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Our standard advice here at Resume Target has always been to get creative with your content and not with your format. The reasoning behind this advice is that creative resumes are often difficult to navigate and comprehend, and therefore ineffective.
Another reason is the low rate of acceptability. Hiring Managers are expecting a standard word document or PDF format for each resume they receive. If you catch them off guard with a creative document, you may catch their attention and get called for an interview.
On the other side of that argument, the Hiring Manager may frown upon your inability to follow the regular standards for resumes and toss yours aside.
Now with all of that being said… for those of you who constantly avoid the idea of normalcy and regular standards, there are some industries where a creative resume will have a higher chance of resonating with an employer than others.
You can imagine that creative resumes would often be a good idea for those in creative industries, but you may also be surprised at some of the industries we’ve listed below.
This has to be one of the most obvious ones in the bunch. Time and time again we’ve seen creative resumes go viral for web designers who created a Facebook page, Google search result, or Amazon product page as a way to catch a Hiring Manager’s attention at one of those companies.
A friendly warning – the originality of this concept has also been lost. After the first few viral resumes, I’m sure Facebook is no longer overly impressed when someone creates a profile page as their resume.
Your skill-set requires creativity with images, content and graphics in order to catch the attention of prospective consumers.
You can easily transition those skills to be used to catch a Hiring Manager’s attention with your creative resume. This is a great way to show your skills and abilities, rather than telling the Hiring Manager how fantastic you are.
Additionally – include samples of your previous work as images in the document as well.
Though your content will be telling the Hiring Manager all about the advertising campaigns you launched, the graphics/images will show them exactly what you’re referring to. This easily boosts your credibility.
This is another obvious choice. Graphic designers take content, wording and images and turn them into visually appealing and interesting boards, signs and images. Why not do the same with your resume?
This is a field where Hiring Managers are expecting that creativity. Even if you submit a regular two-page resume, they still expect to see that cool logo you made for yourself.
Why? – A creative resume is so much more important on a graphic designer’s resume because every other applicant will already have the same skills as you do. You have to prove how much better you are by delivering a piece of your work as your application.
I generally group sales, business and finance together, but when it comes to creativity… sales is the only one that fits.
Though our first recommendation for a sales resume would be to remain within the regular standards, this also depends on your personality.
Who? – We’ve all come across that incredibly tenacious and ambitious salesperson that is noticeably passionate about their job. This is the type of salesperson that can use a creative resume to their benefit. This is especially true for salespeople who are selling creative products within the arts industries.
Another not-so-creative professional would be a programmer. A creative resume in this case would not be one that is visually artistic, but instead one that demonstrates the programmer’s technical proficiency.
How? – A programmer could easily create a resume that mimics that visual display of code. This would be a fun way to catch a Hiring Manager’s attention. However, fair warning here as well. There are employers in the tech industry that would not favour this style of resume.
As we continue to move away from the visually creative resumes, another field that comes to mind is public relations. Sticking with our theme of show don’t tell, a Public Relations Representative could craft a resume as though it was a press release.
Content – This is a great example of using the resume content to get creative, instead of the format itself. The press release could state the current position opening at the company, and how this particular representative would make a great fit.
In the ever changing and highly competitive world of news and media, journalists are now required to also be skilled in photography, social media, layout and design. Therefore a great idea would be to incorporate those skills into a resume format.
Easy Steps – The easiest way to incorporate skills regarding social media and photography would be to link to stories where you included photographs and maintained high social media interaction.
Another idea is to format the resume like the front page of a newspaper, and make your skills the front page story.
Just because you didn’t see your profession, field or industry listed above in our short round-up, that doesn’t mean that a creative resume will fail miserably in your job search (though that is always a possibility).
If this is a tactic you really want to try, go for it! Just remember to keep the content easy-to-read so that your message is not lost in your concept.
There are a few industries where we definitely recommend against a creative resume. These are industries that either have strict standards for their resume submissions, or those that do not include creativity in their work mandate whatsoever.
The academic industry has very strict requirements for what they expect each application to entail, and veering from these standards will result in your resume being tossed away rather than reviewed.
In the ever-thriving oil and gas industry, Hiring Managers are not interested in creative resumes. These are hands-on practical professions that require trade skills. That’s all they want to know.
