Good Cover Letters are as as Your Resume
If you're going to spend many hours writing and polishing your resume, you should not shortchange the letter that will accompany it. Otherwise, your carefully constructed resume may never get read.
Good cover letters will:
Express your interest in the company and position Highlight the most important information from your resume (by most important, I mean
most important for that specific job) Give the reader a first impression of you Tell the reader you're qualified before he/she even reads your resume.
Remember: the purpose of a resume letter is to get your resume read.
In today's very competitive job market, most savvy applicants are going to have a pretty good resume that emphasizes accomplishments and contains the right qualifications and experience. Unfortunately, many of these otherwise savvy job applicants will use the same generic letter for each job opening, reasoning that their resume will speak for itself.
Big mistake!
The applicants with the greatest chance of having their resume actually read and getting an interview are the ones who:
Find out the Hiring Manager's name if at all possible and address the cover letter to that person specifically.
Study the job description and clearly outline how they are an excellent match for that specific job opening.
State their experience and qualifications using keywords from the job ad.
to solve their immediate staffing problem.
ne of the biggest mistakes job-applicants make is crafting a cover letter that’s all about them. Here’s a little recruitment secret: employers aren’t interested in reading about how fabulous you are. What they really want to know is how hiring
you can solve their problem.
The next time you apply for a job, be sure your cover letter answers the following four questions:
Why This Company?
Recruiters are looking for you tell them why you want to work for his company. Make their job easy and tell explain what attracted you to the company and why you want to work there.
Suggested answers: Consider why you want to work for the company. Needing a job isn’t a strong enough reason. Maybe you’re impressed with a cultural aspect of the company or the organization’s reputation in the community. Whatever the reason, make sure you communicate why you want to work for the company.
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Why This Job?
Something else a recruiter wants to know is why you want the specific job you’ve applied for. Is it the perfect fit for your experience and background? If so, explain that. If this job is your dream job, share the reasons why. Companies want to hire someone who will be passionate about the job and who wants to succeed in what they’re doing.
Suggested answers: • “I’ve used your services for years and feel I understand what your customers expect in terms of quality and service.” • “I prefer to work with people in this kind of setting (be specific here with the industry, department, etc.). I know I can hit the ground running.” • “I have 3 years of experience in the industry. I am eager to learn your processes and continue to do what I love most.”
How Can I Solve Your Pain?
Companies hire a worker to solve a problem within the organization; their reasons vary from being short staffed to needing an experienced manager to lead the team. Help explain how hiring you will solve their problem. Connect the dots in your work history to the needs of the current opening and clearly explain how your background is an ideal fit for the role.
Suggested ways to answer: Make it clear that you’ve done your research on the company and the opening. Read between the lines of the job ad and look for pain points the company may be experiencing, and explain why you’re the answer to the problem.
Why me?
Lastly, a recruiter wants to know why she should hire you over the other 100 people in the applicant pile. It’s your job to clearly explain why you’re the best person for the job.
Suggested ways to answer: Don’t regurgitate your job history and skills list that are already on your resume. Start one of the paragraphs in your cover letter with something along the lines of “I’m the right person for the position because …”
How do you answer these questions in your cover letter?
Cover Letters: General Tips
Be Concise Keep your letter short enough for someone to read in 10 seconds. Write a concise cover letter that will pique the interest of the reader to want to read your resume next, if they read your cover letter first. However, do not assume a hiring manager will read your cover letter first—ensure your resume can stand alone in conveying your value message. Lisa Rangel, Chameleon Resumes Be Specific About Your Qualifications When applying for a position, prepare a cover letter that picks up 3 - 4 key qualifications listed in the job description and be very specific with regards to what you can offer pertaining directly to those qualifications. Lori Dermer, Dermer Consulting Close Your Cover Letter With a Call to Action Close your cover letter with a "call to action." Don't close with something cliché like, "I hope to hear from you soon." Of course you do... along with the other dozens of candidates who are saying the same thing in their cover letters. Rather, state something like, “I’m excited about opportunities within your company and hope to explore contributions I can make. I’ll call you next week to, hopefully, talk further or set up a time to meet with you personally." Remember: Never leave the ball in the employer's court! Charlene Holsendorff, Career Management Specialist, Ever After Communications Connect Your Skills to the Job Requirements Use the cover letter to connect your skills, experience, and education directly to the employer’s advertised requirements. In the work world, where each application receives a minute of review, make it as easy as possible for the potential employer to see that you are qualified for their job. You are much more likely to receive an invitation for an interview if you do the work for them. Susan Heathfield, Human Resources Expert, About.com Customize Your Cover Letters Nothing says "I don't care about your company" like an opening of "To Whom It May Concern." That may have been OK before the advent of modern technology, but today it generally takes as little as a Google search or a phone call to figure out the name of the hiring manager. Addressing your letter to the correct person (and spelling their name correctly!) will automatically ingratiate you to the reader and show that you've spent some time researching the company and position. You should customize your cover letter for every job, but if you are going to have form cover letters, at least make multiple versions that can be used for different types of titles, functions and industry situations. Many people don’t even make the effort to do this and basically restate their resume. Jay Martin, Chairman, JobSerf, Inc.
