1. Chance Favors The
Prepared Network
University of Minnesota Neuroscience Department
April 19 2012
Mary Canady
Comprendia LLC

2. Who Am I?
•1992
–Biochemistry grad student (Duke)
–Did Crystallography for pretty pictures
–Loved bench work (and to organize
events)
•2012
–Comprendia/San Diego
Biotechnology Network
•Network of 20,000
•Marketing, events, writing, speaking
•Results
–I can find help in myriad areas
–People find me easily for business
(and speaking!)
–I have found my niche and am
happy at work
2 © Comprendia, LLC All rights reserved.

3. Headed to U of Minn. today to talk to scientists
about networking...what's your advice?
“My advice is to not be afraid to talk “It would probably also help if you tell
to scientists outside your own fields the grad students/post-docs the
of interest/collaborations. You might different career options they might
get inspired..” explore, especially in this job
--@InnovaBio, Twitter market, so they learn to network in
right areas!”
“Don't think of networking as a -- Saugata Ray, LinkedIn
quick gateway to a
job/collaboration. It is about “LinkedIn is a necessity, but not a
cultivating good relationships over replacement for meeting people in
time.” person!”
--@omespeak, Twitter --Heather Buschman, LinkedIn
“Be positive but realistic. In the “Mention the huge amnt of scientist
current scientific job networking on here. There is a
market, connectivity will help but is untrue stigma that Twitter is self
not a panacea. Let us know what indulgent and egotistical.”
sorts of reactions you get.” -- @ProteinWrangler, Twitter
--Peter Kenny, LinkedIn
3 © Comprendia, LLC All rights reserved.

4. WHY?
4 © Comprendia, LLC All rights reserved.

5. Why? Be Smarter
Item 1992 2012
Instant PDF, share and
Photocopy from library
Publications meet others (Mendeley,
every few days
BioMedExperts)
Just got 1st account!
Pervasive, drives
Email The TELEPHONE used
collaborations
often.
Forums, Blogs, Wikis,
Interest groups Mailing lists LinkedIn Groups,
Facebook Pages
Search abstracts online,
find common
Conference Email paper authors, connections on LinkedIn
networking meet or BioMedExperts,
blog/Tweet about
meeting beforehand.
5 © Comprendia, LLC All rights reserved.

6. Why?
•Be Richer
•SciFund: Researchers ‗crowd fund‘
their research
•$76K raised
•Larger network=more funding (link)
•Be Happier
•Share your experiences
•Help people and be helped
•Find your niche
6 © Comprendia, LLC All rights reserved.

7. WHAT?
7 © Comprendia, LLC All rights reserved.

8. What Is Networking?
• Can be online or IRL (in
real life)
• Formal or informal
• Science or non-science
• Can be with people
you know
• Started by anyone,
anywhere
8 © Comprendia, LLC All rights reserved.

9. What Online Tools
Should I Use?
Application Description Good for How To Use
LinkedIn Professional •Personal brand •Complete profile
networking •Job hunting •Join/start groups
•Leads •Engage
Twitter Sharing •Personal brand •Find a niche
information •Connecting via •Follow
with short content hashtags/users
updates •Events
Blog Dynamic •Personal brand •Create blog acc.
website with •Connecting with To channel
daily-weekly peers •Find others,
articles interact via
comments/Twitter
Our 3 recent posts on scientific social networks
9 © Comprendia, LLC All rights reserved.

10. HOW?
10 © Comprendia, LLC All rights reserved.

11. IRL: On Networking: A Rant by
Scicurious (link)
• How do you overcome
awkwardness and meet the
big wigs in your field?
• Lots of great comments
– Ask them for advice
– Don't just focus on big
wigs
– Try smaller meetings
– Be outgoing but do what
feels natural
– Hang out with people
11 you like
© Comprendia, LLC All rights reserved.

12. IRL+ Online: SDBN
• 2008: Unsatisfied with San Diego life
science networking opportunities
• Using personal network, began SDBN
– Now 7000 members on LinkedIn, Facebook
– Monthly meetings featuring hot science,100+
• Casual atmosphere, plenty of time for
networking
– Speed networking
– Networking bingo
• Networking events in high demand, more
easy to organize these days
12 © Comprendia, LLC All rights reserved.

13. LinkedIn…What Is It Good For?
• Finding a job
• Building your personal brand or
channel
– What problem can you solve for
others?
– Post relevant news and items
• Serendipity
• LinkedIn (LI)Works best
– With a large network
– Leveraging groups
– In conjunction with social media & face to
face interactions
13 © Comprendia, LLC All rights reserved.

14. Maximizing Your LI Profile
• Should be as complete as resume
– Use action words and bullets
– Headline—what ‗pain‘ do you address?
– Adding all past relevant positions with
information for each helps others to find
you (leave out the Olive Garden)
• Get a ‗vanity‘ URL
– Add to email signature, business card
• Add a head shot
– Friendly, professional
– Next best thing to face to face
• Check for spelling errors!
14 © Comprendia, LLC All rights reserved.