In the law industry (whether it be paralegals or lawyers), it is always best to keep your resume professional. This is a no-nonsense industry, and a colourful and graphic resume will not say much about your professionalism.
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When it comes to the introduction of your resume, we’ve already explained that an objective statement is not the best method. Everyone should embrace the alternative – and highly effective – value statement.
As you can imagine, a value statement is a statement that demonstrates your value. Easy enough right? The more important question here is, what information should you include in order to craft an effective value statement?
We’ve broken down the Top 5 pieces of information that should always be included in your value statement, and why.
First things first – Who are you and what do you do? Right away, tell the hiring manager what your current title is, whether you’re a Senior Manager or a Recent Graduate. This establishes your experience and credibility before you say anything more.
In cases where your current title does not relate to the role you are applying for, mention your transferable skills instead. For example: “A dedicated professional who excels in customer service and operations management.”
Remember – Your field and your industry and two very different pieces of information.
In your job title, the hiring manager gets an understanding of what your field is. You now need to clarify what your industry is. For example: you could be an accountant in the mining industry or the media industry. These two industries require different skills and different knowledge.
If you do not have any experience in the industry that you are applying for, ensure to mention your adaptability. Though you are currently working in the mining industry, you must state that you are confident your skills will seamlessly transition into a media setting.
A must have. Almost every single job posting you will ever read will specify how many years of experience the hiring manager prefers the candidate to have.
Therefore, you can assume that this is another piece of information that the hiring manager wants to know right away.
We recommend phrasing your years of experience as something you can offer the employer. For example: “Offering 8+ years of managerial experience overseeing multiple departments of over 100 employees each.”
The Basics – You don’t have to tell the hiring manager what you minored in, what school you attended and when you graduated, you just need to state the basics.
As another checklist on the list of minimum requirements, you should always state the level of education that you have completed. The most important points are simply the level (Bachelor, Master, etc.) and the field of study (Commerce, Science, Arts, Etc.).
If you are currently enrolled for a program, course or other professional development activity, this is a great place to highlight that. You will show the hiring manager that you understand the importance of education and furthering your skill-set to ensure you will offer them the most up-to-date knowledge.
Set Yourself Apart – You have told the hiring manager everything they want to hear, but now it’s time to tell them something they didn’t expect. Highlight one or two impressive achievements briefly in your value statement to pique the hiring manager’s interest.
Sample achievements would be a demonstrated record of success in exceeding annual sales targets, or a proven ability to design and implement new systems to eliminate inefficiencies and boost productivity. Now you’ve told the hiring manager that you meet all of the minimum requirements, and that you also bring added value that they won’t find with other candidates.
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Filling out your contact information at the top of your resume may seem like the easiest step in the resume writing process, but you should never downplay the importance of it.
Yes, there are the obvious reasons (1) the hiring manager needs to know your name, (2) the hiring manager needs to know how to contact you, but your contact information is saying more about you than you think.
It is common advice nowadays to be sure to include a professional email address on your resume. However, you’d be surprised how many resumes we receive with email addresses such as [email protected]. You might be a cool guy, but it’s not appropriate for your hiring manager to know that.
Your email address also hints to your technical proficiency.
If you are using an uncommon or slightly obsolete server, you may seem like you’re not with the times. We recommend Gmail as an email server that is recognized by all hiring managers, and generally favoured by most people.
First step – only include ONE phone number on your resume, and make sure it’s a personal phone number.
That means no home phone numbers, unless that’s the only number that you can be reached at.
The reason for this is that you don’t want your three-year-old daughter to answer the phone when the hiring manager calls. On the same note, you also don’t want your 87-year-old grandfather to answer that phone call. YOU should be answering the call, or your voice-mail.
Therefore, the best number to include is a mobile phone number. Work numbers are not professional because you shouldn’t be directing phone calls for new opportunities to your existing place of employment.
Also, if you’re applying for a role in a different area code, purchase a phone number with the local area code to show the hiring manager that you are in the process of relocating to that area.
Your address doesn’t say much about you, other than where you’re located. For those of you who are relocating to a new city, or targeting opportunities in a different city – this is important.
When you are not currently located close to the place of employment, hiring managers will not consider you a serious candidate.