Make it Personal Unlike a resume, your cover letter should be personalized and written in a first person point of view. Make sure to tailor your letter to the specific job posting using examples of special projects you’ve worked on, accomplishments you’ve achieved, and specific skills you’ve honed through your work history. Create excitement about your interest in the position and clearly state why you will be a superb addition to the employer’s team. Finally, close out your letter with a desire to speak further in person or over the phone with the recruiter or hiring manager you are addressing. Done right, a personalized cover letter can be the difference maker in landing your next interview. John Scott, Career Advocate, Beyond.com - The Career Network Save as a PDF The benefits of saving both your cover letter and resume together as one PDF file (labeled with your name and indicating it contains both) are twofold. The first is that it makes sure that your resume isn't inadvertently changed or that the document format isn't corrupted on the recipients end. The second is that it reduces the chance that your cover letter and resume are separated. This is especially important if you are an entry level job seeker who is relying on your cover letter to make up for experience gaps and help you stand out to the hiring manager. Sean Little, VP of Marketing, FirstJob Showcase Your Personality Hook your reader's interest in the first sentence. "It is with great interest that I write to apply for the position of..." is a great first line if you want to lose your reader's interest. It's dreadfully boring. Instead, try a professional but bold statement that catches the reader's eye, such as: "Looking for a dynamic marketing guru? Look no further. Here I am." Most cover letters are boring and lack anything that makes them stand out. Showcase your enthusiasm, positive energy, and personality by stepping away from the standard formula and really writing from your heart. It might take more time to craft a letter this way, but it will definitely stand out to employers. Sara Sutton Fell, Founder & CEO of FlexJobs.com Show a Personal Connection or Interest in Your Work Even if it is only in one sentence, explain why the type of work interests you. While employers want qualified applicants, they also want motivated people who like their work. Without using clichés, explain how using required job skills makes you feel. Personal experience or connection will help make you stand out. Example: “Because my parents are retired educators, I can relate to the challenges your customers face in their day to day work.” Juliet Wehr Jones, Vice President, Career Key
Skip the Graphics Two people I worked with recently had 'cute' pictures on their resume and cover letter. Do NOT do this, ever. The downside is that it is a distraction, appears unprofessional and shows poor judgment. The upside is, well, none. In years past people put their pictures on resumes, but this is also a huge red flag for EEOC issues. All options are bad in this area. Jay Martin, Chairman, JobSerf, Inc.
Phrases That Don't Belong in Your Cover Letter
Think your cover letter is perfectly crafted? Check to make sure you're not including any of these no-nos in it. "I meet the requirements for the position." Hundreds of candidates will meet the requirements for the position. That's not enough to get you a second look. You want to explain why you're an excellent candidate, not just an adequate one. "I'm hard-working and a great communicator." And probably a team player and an independent self-starter, too. These are clichés that cause hiring managers' eyes to glaze over. Worse, they don't convey anything of substance—the fact that you've assessed yourself as these things will hold no weight whatsoever with employers, who prefer to assess these things for themselves. "I'm a visionary leader." But not very humble, apparently. If you're truly a visionary leader—or a master communicator, or whatever other brag you're tempted to make—it should be evident from the accomplishments you've listed on your resume. Proclaiming this about yourself comes across as, well, weird. “I’m + followed by a vague / abstract weaselword or weaselphrase” – if you can’t quantify your talents or qualifications, statements like that are useless. Also: any kind of skills that are expected these days, i.e. Microsoft Word, Internet Explorer, typing, email etc. "You won't find a candidate better qualified than me." Unless you've seen the rest of the candidate pool, you have no way of knowing that. This comes off as needlessly cocky hyperbole—and it's generally inaccurate, to boot. If you're really stunningly qualified, the hiring manager should be able to spot that on her own. Simply proclaiming it, especially when you have no basis to know if it's true, doesn't reflect well on you. "Dear sir or madam." In most industries, this will come across as an antiquated, stuffy salutation. If you know the hiring manager's name, use that instead, but if not, simply writing "dear hiring manager" is fine, and won't make you appear as if you come from an earlier century.
Cover Letters: General Outline
Fundamentals of a Dynamic Cover Letter
First Paragraph Do not waste this opening paragraph of your cover letter. It is essential that your first paragraph sparks the employer's interest, provides information about the benefits the employer will receive from you, and helps you stand out from all the other job-seekers who want the job. Focus on your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) -- the one thing that makes you different from all the other job-seekers -- and identifying two or three benefits you can offer the employer. Weak opening paragraph: I am writing today to apply for the account manager position you have posted on your company Website. Better opening paragraph: I have increased the size and sales levels of my client base in every position I have held, which in turn has increased the revenues and profits of my employers. I want to bring this same success to the account position you have posted on your Website. Best opening paragraph: If you are looking for a dynamic team member with career coaching and training experience, please consider me for your (name of position). I am a positive and energetic individual who is willing to work hard and has a strong desire to succeed. Due to my experiences and educational history, I feel that I would be an excellent (name of position) at (name of company). Second Paragraph
Provide more detail about your professional and/or academic qualifications. Provide more
information about how you can provide the benefits you mention in the first paragraph. Be sure
to stress accomplishments and achievements rather than job duties and responsibilities.
Expand on specific items from your resume that are relevant to the job you are seeking. Use
solid action verbs to describe your accomplishments and achievements.
If you do not have a lot of solid experience in the field you are trying to enter, remember to focus on key skills that can easily transfer from your previous work experience to the job at hand. And if responding to a job posting or job ad, be sure to tailor this paragraph to the needs described in the ad. Third Paragraph Relate yourself to the company, giving details why you should be considered for the position.
