Start with a CV
Resumes remain the basic starting point for your job search.
While there are new ways to get your information to prospective employers — a LinkedIn profile, a personal blog, your Facebook page, networking events, etc. — the resume still is a necessity. Employers use CVs to narrow the list of candidates they call in for an interview. Your CV is often the ticket into the interview. Use it to show why you are the best candidate for the job.
“The average recruiter spends 6 seconds viewing a CV.”
Showcase Your Skills
Start your CV off strong with a clear objective that highlights your main qualifications for the position. Then, for every job you’ve held, list in a concise manner:
The company name and time period you worked there
Job title
Your primary skills, duties and responsibilities, using key words from the job posting
Additional skills and responsibilities you brought to the job
Accomplishments: New procedures you introduced, ways you improved productivity and/or reduced costs — using results and numbers when possible
Any additional qualifications and technical skills relevant to the job opening
Pay Attention to Details
Keep in mind that employers are scanning CVs for specific criteria. Create your CV with the details they want to see:
Specific skills for a specific job. Does your CV clearly indicate that you are qualified?
Specific levels of work experience. Make it easy for employers to see you have what they need by listing experience in terms of number of years.
Reliability. Make it easy for employers to see your work history is consistent by listing dates of employment at each company.
Leadership and initiative. Show you’ve had a desire to grow in each of your jobs by listing leadership roles, examples of your initiative, and times when you trained others.
Commit It to Memory
Employers will use your CV as part of the basis for your interview. Review your resume in advance and be prepared to discuss all of the qualifications, skills and work experience you have listed.
Mastering LinkedIn is Humanly Possible
Top 10 Tips to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile
“There are 6.5 million job listings on LinkedIn.”
Make the most of your professional headline.
The most important part of your LinkedIn Profile is the section directly below your name. Get the most out of this space by writing a compelling and concise professional headline sharing who you are and what you do. This is a recruiter’s first indicator if you’re a potential fit for a position. Example: Contact Center Representative in Jobs Consulting, Fajara.
Make your profile 100% complete.
A complete profile improves your LinkedIn search ability. Make sure to include the following critical information:
Accomplishments: Don’t be shy about your accomplishments. If you’ve received awards or other recognition, include this in your profile under the Awards section.
Contact Information: Be sure to include your email address within this section. Most recruiters will contact you via email.
History: Add all relevant positions you’ve held throughout your career, highlighting your contributions and accomplishments (avoid just a laundry list of duties), along with your educational background. Also be sure to upload a current resume. Don’t forget to include any professional organizations or volunteer work that you may be involved with.
Skills: When listing skills, include keywords that would increase your chance of being found by a recruiter. Examples: Customer service skills, data management, outbound sales, etc.
Summary: Fill out the summary to include key highlights of your professional self. Include hard skills (i.e., Excel proficiency), soft skills (i.e., communication strengths) and any examples that show the impact you had on the organizations you’ve worked for
Don’t forget personal branding! Since your LinkedIn profile is your only online representation, take time to make your best impression and draw attention to what sets you apart from others.
Build your network.
The more connections you establish, the more likely your name shows up to those key decision makers as someone they should be in touch with. Ideally, you want your number of connections as close to 500 as possible, but make sure you are getting quality connections. That means connecting with your “Real World” network, or those people you’ve worked with closely, know your work ethic or can vouch for your soft skills.
Get recommended.
Recommendations are invaluable to enhance and add credibility to your profile. To get recommendations, you’ll most likely have to recommend someone first. When selecting the recommenders, it’s ideal to ask individuals with solid knowledge about you professionally and personally, so they can provide a relevant, insightful recommendation.
Connect with companies.
By following companies you’re interested in, you’ll be able to see updates on open positions, as well as view who works within that company. This gives you the opportunity to connect with key decision makers.
Connect with professional groups.
LinkedIn Groups are one of the best ways to make connections and find actual jobs. Join groups in your niche, as well as groups that are specific to careers and job searching.
Be active
The more effort you put into your LinkedIn presence, the more you’ll get out of the social site. Whether you’re adding connections or providing updates, you’ll increase your chances of showing up on network pages.
Add a photo.
Upload a photo that presents you professionally. This helps add to your social media credibility.
Share status updates.
Whether it’s a link to a business article or a bit of your own wisdom, your thoughts should be shared on your LinkedIn profile. Any updates should place you in a respectable light, so keep them professional. An update rule of thumb is to share a posting up to three times a week.
Establish your own URL.
Set up your own URL on LinkedIn to make it easy for recruiters to find your profile. You can accomplish this by going to the settings tab within your profile. You can add this URL to your resume as well. An example of a custom URL is http://www.LinkedIn.com/in/johnsmith./li>
Why is a LinkedIn profile important?
LinkedIn has gained major traction over the last few years within the social media industry, becoming the world’s largest professional network with over 120 million members in over 200 countries and territories. Because of this. LinkedIn has changed the landscape for recruiters and job seekers forever. Now over 80% of companies use social media for recruitment, with 95% of those organization using LinkedIn.
Still not convinced that you have to create a LinkedIn profile? Hopefully the following will help you out.
LinkedIn standardizes job search information to make it easy for recruiters to find your profile. Users with complete profiles are 40 times more likely to receive opportunities through LinkedIn.
LinkedIn creates your first online impression with a potential employer
Have you ever Googled your name? Hiring managers and recruiters usually do. By joining LinkedIn, your LinkedIn profile will show up as one of the first search links, guaranteeing accurate (and professional) information.
With over 900,000 LinkedIn groups, you can participate in discussions covering a range of topics, peruse job boards and get regular news updates.
If you relocate or change phone numbers, you can frequently update LinkedIn to ensure that you are always aware of any potential job opportunities.