You have to show the hiring manager that you did not apply to this role by mistake, but that you are serious about relocating. We recommend including the address of a relative or friend in the area to give the illusion that you are already in the process of relocating.
It is not common practice to link your Twitter handle or Facebook profile to your resume, however that does not mean that social media is out of the question. Again, this is where you can show off your technical proficiency.
A great addition to your contact information is your LinkedIn profile URL.
However, only include your URL if your profile is updated. Do not send the hiring manager to a profile that lacks information or is not complete.
Another possible addition would be a Skype ID. This notifies the hiring manager that you are comfortable conducting a preliminary interview over Skype, which is becoming a new trend in the job search industry.
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Once upon a time, in a high school classroom about ten years ago, we were all taught that objective statements were the best way to begin your resume. If you are still following this strategy, this is the number one reason why your resume is not getting you interviews.
The introduction to your resume is your “make it or break it” chance to catch the Hiring Manager’s attention. We’ve all heard, time and time again, that Hiring Managers and Recruiters are only looking at our resumes for about 7-10 seconds, so we have to make every word count.
By definition, objective statement basically means what I want. Seems like a rude way to begin a conversation about your career, no? And if you don’t think it’s rude, you must understand the redundancy of it.
You are stating that you want a job like the one that you are applying for. Well, if you didn’t want the job, why would you be applying for it? See what I mean.
Example: “I am currently seeking a position where I can leverage my academic background and professional experience in financial analysis as a Financial Accountant.”
The objective statement is ineffective because it is telling the Hiring Manager what they already know. You should be using the introduction of your resume to tell the Hiring Manager what they want to hear.
Think of it like a mental checklist for the Hiring Manager, and address each of the minimum qualifications right at the top of your resume so they know you’re qualified for the role.
Example: “A financial analysis professional offering 5 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, and advanced skills in accounting, auditing and financial reporting.”
A value statement is the new and improved objective statement. To get an edge on your competition, you should be telling the Hiring Manager what you can offer in this role, and what your inherent value is.
In this value statement, you should address the minimum requirements of the position as we already mentioned, but more importantly – you must catch the hiring manager’s interest.
How do you do that? Tell them something they weren’t expecting to hear, and position it as a skill that will benefit their company. You want to show the Hiring Manager that out of all the people who are qualified for this role, you are the only candidate that will bring additional skills to go above and beyond.
Example: “A financial analysis professional offering 5 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, and advanced skills in accounting, auditing and financial reporting. Demonstrated record of success in eliminating inefficiencies to drastically reduce audit times. Implemented an effective financial reporting system to efficiently track progress and accurately forecast upcoming quarters. Currently pursuing the Chartered Accountant designation as further professional development.”
In the three examples above, you can see how the objective statement morphs into a value statement, and how including achievements in your resume introduction can peak the reader’s interest.
Ensure to include highlights that demonstrate how you benefitted the company, and the Hiring Manager will move your resume to the top of the pile.
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The first major change to the traditional job search process occurred with the advent of the internet. Job seekers no longer had to personally hand-in or physically mail-in their resume and cover letter; the documents could be submitted with the simple click of a button.
Along with the internet, soon came social media. This phenomenon has now put us on the brink of the second major change to hit the job search process.
Social media brought about a wave of change as networks such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram gained massive popularity. What you may not realize, is that social media has changed the way hiring managers choose who they hire.
One of the most obvious changes that should sprout to your mind is the role that LinkedIn now plays in the job search process. Many jobs are only posted on the LinkedIn job board, so if you’re not a member, you will never have the chance to apply.
Secondly, recruiters are on LinkedIn daily to source potential candidates. Again, if you’re not a member, that’s another opportunity that you’ll never see.
Finally, many hiring managers will search for your LinkedIn profile after they receive your resume. If they can’t find you, it’s not necessarily the end of the road for you.
However, if they do find you and share many connections with your professional network, then LinkedIn just gave you an edge over your competition.
Keeping a profile on LinkedIn is almost always more helpful to your career than it is detrimental, but the same cannot be said for networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Now that almost every applicant for a position has their own personal space on the World Wide Web, hiring managers are intrigued to find out what’s beyond your resume with a simple Google search.