Continue expanding on your qualifications while showing knowledge of the company. You need to do your homework -- show that you know something about the organization. Fourth Paragraph The final paragraph of your cover letter must be proactive -- and request action. You must ask for the job interview (or a meeting) in this paragraph. You must express your confidence that you are a perfect fit for the job. You can also put the employer on notice that you plan to follow-up within a specified time.** Weak closing paragraph: I hope you will review my resume, and if you agree with what I have stated here, consider me for the position. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Better closing paragraph: I am eager to help advance the success of <your company / insert company name here to personalize!>, and I am convinced that we should arrange a time to meet. I will call your office in the next week to schedule an appointment.** Or: “I am eager to help advance the success of <your company / insert company name here to personalize!>, and welcome the opportunity to discuss this job opening with you in a personal interview."
**Regarding that follow-up phone call: if you determine a call would be advantageous or necessary, call the person
but do it late at night and leave a message. Most Hiring and HR Managers have voice mail. You can say in the message
that you purposely called after hours to avoid bothering them during their busy days.
http://www.quintcareers.com/cover_letter_samples.html
Your cover letter must be tailored specifically for each job you apply for!
Remember: it's your job to show the Hiring Manager
exactly how your qualifications are a good fit for job
and the best way to do that right up front is in the cover letter.
Cover Letters: Layout, Design, Font Choices
Page Margins / Layout
For hard copy, left and right page margins of one to 1.5 inches generally look good. You can
adjust your margins to balance how your document looks on the page. The letter should be
formatted in “full block format,” meaning that everything is left aligned (nothing is “tabbed” in
five or more spaces).
Font Style and Size
Use a font style that is simple, clear and commonplace, such as Times New Roman, Arial or
Calibri. Font SIZES from 10-12 points are generally in the ballpark of looking appropriate. Keep
in mind that different font styles in the same point size are not the same size! A 12-point Arial
is larger than a 12-point Times New Roman.
If you are having trouble fitting a document on one page, sometimes a slight margin and/or
font adjustment can be the solution.
Serif or sans serif? Sans (without) serif fonts are those like Arial and Calibri that don't have the
small finishing strokes on the ends of each letter. There is a great deal of research and debate
on the pros and cons of each. Short story: use what you like, within reason; note what
employers use; generally sans serif fonts are used for on-monitor reading and serif fonts are
used for lengthy print items (like books); serif fonts may be considered more formal.
Margins and white space? In terms of overall appearance, both
. That means, you shouldn't have a
lot of white space that is not balanced out by something on the other side. That also means
that your margins --1 inch all around-- should be maintained in both documents. To test if your
document is balanced on the page, hold it at arm’s length and judge if something seems to be
pulling your document to one side or the other. In other words, if your document has more
white space on one side than the other, or if your document has more text on one side than the
other, that means your document is unbalanced. In some cases, it is fairly simple to even out
the balance.
For example, if you have a list of items, you can create a table with two columns:
Item one
Item two
Item three
Item four
When you're finished entering your items, all you have to do is set the table properties/borders
and shading to white and nobody will ever know that you created a table to list your items!
Test: ask someone to look at a document for five seconds; take away the document; ask the
person what font was on the document; see if s/he even noticed the style. A too-small or too-
large font gets noticed, as does a weird style.
Should your resume and cover letter font style and size match? Yes! It’s a nice touch and
looks polished. Most readers will, at least subconsciously note, any significant difference in
style and size.
How many fonts? Not more than three per document! Choose one for your name
(bigger/bolder) on the resume, another one for all the text that is bolded (job titles, for
example), and the third one for the regular body text.
One space or two after the period? While the modern convention is the single space, it is no
less arbitrary than any other, and if you believe that larger spaces after periods look better in
some situation, you should feel confident that your choice is supported by hundreds of years of
good typographical practice. My preference is not for double-spacing, but for a slightly larger
sentence space, about 1.5 times an interword space for most typefaces. For a fun / interesting
take on the one or two spaces debate, read: http://www.ditchwalk.com/2011/01/19/two-
spaces-after-a-period/
Instead of your phone number, add today’s date in that line
THIS TYPE OF LETTER FORMAT IS CALLED
“FULL BLOCK FORMAT”
Instead of your phone number, add today’s date in that line
• Do not list a “Job Objective” -‐-‐ it might limit your opportunities
• List all your jobs and college work, but not high school years
• Show in concise, relevant detail the match between you and the job -‐-‐ for example ...
• JOB REQUIREMENT: “Experience with MS Access”• YOUR RESUME AND LETTER: “Three years using Access to track contributions in support of $13.6 million United
Way fundraising campaign in Anyname County, Florida”• “Concise” does not mean “brief” -‐-‐ it means “conveying the most meaning in the fewest
words”
what to do / what not to do
• Keep the document easy to read at a glance
• Use standard 10-‐ to 12-‐point Arial or Times Roman (other typefaces may be distorted
when viewed by recipient)• DO NOT USE ...