15. Maximizing Your LI Profile
• Link to your company or sites of
interest
– Choose ‗other‘ and put in name
• Include complete contact
information
• Get recommended
– Don‘t be shy
• Look through contacts, you‘ll be amazed
• Only ~50% may respond, don‘t be
offended
– BUT don‘t ask people you didn‘t
work with directly
– Reciprocate? Up to you
15 © Comprendia, LLC All rights reserved.

16. Build Your Network
• Bigger Web=More Opportunities
– Better search results
– More people will find in search
• Places to look
– LinkedIn
• Upload contacts
• Others‘ contacts (get lab members on!)
• Groups
• Events
• ‗People You May Know‘
– Ouside LinkedIn
• Events you‘ve attended, collect business
cards
16 © Comprendia, LLC All rights reserved.

17. Leveraging Groups
• Benefits
– Directly email any group member (check out
our howto)
– Can post questions to group
– Searches give more results
• Join up to 50 groups
• Choose large, relevant, active groups
– Your posts will not be seen in spam-y groups
• Lots of great discussions going on
– Antibodies, recombinant
proteins, medicinal chemistry…
– See our tips and list to start
17 © Comprendia, LLC All rights reserved.

18. Other Useful Features
• LinkedIn PDF Resume
• Subscriptions
– Send ‗InMails‘
– See more search results
• Introductions
• Follow companies
– Your targets
• Events
– Add RSVPs, connect with others
• Ask/answer questions
18 © Comprendia, LLC All rights reserved.

19. Don‘t Forget…Etiquette
• Invitations to connect
– ALWAYS include a short note
– Remind them how they know you
– Give them a compliment & benefit
to linking with you
• 90/10 Rule
– Post 9 helpful items for every 1 self
promoting
– ADD VALUE
19 © Comprendia, LLC All rights reserved.

20. Whither Twitter? #SFN11 Tweets
•6290 Tweets
•1363 Twitterers
•―Tweetups‖
Follow
hashtags on
our list
20 © Comprendia, LLC All rights reserved.

21. Basics
• Overview
– Provide 140 character updates, AKA
‗microblogging‘
– @[user] to send a public message (reply)
– D [user] to send private message (DM)
– #[text] is a ‗hashtag‘ to follow events or chats
• Follow based on content, don‘t need to
know
– Hint: this is huge for meeting people
• Provide information based on ‗channel‘
• Should be a conversation if you‘re doing
it right!
21 © Comprendia, LLC All rights reserved.

22. Tactics
• Fill out profile completely and carefully
• Get followers
– Target: 1,000
– To be followed, you must follow
• Twitterer will be sent message that you are following
• Search twitter for terms (e.g., ‗kinase‘)
• Conference hashtags (#acs_boston)
• Scientist lists
• Don‘t follow more than 100/day
• Provide content from RSS or other twitterers
• Engage with twitterers
22 © Comprendia, LLC All rights reserved.

23. Tactics: Applications
• Posting
– Hootsuite
• Web-based & apps
• Schedule Tweets (best to space out—3-4 tweets/day)
• Post to many other apps
– Tweetdeck
• Desktop & apps
• Very popular
– Twhirl
• Desktop App (smaller windows)
• Good for multiple accounts
To see which apps people are using, check bottom of tweets.
23 © Comprendia, LLC All rights reserved.

24. Link and courtesy @brianreid
24 © Comprendia, LLC All rights reserved.

25. • Find blogs you like
– ResearchBlogging
– ScienceSeeker
– ScienceBlogging
– Google Alerts/RSS feeds
– Twitter
• Create one
– Wordpress.com
– Blogger
• Write and interact!
– Post comments on blogs, @ authors on Twitter
– Some are just ‗microbloggers‘ on Twitter
25 © Comprendia, LLC All rights reserved.

26. RSS: Your New BFF
• RSS Feeds & Readers
– Monitor individual website changes
• Blogs
• News
• Pubmed
– Monitor the entire web
– Monitor Twitter
• Tools
– Google Reader (create bundles, use
Feedburner for email)
– Yahoo Pipes
See ‗Comprendia RSS Resources‘
26 © Comprendia, LLC All rights reserved.

27. What‘s Your Career Gene?
• R&D is one of many
options
• Other avenues may
afford more flexibility
• Look to other interests,
proclivities
• Meet people
See Transitions to Industry presentation (2nd half)
27 © Comprendia, LLC All rights reserved.

28. Get Started NOW
• Networking is not just for job
seekers!
• Face to face is still important
– Conferences
– Networking events (start a Minn.
Biotech group?)
• Meet for lunch ‗just because‘
• Pay it forward
Follow your instincts on what makes you happy
28 © Comprendia, LLC All rights reserved.