Without the right privacy settings, one Google search of your name will expose your personal life to the hiring manager. This is why you should really treat all your social networks the way you treat LinkedIn – keep it professional.
Even if you use a pseudonym or keep your privacy settings tight, many interviewers have asked candidates to log-in into their Facebook account while in the interview setting.
Though this practice is highly controversial, and an invasion of privacy, how many people would say no and risk losing the job they want so dearly? This is an especially common practice for professions such as teachers, police officers and other public figures.
Though it seems like you may be safer by avoiding the social media phenomenon, the neglect of social media can also hurt your job search.
Many professions in the fields of marketing, advertising, media, communications, information technology, design, and business development (to name a few) highly value a candidate’s knowledge and ability to use various social media platforms.
Social media skills are now a common requirement in job postings within those fields, and these skills are seen as a benefit to the growth of the company as a whole.
So this is what it comes down to, social media is just like the internet – you must embrace it, or you’ll get left behind. With that said – be smart! Remember that everything you post can end up in the hands of a future hiring manager, so ensure that you remain professional.
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The benefits of having a solid and effective resume can greatly improve the chances of employers noticing your attributes as a potential candidate, and also get you called in for an interview. But how do you get your resume noticed by employers in the first place?
With the job market moving online, companies now receive hundreds of resumes for every position they post, and these applicants can be from all over the world. However, many of these applicants are simply submitting their resume to any position without really taking the time to customize it.
By conducting thorough research on a company prior to applying for a position, you will stand out from the crowd because you’ve taken the time to show the hiring manager that you are not only a great fit for the role, but that you are also a great fit for the team and their company culture.
Here are three Research steps to complete, in order to give you that extra edge:
Browse through the company website, specifically the “About Us” page. Look for their mission statement, values, and keywords to incorporate into your resume and cover letter.
Google the company to find news articles that have been written about them. This is a great way to find out what the company’s current projects are, or if they had any particularly large successes (or failures) in the past that have been reported on.
Download the company’s annual report. All public companies are required to have an annual report that is available to the public.
If you are applying to a private company, they may still release an annual report, or you can research any press releases or fact sheets on their website to gain some additional information.
These documents will show you the company’s successes and challenges, and you can begin to see where your skills will act as a benefit for them.
Search LinkedIn to find the profile of the Hiring Manager. Researching the company will ensure that you are a great fit for the entire team, but you also have to make a connection with the Hiring Manager in order to land the position.
By checking out their professional experience on LinkedIn, you can find similar interests that you can discuss in the interview.
Search the Hiring Manager’s social and professional networks. Your goal is to find out if you know any of the same people. Check the Hiring Manager’s connections on LinkedIn, their friends on Facebook, and even who they follow on Twitter.
Finding a common ground between yourself and the Hiring Manager is not always possible, but it can be a great asset.
Once again, use LinkedIn to find employees of the company. LinkedIn will provide you with a full list of the company’s employees that are members of the site, but you want to focus on those who are in similar positions to the one you are applying for.
Does your resume match up? This is how you can get a realistic representation of the skills and experience that the Hiring Manager is looking for.
What is written in the job posting is generally just the minimum qualifications, and checking out what the other team members have can ensure that you know exactly what they’ll be looking for.
Ask yourself three main questions:
This research will benefit your job search in two important ways.
One – you will be able to gain an extra edge over the other applicants by showing the Hiring Manager that you’ve really done your research, and also that you’re sincerely interested in working for the company.
Two – you will also be able to determine for yourself, if this is the type of company you should apply for. Though many people in the job search process are anxious to enter any position that lands in their lap, for those of you who are able to be a bit picky, this is a great way to ensure that the company will be able to offer you the experience you are looking for.
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Contrary to popular belief, effective resume formats are not unique and creative; they are simply professional. It’s all about following that old acronym that we’ve heard time and time again – KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid).
Outlining what makes you unique, is an important step to succeeding in the job search process. However, the key principle is to ensure that YOU are unique.
A fun and colourful resume may stand out in the pile, but it will have the hiring manager focusing on the colours and graphics, rather than the information. Your goal is to ensure that your content is original and tells the hiring manager that there is no one better out there for this position, than you.
So when it comes to resume formatting, you want the content to shine through, and not the design. The design is simply there to help guide the hiring manager’s eyes as they scan through the page. We’ve broken down the four most important factors in resume formatting, and how to excel at each one.