• Colorful, unusual, or fancy graphic design elements• “Attention getters” (unless you are in a “creative” field such as acting, music, art, design, or advertising -‐-‐ and
even then, use sparingly)• Narrow margins (leave ample white space)• A photo of yourself (many companies reject this because of risk of appearing discriminatory; however,
this does not apply to performers)
• Be specific + concise ... emphasize results, not duties:
• Managed five staff handling $150,000 weekly payroll; received “Service Excellence” award two consecutive
years• Trained more than 15 customer service associates, two of whom are now managing store departments with
combined $6.4 million in annual revenues• Choose details that make sense
• If applying for an accounting job, downplay role as daycare supervisor and emphasize financial tasks
• If you want to get called for an interview, research the company’s needs and show emphatically how you can
meet those needs
• Do not use MS Word templates
• Reader’s reaction depends in part on variables that you, the writer, cannot control
• Thus, focus on what you can control:• Relevant and meaningful details• Correctness of grammar and spelling• Professional tone & content (no begging, whining, boasting, or
lying)• Simple, clear format
• Your ability to compete depends on three factors:• What you offer• What you appear to offer, and • How strongly your qualifications match what the employer wants
and needs
This is the general format of the resume you should produce:
Also acceptable, if you want to highlight specific courses you have taken/or don’t have much in the way of work experience; this way, you can nicely fill up the page with relevant information:
The resume below is an example of a BAD resume; it makes all the mistakes that drive hiring managers crazy—bad formatting, objective statement, personal pronouns, irrelevant hobbies:
It’s not enough for your resume to be free of errors and contain a brief summary of your skills and experience to be considered a ‘good’ resume. In fact a ‘bad ‘resume isn’t even looked at. You need more than your resume to be looked at: you want it to stand out and call the reader to take action.
1. Avoid personal information like political or religious affiliations, or volunteer info unless it directly correlates to the job for which you’re applying.
2. The same goes for photos. Don’t add a photo, unless your career is directly tied to your appearance, like acting or broadcast journalism. Even if you’re stunning, it’s a bad move. It’s also illegal in the US for an employer to request a photo. 3. Don’t limit yourself. A one-page resume is fine for someone fairly young, but two pages is the norm these days. 4. That said, if a piece of information can be cut without harming your professional narrative, cut it. Two pages are fine as long as it’s two pages of useful info.
5. Be mindful of your email address. If you don’t have a professional-sounding email address at the moment, go get one. They’re free. First.Last@gmail is always a safe bet. 6. Tailor your resume for each job you apply for. Let me repeat that: you have to tailor your resume for each job you apply for. This is usually as simple as altering your headline and reordering some of your bullet points. This is key and I cannot stress this enough. 7. And lastly, don’t be cute. If someone has ever given you the advice that “your personality should shine on your resume,”
they’re wrong. Terribly, terribly wrong. The resume is no place for your personality. Save that for the interview. Instead, keep the
resume to solid facts. Your resume should be constructed with the screening process in mind, and no one will be screening you based on how funny you are. The Takeaway: You’ve got very little time to snag a reader’s attention, so play to your core value. Lead your resume with a short but compelling narrative and make that narrative run throughout your resume. Go light on duties and heavy on accomplishments. Avoid fluff. Keep it to two pages, and don’t hesitate to use white space to make it digestible and less daunting.
In a recent nationwide survey of 2,000 hiring managers conducted by Harris Interactive, 37% said they used social media to help make hiring decisions with 65% saying Facebook was the social media site they checked most often. Does anyone think those percentages are likely to go anywhere but up? Nearly 2 out of 3 said they were checking to see if the candidate presented him or herself professionally, with over half saying they were checking to see if they thought the candidate would be a "good fit" with the company's culture.
Are you ready for the shocking part? More than 1/3rd of them said that they had found something on a social media site which caused them to NOT hire a candidate.
Resumes aren’t Dead. But they will be.
http://www.recruiter.com/i/resumes-‐arent-‐dead-‐but-‐they-‐will-‐be/
We all know that social media use has been on the rise in the recruiting industry, but did you know that 1 in 6 job seekers credit social media for helping land their current job? That’s the latest statistic according the infographic How Job Seekers and Employers are Connecting Online by OnlineColleges.com. In 2012, 88 percent of job seekers created at least one social networking profile while 92 percent of employers used social media to recruit. Among employers, LinkedIn was the most popular site for recruiting last year while Facebook took the top spot among job seekers for finding employment. Online and social resumes are a bit trickier than standard resumes, as there are no standardized resume templates for social network profiles. It takes time and attention to build a strong, compelling personal brand and targeted professional profile. However, social profiles are a must for today's jobseeker, as they are not only a source for web identity, but also the actual method by which you apply for a job with a corporation.
If you're not using social media to promote yourself, you're missing out. Just as employers use multiple avenues to push out job postings, you as a job seeker need to use all the channels available to you to put yourself in front of recruiters. Using Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn as a means to give updates on your career or connect with other professionals gives your résumé legs and can make you more memorable as a candidate. But since companies are screening candidates through social media, make sure your online profiles are either professional facing or locked for outside viewing.
An eye catching resume in .txt format for electronic submission, in addition to a .doc and PDF version that can be emailed, snail mailed, overnight expressed, faxed and handed out in person, PLUS a social media presence (particularly LinkedIn) are all essential in conducting
New Media / Social Media Resumes -- The New Way to Resume!
an effective job search. Social media is not yet a substitute for a resume, rather it complements and expounds on a resume.
