jscreationzs / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Your social media profile can do wonders to help you secure job opportunities and get recruiters to notice you. However, on LinkedIn, it’s not simply about filling in the basic fields for your name, experience and education. Because of new features that LinkedIn has added, it has become all the more important for the ‘Skills & Expertise’ section to be completed.

One of the basic methods that recruiters use to locate talent on LinkedIn is by conducting a keyword search based on specific skills and expertise required for the opening. While there used to be the ‘Specialties’ section to help narrow talent on LinkedIn, that section has since been removed. What is left to help recruiters refine search results is information available in the ‘Skills & Expertise’ section of a candidate’s profile. And more recently – as of late-September, a new feature known as ‘Endorsements’ came to life. This is where people can validate that you are strong in specific skills, making it that much easier for recruiters to identify talented candidates.

Here are ways in which you can more effectively utilize the ‘Skills & Expertise’ section of your LinkedIn profile to your advantage, as well as ensure recruiters find you at the top of their search result. Read the rest of this entry »

Guest Post: Amanda Green

Credit to PhotoRack.net

Searching for a new job can be a challenge, particularly in the present recession, even for experienced professionals who want to further their career paths. And while experience and talent can impress many prospective employers, professionals in the job market are competing with others who are just as experienced and talented, so the question becomes how does one stand out from the crowd? Read the rest of this entry »

jscreationzs / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Once you have completed your resume and BEFORE you distribute it, you need to optimize your LinkedIn profile. This is crucial because, according to an April, 2011 Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) survey, 95% of employers and virtually every recruiter will look you up on LinkedIn before calling you. So your LinkedIn Profile needs to be in synch with your brand messaging on the resume.

Here we will review the key factors in developing and optimizing your LinkedIn Profile. Read the rest of this entry »

Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

A job interview can be a nerve-racking experience, especially when you have been removed from the job market for an extended period of time. It is one thing to sell on paper with the resume and another thing to sell in person at the interview.

Regardless of whether you have been out of a job for an extended period of time, are looking to change careers, or are still employed and seeking a better opportunity, the key to conducting a job interview successfully is a result of a collective number of factors. However, one of the more defining factors is the relationship you establish.

People hire people they like. Even if one candidate is more qualified and experienced than another, without a good relationship there is minimal chance at securing the job opportunity. The same goes for referrals. When you are referred by an existing employee, your chances are much stronger than a candidate who applied simply as a result of finding the opportunity through an ad from a job board.

So the question becomes how do you develop a strong enough relationship from a job interview to strengthen and lock in your chances at a job offer? Read the rest of this entry »

renjith krishnan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

If all an employer cared about is the IT skills and technical knowledge a candidate has obtained, then there would not be the need for an interview. The fact is, in addition to looking for specific skills and knowledge, employers want candidates who are passionate about the field and who have demonstrated a track record of success and progress. A resume alone does not necessarily help demonstrate these additional attributes. This is where the cover letter critically comes into play to help secure your chances for an interview.

It is the cover letter that helps you begin to tell your story of how you achieved your experience and success in the field. It is also the tool in the job search that allows you to express to an employer the passion you have for such a career and offers a personalized way to establish your credentials and character.

Here are specific tips that will help guide you in the cover letter writing process: Read the rest of this entry »

jscreationzs / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

120 seconds. That’s how long it takes for an interviewer to decide whether they want to hire you or not. First impressions set the tone for the interview and in the majority of cases, once that impression is set, it is not usually turned around. Here are some important tips you can use to ensure you make a great first impression.

Read the rest of this entry »

Credit to PhotoRack.net

Your resume has to tell potential employers what you can do for them. Yet people still fall into the trap of writing sentences that describe their job duties instead of their skills. A simple way to avoid this is to use the “so what” method of writing a resume.

The “so what” method makes you think about each statement and why it is important to an employer.  For example, this is a phrase taken from a resume sent to me for an evaluation: “Provided production workers with needed inventory information”. Interesting statement but how is that relevant to a potential employer, especially since they probably don’t need you to provide production workers with inventory information? Let’s fix it by asking “so what does that mean to me”, the employer. Read the rest of this entry »

David Castillo Dominici / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Would you walk into an interview blindsided – not knowing what the employer does or what’s involved in the role you are applying for? For those who want to succeed and be effective in an interview the answer is “No.” You should always go into an interview prepared with key messages in mind to help you demonstrate why you are the best fit for the company and position.  This same rule should apply for your references.

To ensure you present excellent references to a potential employer, you need to prepare your contacts. It’s not simply about seeking permission from your contacts to serve as a reference, but sharing information with them so that they are aware of the company and position you are applying for. This information will inform your contacts of subjects they can focus on when contacted. The message they leave behind should complement the highlights you’ve presented in your resume and during the interview. Read the rest of this entry »

Michal Marcol / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Just as important a resume is to helping a job seeker secure opportunities, so is the cover letter. A cover letter helps you hone in on important messages – to create a “conversation” – and gives the employer a sense of your personality that is not always captured through a resume alone.

Yes, there are employers who may completely ignore cover letters, but you put your chances for a response at greater risk when you don’t include one.

For the many employers who do care for the cover letter, seeing no cover letter or one that lacks any concrete anecdotes can imply you are not as interested as other candidates who have taken the time to personalize a letter to clearly highlight personal talents and offerings. A cover letter is another marketing tool in your arsenal, so take advantage of the opportunity to help you better sell yourself. Read the rest of this entry »

jscreationzs / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Every week I see hundreds of resumes sent to me for a free evaluation. Most of them start with an Objective indicating what that individual is seeking. Then they list the various roles and responsibilities they have held in the past. Where this style of resume was successful 5 years ago, it isn’t going to work in today’s market.

You used to be competing with about 200 other resumes for the interview. Now you are competing with about 600. Companies can’t bring in 100 people for interviews and they can be choosy, so your resume better make you stand out. Read the rest of this entry »