The design element of your resume format is generally where most people go too far, or not far enough. As we’ve already mentioned, you don’t want to overwhelm the reader with bright colours, graphics, and pictures, but you also don’t want to underwhelm the reader.
With a vast majority of positions nowadays, computer skills are a must, and your resume is also telling the hiring manager just how technically proficient you are.
If your resume is simply words typed up on a page with a few bolded titles and some italicized phrases, you are telling the hiring manager that you don’t know how to get any fancier than this.
Your design format should include a formal header, along with line breaks between sections to guide the hiring manager’s eyes through the document. Bullet points should be used, but stick to the basic solid circles and veer away from the stars.
Finally, use tables or columns when listed keywords and technical skills. Separating lists into two or three columns ensures you are effectively using the white space on your resume.
There are two elements to font that are important in resume formatting – style and size.
If you are struggling to keep all of your information to two pages and decide to decrease your font size to anything below 10 pt., your resume will not be reviewed by a majority of hiring managers who open it.
How often do you bother reading the fine print on documents or labels? Pretty much never, because people just don’t like squinting and struggling to read.
When it comes to font style, our rules aren’t so strict – as long as you have some common sense. For example, avoid fonts written in cursive writing, cartoon-style lettering, and symbols.
Focus on fonts that are easy on the eyes, and easy to follow. Formal fonts such as Palatino Linotype and Cambria are popular options, as well as informal fonts such as Arial and Verdana. The choice is yours!
Every resume should have four main sections. Your resume should open with a value statement introducing who you are and what you have to offer, followed by an areas of expertise section to show your keyword skills that are directly related to the role.
If you peaked the hiring manager’s interest with this strong opening, they will continue to read.
Depending on your level of experience, the next suitable section would be the professional experience section.
Here, you should outline each role you’ve held over the past 10 years along with the achievements from each position. Education is generally left to the bottom of the resume, unless you are a student in which case it would take the place of professional experience.
These are the four most important, however different job seekers are required to include different information. Other sections could include volunteer experience, internships, and technical skills.
When putting together each of those sections, you must keep an eye on how long your resume is getting. It is true that some hiring managers prefer one page resumes, and it is also true that some hiring managers don’t mind reading resumes with more than two pages.
However, one resume will never please every single hiring manager that reads it. So we recommend sticking to the safest length, which is two pages or less. If you can’t please them all, at least you can please most of them.
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A tribute to the Olympic Style Career Seeker!
As with most Olympic sports, the margin of error in finding a job can be so slight that it often feels as if we had no control over the final call. In both cases this can be true, but for the most part your success can be determined beforehand through months of preparation. As Sun Tzu (The Art of War) says, “Every battle is won before it is ever fought.”
Let’s not kid ourselves, though. There is a significant difference between an Olympic competition and a job hunt: A job hunt is far more competitive. Depending on the job you apply for, you may be competing with hundreds of others who are equally up to the task, and have either the same amount of experience that you have or more. The difference then between who makes it to the podium and who’s coming back empty-handed is who is best able to show what they’ve accomplished, what they’re made of, and what their value is in a succinct but complete resume.
Making the cut
Sometimes people can be far too modest, or they’re caught up in the idea that the hiring manager at the company they’re applying with is psychic. “I don’t need to mention that, they’ll just get it, right?” Wrong. Or, “I should skip over this because it’s implied…” No, it probably isn’t. This is not to say that everyone should type out an exhaustive list of every capability they have. There’s no need to put that you’re great at typing or a natural with computers, but don’t hesitate to list the software that you have knowledge of, whether through work or personal experience. Don’t be afraid to boast: if it’s relevant, put it down. Don’t slow down and let everyone catch up, keep moving forward. Whatever you do, though, steer clear of resume padding.
Once you’ve summoned the courage to put this information down clearly and concisely, keep in mind that employers, for the most part, are human. They are drawn to documents that look professional even before reading a single word; its the bullets, borders and bolding that first catch their eye. They are also very busy, and may not even have time to read past the first one or two lines of each of your previous jobs. Make sure there is a line at the top summing up your role in a nutshell (in bold, if possible). If the format of the resume is too bland, your employer will associate you with blandness, and may hesitate to read on.