Most managers want applicants who not only know how to use “old” social media platforms like Facebook, but they need to be familiar with newer platforms like Pinterest as well. Because you can’t necessarily predict which social media platform is going to dominate at the time of your interview, it’s best to just research and learn how to use an array of social media platforms right now. Read tech blogs so that you’re in the “know” of which new social media platforms are making a big splash in the industry and create accounts accordingly. That way, when you put together your resume, you can say that you’ve used Pinterest or had a blog since the beginning of your college career. This can demonstrate your skill level as well as your ability to foresee/understand which social media platforms resonate better with people.
Resumes are inherently boring. There’s nothing very exciting about facts and figures or the number of years you spent diving for golf balls in luxury golf-‐course water traps.
Well, maybe that last one’s interesting. (Also: a totally real profession!)
But the hard truth is that most of us look dull on paper. Most of us are just another name, another job title, another piece of paper. Recruiters and hiring managers everywhere sigh and deftly toss our resumes in an ever-‐increasing pile. Should just we give up and admit defeat? Resign ourselves to being bland and inconspicuous among thousands of other applicants?
No, of course not. The social media resume is one solution.
It starts with your site. Or a link to your site, rather. Your personal website or blog or slideshare presentation made available for all the world to see. You don’t have a site? Get one. It’s free – just Google free website builder or use a blog like WordPress or Blogger.
person successfully submitted a social media resume in the form of a candy bar!! http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/man-hailed-candy-bar-resume-article-1.1275798
If you’ve never blogged – blog about anything. You don’t have to write a lofty dissertation, just write about what you’re interested in. It shows you’re creative and have ideas worth expressing. If you really don’t want to write, just write one page about yourself and use that as the front page of your site. It makes you look knowledgeable and professional.
Add a dash of personal style. Put up a video of yourself dressed in business attire, addressing to the audience your strengths as a candidate. Or make a photo gallery of your last skiing trip – even an ongoing list of books you’re reading is invaluable content. Anything you
Get inspired by the many examples of varied social media resumes available online! One
can do to show yourself in a professional setting will set you above the rest. You’re trying more than anything to look employable and professional – someone that any employer would be lucky to have. Think about what you would want to see from a candidate if you were a recruiter or employer…
Pepper with Social Networks. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn – all micro reflections of your character – tiny pedestals from which to proclaim your skills, accomplishments, and involvements. Create profile badges and embed them on your site.
Now you’re marketing yourself! Be catchy – but don’t overdo it: too much visual stimuli (i.e. think seizure inducing flashing lights) runs the risk of alienating the people you’re trying to impress. You don’t want to look like you’re trying to impress though – it’s a fine line to consider.
Finally, broadcast your social media creation on the good old-‐fashioned paper resume – just include the printed URL of your social media resume/website at the top of your resume page much like you do your email address.
Recruiters and hiring managers still like to see it done the traditional way, but they’ll notice the unique domain name at the top. So now you have the social media resume, not alone, but working in tandem with your traditional paper resume.
This infographic http://www.recruiter.com/i/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/social-resume.jpg offers information on how job seekers can create a social resume on sites like WordPress, Tumblr, Razume.com, and ResumeSocial.com. It also provides examples of creative resumes, such as one job seeker who made her resume into an infographic.
With your social resume comes your online presence, and the infographic lists the do’s and don’t’s when it comes to building your social presence.
Recruiters DO like:
• Membership(s) in professional organizations (80 percent)
• Volunteer activities (66 percent)
Recruiters DON’T like:
• Profanity (61 percent)
• Poor grammar/spelling mistakes (54 percent)
• Mentioning alcohol consumption (47 percent)
• Religious posts (26 percent)
Also, the infographic advises to show the influence your social presence has. This includes klout scores, LinkedIn endorsements and connections, your Twitalyzer rank and/or blog engagement or Technorati rank.
One of the best ways to attract potential employers is by having a strong LinkedIn profile that is easy to find by employers.
Here are some tips for creating a LinkedIn profile that can land you that job of your dreams. Or, if you’re not that picky, just a job.
You’re not looking for job.
That’s right, even though you are looking for a job, you’re not just looking for any job. It seems counter-‐intuitive, but employers want what they can’t have, not what’s easily available. Remove that blaring “I’M LOOKING FOR A JOB” text on your LinkedIn profile. Tone all job search references down – concentrate on making yourself look more desirable and less desperate. Your profile should reflect an accomplished professional in the field and industry in which you want to get a new position. You’re not looking for a job. Repeat that to yourself again. You’re instead a professional open to opportunities in ABC. You want to make your career with a company that ABC.
Make your headline clear and concise.
Your headline is what recruiters will see first about you. Many people use certain buzzwords that are clichéd and used over and over again. Clearly state what you can offer to an employer, using keywords that they will search for. You will also want to make sure that you are not limiting yourself in your headline. You want to leave the possibilities as open as possible while conveying what areas you have most experience in.
Remember that you’re designing your headline after what employers want to search for, not to brag to other professionals in your industry. If you’re a Project Manager, write that, not “A Seasoned Executive Consultant with Project Experience.” In other words, don’t try to make yourself something you’re not – make it easy for people to figure out what you do. Stay simple, specific, and positive when writing about your skills and experience.
Write a direct, informative summary and experience section.
Your summary and experience section should tell a clear and concise story about your work history. Most managers will scan this section fairly quickly, so make sure that the most important information is at the beginning of the summary to catch their interest and draw them in. Use specific examples and clearly point out your results in past jobs.
The specialties section is a great place to put keywords for search, but do not overstuff. Just put a few of the most important words that describe you to make your profile easy to find in searches by managers.
