If there is a specific company you are interested in, you can search the name of the company and look for people and their roles within the organization. Once you find someone you think is interesting, start reaching out to them and ask to schedule an informal or career chat.
Another good resource is to search for group chats, networks, and mailing lists. Being in these networks will also help ensure you can be connected to people and opportunities.
And, if you are working on data analysis, search your questions in Google as maybe someone has already asked the question or use YouTube!
Engage!
With social media, it's all about finding the right pages and people to follow to stay engaged with the content YOU like. If you don't feel like a page is helping you grow or you do not find the content engaging, it's okay to unfollow the page. And if you are not very active on social media, sign up for newsletters that summarize news content and topics you are interested. Listening to podcasts is also a great way to expand your knowledge in various areas. Be intentional with how you engage to ensure you are connected to people and pages that share opportunities that match your interests.
Regarding pages and content I like to engage with, here are some of the public health podcasts and pages I follow. (Here are my public health-specific tips)
Podcasts
Global Health Unfiltered — this gives very open and honest conversations about public health on the African continent.
Let's Talk about Health in Africa — Provides a great overview of the public health landscape on the African continent.
Public Health Millenial — This podcast gives insight into the various career paths and journeys that individuals have. This is great if you are unsure of what field you want to be in public health and you want to hear about other people's experiences.
Global Health Matters — Provides discussions on various global health topics.
This is more public health-oriented, but these are good websites to check out and pages to follow on LinkedIn.
Also, follow people that you are interested in the careers or the work that they do, and also engage with posts by commenting and reposting with your thoughts. Starting conversations and engaging with others helps to connect you with others and helps you grow. You can also find people to collaborate with in the future.
Another way to engage is to attend events, conferences, and summits and post about them. These events can be in-person or online and they are a great way to be familiar with the recent discussions in your field of interest and expand your network of people in the field.
Apply!
Once you start following the right people and pages, you will see many opportunities flood your social media feeds. Do not doubt yourself and apply to them! Getting a position depends on several factors such as the number of people that apply, the spaces available, and the qualifications of candidates applying. If you are looking for further professional opportunities or jobs, make sure you apply to many opportunities that you feel would be a good fit for you. Also when applying, apply to jobs but also professional development opportunities to expand your skill set.
Applying for opportunities can feel like another job so limit the number of applications you are doing a week or month so you do not feel overwhelmed.
Rest!
Along the process of engaging with content, starting your plans, searching, and applying while fulfilling your other commitments, make sure you take breaks. You do not want to burn out and it's important to contribute 100% to all of your commitments. Not being able to commit and having poor communication will discourage people from continuing to work with you in the future. In the process of resting, saying no to an opportunity or letting people know your timeline to engage is okay. This shows that you value ensuring your work is always up to standard and you know your limits well.
While resting, use the time to reflect and remember that it is important to balance new opportunities and expand your network along with providing quality work.