Finally, in keeping with trying to cure your employer’s boredom, a value statement may give you that extra boost to stretch past the competition. Objective statements are dead, how long do you have to catch someone’s attention? Maybe 10 seconds?
Don’t tell your potential employer why you want the job; tell them why they should want you, even need you. Again, make it clear and concise, but do your best to capture who you are both as a person, and as an employee.
This will get you on the Olympic team; it may even get you through the first heats. If you’re satisfied with that, look no further, and take your chances with an adequate resume. If you’re ready to do anything to succeed, though, read on.
Bronze
If you’ve made it to this step, you have a lot to work with. Everything you’ve done in the past is laid out clearly and concisely without being redundant. You have a confident and attention-grabbing value statement and a dynamic layout. You’ve got your employer’s attention, now can you keep it?
Your competitor has a value statement too, and his layout looks equally professional. You’ve had nearly identical experiences in the workplace. Your hiring manager has taken out his shiniest coin to determine which of you will make it to the second round. But do you really want to leave this battle to chance?
You’ve shown your proficiency in the workplace and the types of tasks you’ve accomplished in the past. But now it’s time to get specific. Instead of saying that you managed employees, tell your employer how many employees you managed. Don’t put down that you beat your sales targets, show what those targets were, how often you beat them, and by how much. If you “provided solutions,” go over what the problem was and how you solved it, and how the solution benefited your company. If you were “involved in employee training,” how many employees did you train, and what did you train them in? If you gave a presentation, who did you present to? And what materials/software did you use?
Your potential future employers want to know what made you stand out at your last job. It’s time to really highlight your achievements. Find a way to separate them from your daily roles – bold them or separate them. Before applying for this job you’ve had some admirable accomplishments, and they deserve to be acknowledged. These are competitive wins on your path to the Olympic podium, and they will show that you aren’t just any competitor.
Do all of this and you’re on the podium, and only a handful of people make it that far. But now you still have a whole handful to contend with.
Silver
Your employer gets it now. You’ve shown them your value, and not just what you’ve done. They now have a glimpse into who you are personally, and how you can contribute to their company’s growth. You’ve shown them what makes you exceptional.
But there’s still something missing. They want to know that they’re hiring the best of the best.
You’ve done all you can on your end, now it’s time to do your research. Make your employer feel as if you not only know about their company and the business they’re in, but that you genuinely care. While this seems fairly obvious, most job seekers aren’t willing to dedicate enough time to really understand what they’re walking into.
Some will look at job qualifications asking for knowledge of X, Y and Z and either agonize over not having knowledge of Z, or feel confident that they have knowledge of X and Y. In the four years between each Olympic Games, athletes spend time identifying every weakness in their performance and working to improve it. In other words, instead of focusing on what they know, they focus on what they don’t know, and what they can know. If software that you are unfamiliar with is listed in your job’s qualifications, schedule time during the week and force yourself to become as familiar with it as you possibly can. Often there will be a free trial version of the software online, but if that isn’t the case you can always do research on what purpose it serves, what programs it’s similar to, etc.
If the job qualifications include something more vague like knowledge of graphic design, data management, presentation tools, Microsoft Office, Mac Software, etc. there is even more opportunity for you to do your research, but focus your time on the particular programs that you think will be relevant.
These will be welcome additions to your resume in any job search, and may even benefit you personally.
The same goes with jobs requiring knowledge of machinery, or even industry standards, codes and best practices. Do your homework.
Once you’ve taken a shot at satisfying these qualifications, memorize a few things you personally like about the company, and ways that your skill set could be an asset. Managers are proud of their work, and if you can help them boast by mentioning the things that their company does well,, you will be remembered. If you know your stuff, it will sound genuine. If not, you’ll sound like a kiss-ass, and very few kiss-asses are looked at favorably.
This is a game of inches and you’re almost there. If this list is too demanding then go hit the sauna and think about all the free time you’ll have when the person who wanted it more got your job. If you don’t want this bad enough then you’re either going after the wrong job, or maybe this just isn’t a job you deserve. Disagree? Read on.
Gold
You have made it where only a very small number have made it, and you made it here because you wanted it more than anyone before you. You knew you would get here, you just didn’t know how.