Remember that the summary and experience section, as well as the specialties area, is the place to show what you are made of and to really sell yourself to employers who have found your profile. Put most of your effort and focus into these vital sections.
Feature a few solid recommendations.
Only feature a couple of recommendations, as more than that can be overkill and can jumble your profile. Any old or outdated postings should be removed when you are starting your job search so that recruiters can see the most up to date and relevant referrals. This way, they can contact people who have most recently recommended you.
With recommendations, pay more attention to who is recommending you than what they are saying about you. A management level reference from your current or recent employer is fantastic. Shoot for senior people in the industry in which you are most likely to find work. You can also use strategy here – want to work at a particular company? If you have a friend or know an employee there, have them recommend your work.
Do not exaggerate, pad, or build yourself up with adjectives, but use examples of quantifiable results to show a manager what you can bring to their company.
After your profile is created, stay present on LinkedIn by joining industry groups and posting interesting news about your field. Connect to as many relevant people in your field as you can. Note that the people you connect with/to will then see your activity on their homepage – this is your chance to keep yourself top of mind. When jobs open up, consistent and professional activity could make the difference between getting the call and not.
Fully complete your LinkedIn Profile.
LinkedIn clearly states that users with completed profiles are 40 times more likely to receive opportunities through LinkedIn. It’s easy to see whether your LinkedIn profile needs more work as LinkedIn displays a percentage score, indicating level of completeness. So, before you do anything else like installing apps, joining groups, commenting on discussions, check your score and if it’s way below 100%, you should do some work to update your profile. LinkedIn’s idea of a completed profile means that you have included the following information:
Your industry and location, an up-‐to-‐date current position (with a description), two past positions, your education, your skills (minimum of 3), a profile photo, at least 50 connections.
Edit Profile URL to Make it More User and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Friendly.
Your public profile is the public version of your LinkedIn profile, and it is this page that appears in search engines, like Google. The standard URL that LinkedIn gives you contains your name and a lot of numbers that are not reader friendly, and, according to experts, not SEO friendly. So, adjust your public profile URL so it is as close to your name as possible, e.g. www.linkedin.com/in/firstnamelastname to make it more reader and SEO friendly.
Write the Summary; Adopt an Inverted Pyramid Information Structure.
The LinkedIn summary has more prominence than the professional profile you prepare in a resume. Typically, the LinkedIn summary is longer, maybe two or three times the length and is a more fully formed branding statement than the resume profile. Because the LinkedIn summary is longer and contains two or three paragraphs, it needs more structure than the shorter resume profile to create a similar positive effect. Many experts recommend that you adopt the Inverted Pyramid Approach to present your information, an approach used in journalism to convey information in the most effective way.
In short, this means that the most newsworthy info should come in the first paragraph, which is the: Who?, What? When? Where? Why How?, followed by the Important details in the second paragraph, and Other General Info and Background Info in the third paragraph. The idea of this is that the reader gets a summary in the first paragraph and can leave the summary at that point and still get a good feel for what you are about.
Create Attention Grabbing Headline.
LinkedIn profiles place a lot of emphasis on the ‘Professional Headline’ that appears at the top of the profile just below your name. This ‘headline’ is displayed prominently at the top of the page and also appears in the listings of search results, which means it will be very influential in determining whether a recruiter clicks on your profile or not. So prepare an accurate but attention grabbing headline to draw in the reader.
Install Apps.
Used well, the LinkedIn apps enrich your profile. Current apps include a WordPress app or a Bloglink app which allows you to present your blog on your LinkedIn profile. Only use this if your blog relates to your business and industry. This is not for personal musings.
The Slideshare app is great for showcasing presentations you have given on your LinkedIn profile.
There’s also the Creative Portfolio app for showcasing creative work in unlimited multimedia formats. They also have a GitHub App so developers can show their headline activity on GitHub.
I strongly recommend that where appropriate, you install apps and enrich your profile.
Make your public profile visible to everyone. Your public profile is visible on search engines, meaning that recruiters can find you through Google searches. So, ensure your public profile is set to be visible to everyone, and it will appear in search engine listings. Use Good Quality Photos. Part of the reason that people use LinkedIn is to see how you present yourself in a business context. I think image is part of that deal. LinkedIn thinks it is too, because it determines a profile fully complete only if it has a picture. Yet, you can go put in a candidate search and you’ll still find profiles without photos. So, optimize your LinkedIn profile by including a good quality headshot, or upper torso shot in business attire/business setting. Get well-‐worded, specific recommendations from staff who have managed you.
I have talked previously about the value of recommendations on LinkedIn, and how they enhance your credibility by offering a reliable reference that can be traced back to a ‘real’ source. But, that’s the key point; they can be traced back to a source, which puts a greater emphasis on source credibility. While peer and client recommendations are useful and provide a useful 360 degree view, try to accumulate recommendations from staff who have
recruiters. Encourage your references to write high quality, specific reviews that speak to your achievements within the context of real, named or well defined projects/situations, as this is more convincing and creates more impact. Use LinkedIn Answers and Comment in Groups Discussions.
LinkedIn experts claim that using LinkedIn Answers and commenting in group discussions will create more links back to your LinkedIn Profile which will raise your LinkedIn search ranking, meaning that you will appear higher in the search results and potentially receive more contacts from employers. This may be true, but the least it does is generate additional exposure for you. Recruiters regularly mine discussion groups for prospects, so if you are active and showing that you are an expert in your field, you have a better chance of being contacted by a recruiter. However, it’s a fine line between appearing like an active social networker and someone who networks and ‘plays on the Internet’ at the expense of getting work
managed you, (the more senior the better) as these carry more weight in the eyes of
done in the office. So moderate your activity in social networks and be mindful of the impression you may give with the volume and type of activity. Increase Your Connections. Increase your connections, using LinkedIn approved tactics. Why? Because search results are sorted starting with the closest degrees of connection and ending with the furthest degree of connection. So, the more connections you have, the more closely you will be connected to recruiters which will mean you will appear higher up their search results. While LinkedIn is crucial, it is just one piece of the social media profile puzzle that includes Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, YouTube, all of which must be used effectively and appropriately if you are to fully optimize your social media profile and impact. If you have not yet begun participating in social media, start! You can’t afford not to; consider it a part-‐time job: getting up to speed on Twitter, FB, blogs etc.
Many, especially large, employers are now requiring that resumes be submitted electronically into applicant tracking systems, rather than faxed or submitted on paper. This practice saves potential employers a great deal of paperwork, but presents some challenges for job seekers. First, when submitting a resume electronically online to a potential employer, the job seeker needs to check the job posting carefully to see if the employer requires a particular format. The most popular format currently is .doc, which is the old Word format from Microsoft Word 1997-‐2003, although there are some employers that will prefer other formats, including Adobe (.pdf) and ASCII (.txt). Nothing will get a job seeker rejected more quickly than failing to follow the directions in the job advertisement. Care must be taken to include relevant keywords and jobs in the resume, as recruiters will typically find an applicant's resume by performing searches within their applicant tracking system. Second, many potential employers also take advantage of online resume databases and job boards, such as Monster, Career Builder, Dice, or Indeed. Taking advantage of these services, employers perform a search through the job resume database looking for possible matches. This practice requires the job seeker to include key words common to the position he or she is seeking in order to help the resume database find that particular resume.
Share a private link to your profile video easily and efficiently with any employer. Include the link in a resume, cover letter, job application, social media profile, and more. Companies can click on the link and be directed to a page dedicated to your profile video. Here’s a site that lets you record an employment profile video: https://www.sparkhire.com/job-‐seeker-‐features
Imagine having 60 seconds to tell any employer why you are perfect for the job. Record your profile video and stand out from the competition like never before. Nine out of ten employers say they would watch a video resume if they were to receive one. https://www.youtube.com/embed/0kpLVtaB73A?autoplay=1&rel=0
With the launch of Spark Hire’s free mobile app, job seekers and employers have access to video job and talent search resources. The new app allows job seekers to record a video resume and participate in online video interviews from their iPhone. “By utilizing the app, both employers and job seekers are able to save time and money by using their smartphone to communicate,” said Josh Tolan, Spark Hire CEO. “In just the first quarter of fiscal year 2012, Apple sold 37.04 million iPhones. Employers and job seekers already own the phones, so we’re enhancing the hiring process by allowing them to use the phone they already have to connect.” In addition to the resume and interviewing capabilities, users may also manage their active Spark Hire account, receive job alerts, and communicate with employers through Spark Hire email. The app is also a completely compatible piece of companion software for the greater Spark Hire platform. Employers can also manage their Spark Hire accounts through registered iDevices and maintain their company profile, view their listed jobs, review past video interviews, and interact with job seekers through their Spark Hire inbox.
ResumUP is a powerful tool to define, plan and grow your career. http://resumup.com/ Using data out of social media profiles, ResumUP’s new online recruiting tools allows job seekers to instantly construct infographic online resumes including a display of an applicant’s work experience, education, personality, and other attributes. Recruiters can equally easily create visual job vacancies while filtering resumes through the use of multiple filter technologies that automatically select the most appropriate profiles for each position. Additionally, the tool allows applicants to match their qualifications to a position’s necessary criteria before applying, leading to fewer mismatched candidates. While the website at ResumUP.com remains in its beta stage, several leading firms, such as Facebook, Adidas, and Yandex have adopted the pioneering technology on an experimental basis. Karen Grigorian, HR Director at Kraft Foods said about the technology, ““We are striving to be innovative beyond just food production. This hi-‐tech vacancy visualizing tool could be a great opportunity to attract top talents.”
A new study states that as many as 92% of all employers nationwide check a job applicant’s social media profile before hiring. In addition, 69% of respondents report not hiring a candidate based on something found on a social networking site. Companies and universities take advantage of the personal information available on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to aid their decision process for admitting potential students or hiring new employees. Posted photographs, tweets and affiliated online groups create an online persona. These bits and pieces of information make their way online and become safely stored away in the
Internet’s memory. Using social media platforms as a means for showcasing one’s accomplishments and reputable
personal character traits may positively influence an employer’s decision. If used appropriately social media helps individuals stand out from other job applicants. For students, photographs of traveling excursions and participation in extracurricular activities attract positive attention from admissions officers. Online reputations aligned to academic and professional goals offer increased opportunities for impressing HR managers, future employers and university representatives. However, children and teenagers often fail to understand that one silly photograph or comment may severely impact their future ambitions. Too many teenagers and adults believe information posted online remains private for friends and family. In fact, uploaded content becomes public domain, opening doors for unintended eyes to see. Your digital footprint might not seem significant now. However, at some point in your life, and most likely without you knowing, others will scan your social media platforms in order to gain insight into your character. Can any of your postings be misconstrued? Misinterpreted? Put you in a bad light? Are you presenting yourself like a capable, professional, well-‐educated person? With the introduction of more and more social media platforms, it becomes difficult to distinguish between good and bad content. It also requires time to scan and delete (a heads up here: it is virtually impossible to completely wipe any content from the Internet, regardless of what sort of promises certain businesses make regarding their ability to restore your online reputation) potentially damaging content, especially if your photo count is in the thousands and you posted content since the dawn of the Internet.