The resume is legendary. Your employer will frame it and hang it in the HR office. He or she will take it home and tell their family that this is what a resume should look like. You’re just about there, but to wear this medal is a privilege only granted to the most hard-working, the most thorough.
So your employer is in awe of your resume and can’t resist taking a peak at who this model employee is. He types your name in Google and his opinion of you is immediately transformed. Your Facebook page is viewable to the public, and your employer sees that you’re attending either a rave or a kegger on every weekend for the next two months. Your favourite movies are American Pie and Jackass, and there are obscenities and YouTube prank videos all over your wall. Your display picture is of you doing a tequila shot. You have a blog making fun of celebrities that is more offensive than it is funny.
Or, equally troublesome, your employer can’t find any information on you. You have no LinkedIn profile no social networking pages. You have made no effort to connect to the people in your personal and professional life, or even worse you don’t have anyone to connect to. While neither of these may be true, you can always depend on an employer’s assumptions.
If you want to be at the top of the podium with your national anthem playing, you will have covered all of your bases. You’ve shown your value through your resume, you have knowledge of the company and job qualifications, and you’ve Google’d yourself several times and fixed your several profiles and/or blog.
Just as a job hunt is about who wants it the most, what’s equally important is who appears to want it the most. Show your employer how much you’re willing to do to get your foot in the door, and he or she will let you in.
As with Olympic athletes, constant preparation is the key, because there is always someone out there willing to do that little extra to pass you at the finish line. Now get to work!
The usual – and often correct – assumption is that visibility is credibility. On LinkedIn this is still true to some extent, but…and that is a very large BUT, only if you have optimized your profile.
Make sure you have done enough networking online to populate your profile with sufficient connections and recommendations to prove your credibility.
LinkedIn has reached a point where you may be considered unprofessional if you don’t have a profile. It’s easy to create – you’re visible on LinkedIn simply by registering and entering a few brief details about yourself.
However you must also demonstrate that you are fully invested and become engaged with LinkedIn as a social networking tool, to reap any kind of rewards from becoming a member.
Many LinkedIn users have duly filled out a LinkedIn profile, applied for jobs and then found they are not getting any interviews. Using LinkedIn as a job board can work extremely well, but only if you are utilizing the tool well and to its full potential.
If you are using LinkedIn as a Job Board, you cannot apply the same techniques used with a traditional job board. You must network, be aggressive and tenacious if you want to get your foot in the door.
First of all, bring value to your profile and to the network. Be active and update your status. What are you reading? What seminars are you attending? Which interesting industry people did you meet? The more you put in, the more you get out.
If an active recruiter does connect with you on LinkedIn, they will expect you to be an active user and be able to read about your recent – and relevant – endeavors, not just past employment history.
Secondly, don’t limit yourself to networking amongst existing friends, colleagues and acquaintances. Extend your reach.
For example, if you’re interested in the pharmaceutical industry, try searching with some pharmaceutical keywords – and connecting with some of the many small to medium businesses that pop up.
LinkedIn is your real estate on the internet. If you put the time in to maintain it and keep it looking fresh and up-to-date, you will reap the rewards. If you don’t, you will find there is no benefit to owning your profile on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn has changed a lot over the last 18 months – and you have to keep up. The good thing is that amongst all the changes, the usability of the site has improved. The dashboard has evolved, and it’s useful to stay up-to-date when changes are made.
As many new fields and functions have been added, irregular users have fallen behind, creating gaping holes in many established profiles. That just doesn’t look professional. LinkedIn is sure to evolve further and it’s imperative to keep up appearances and not let your profile slide.
Some of the new tools added are great visibility-boosters, such as the ‘Skills’ section. You can insert industry keywords and skills into your profile, and your connections can also endorse your expertise in those areas.
LinkedIn even suggests skills for you based on your resume and keywords in your profile – but you have to actively select those skills for employers to come across your profile in their search for a top candidate.
If you’re satisfied your profile is the most up to date, populated and connected it can be, you’re ready to use ‘Easy Apply’.
It’s worth noting that companies add this button to increase applications for a position – and you want to be the candidate that stands out for all the right reasons. With impressive recommendations, established contacts, and a professional, well-written profile, you’ll be sitting in that new role in no time!
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