In general, all Internet users must be smart about their digital footprint, and take the time to establish a positive online reputation since users rarely know who might be reviewing their profile and since truly deleting information/photos etc. might be nearly impossible.
Also, consider the Streisand Effect. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect A friend of a friend desires to go to medical school. She graduated from college last year and is currently studying to take the MCAT and apply for medical school programs. If you heard her talk you would pretty much conclude that she is passionate about medicine and very determined to become successful. Yet, I came across her Facebook profile one day and, in my Carrie Bradshaw voice, I couldn’t help but wonder: Does her online presence reflect the same? Once you understand just how important social media and your online reputation (whether good or bad) can be to your future success you simply cannot help but notice that there are still millions of people who are ignorant to this fact. Case in point, my friend of a friend. Her Facebook profile is filled with pictures of her 1) dressed provocatively 2) holding liquor bottles and/or cups up during a party (with the cups assumed to contain alcohol) and 3) photos of her and friends in in very skimpy bikinis. Now, don’t get me wrong. We’ve all gone to a party or to the beach and had photos taken. Employers are human and they understand this. Yet, I think the issue comes when the quantity of these types of photos exceeds the “on-‐occasion” instances. So in my friend’s case, although she is intelligent and determined to enter medical school, it’s unlikely a potential hospital or administration committee at a school would think the same after viewing her profile. Image is everything, even if it’s not the one you’d hoped to portray. Potential employers are scanning Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other platforms you’ve created accounts with when reviewing an applicant. Here’s what you need to know about the role your social networking presence may be playing in whether or not you get hired; information to hopefully help you pause and think about any negative effects before posting: Facebook is a part of today’s standard background check. As you may already know, many companies today conduct background checks on potential employees in order to evaluate whether or not they’re appropriate choices for hire. What you may not be aware of is that perusal of your Facebook and other social networking profiles is a part of standard background checks these days. Sites like Facebook are an excellent way to find out about the “real you” and not just the professional “best-‐face-‐forward” you that shows up to the job interview or sends in the resume that sparked interest in the first place. Make sure that yours is sending the message you want potential employers to get. Employers are looking to match the face and personality with the resume. After learning your profile will be scanned in the sourcing process, your first instinct may be to panic and delete all your photos – if not your entire Facebook – but you might want to understand exactly what those conducting your background check are actually looking for before jumping the gun. Really, they’re looking for a sense of who you are outside of your professional persona. A lot can be determined in this regard by checking out what organizations you belong to, as well as what you discuss with your friends.
Employers don’t necessarily care what your hobbies are or how you like to spend your free time. However, they do care about whether or not you’re involved in any illegal activity, whether you appear to be racist or sexist, and whether or not you’re in the habit of posting questionable content (such as sexually explicit material). Any of those things is likely to negatively affect your chances of getting hired. You must be the gatekeeper for what you post publicly. This should be something you do anyway, but if you haven’t already given some thought to adjusting your privacy settings on Facebook, now might be a good time to do so. If you don’t want others checking out your social networking profiles, be sure to lock them down, at least partially. Also, just start being more careful of what you post. After all, your social media presence plays a major role in how you present yourself publicly. Your online profiles should be representative of the best possible version of you.
http://communicateskills.com/2012/09/19/best-‐looking-‐resumes/
What people like to do on social media are simple things: gossiping around, cheer when others post results from their RunKeeper apps, watching strangers’ food pics on Instagram, and smile at funny cats and pass them on. Will that kind of behavior have an impact even on corporate, i.e. professional communication?
The written word in a universe where visual is king
percent of a text longer than 100 words. Furthermore, the image and video sharing trend is here to stay. Images shared on Facebook get much more response than just plain text, Pinterest and Instagram are two of the fastest growing social networks and Slideshare content spreads virally through blogs and online platforms. The evidence is clear: people want to look more, and read less.
People read less than you think. According to a Nielsen study, people tend to read only 20
Useful Links to Create Awesome New Media Resumes / Examples and More!
“2. More than 25 billion pieces of content (web links, news stories, blog posts, notes, photo albums, etc.) are shared each month.”
“9. People spend over 500 billion minutes per month on Facebook.”
“11. Twitter’s web platform only accounts for a quarter of its users – 75% use third-‐party apps.”
“12. Twitter gets more than 300,000 new users every day.”
“21. LinkedIn is the oldest of the four sites in this post, having been created on May 5 2003.”
“26. 80% of companies use LinkedIn as a recruitment tool.”
YouTube
“34. Every minute, 24 hours of video is uploaded to YouTube.”
“40. YouTube uses the same amount of bandwidth as the entire Internet used in 2000.”
Blogging
“43. 60% of bloggers are between the ages 18-‐44.”
“44. One in five bloggers updates their blogs daily.”
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