It's time to focus on touching up your LinkedIn profile so it’s bright, shiny, and squeaky clean for employers. Here are some things to polish up on your profile:
(Psst! Can't get hired? Watch this free tutorial.)
1. Remove empty terms.
Remove any subjective terminology such as "motivated, "dedicated," "results-driven," "self-starter," "high-level thinker," "quick learner," and so on. While you may have all of these traits, describing yourself in these terms means nothing to employers without proof. Anyone can say that they are a highly motivated self-starter, but how do you know it’s true? Remove empty terms like this from your resume and LinkedIn profile. Instead, just stick with quantifiable accomplishments that prove you’re qualified through results (you’ll learn more about these in a little bit).
2. Add new technologies to your LinkedIn Summary.
What new software or technologies have you learned lately that relate to your industry? Update your LinkedIn profile with any new, relevant technologies. What software are you proficient in? Whether it’s Wordpress or Excel, updating your profile with relevant technologies you use in your field allows you to further optimize your profile and fully take advantage of your Summary section.
3. Reorganize your Top Skills.
In your Top Skills section (where all of your endorsements can be found), you want to showcase the 10 hard skill sets you want to leverage in your next job. This makes is easy for employers and recruiters to see what you excel at on the job - and you want to make it as easy as possible for them to see your value! So, take a few minutes to reorganize your Top Skills to showcase your top 10 at the top. While in Edit mode, you can reorganize how your skills appear by dragging and dropping them.
4. Ditch those dense paragraphs.
Let’s go back to making it easy for recruiters and employers to see your value for a second. When you make them sift through big, dense paragraphs in your Work History to find the information they need, you’re making it HARDER for them, not easier! Remember, white space is your friend. Swap out those murky paragraphs for clear, concise bullet points of your quantifiable accomplishments instead.
5. Add numbers wherever possible.
Your goal is to demonstrate your value to employers. They want to know that you’ve been there, done that, and can do it well. The best way to do that is to quantify your accomplishments. Always ask, how many, how much, how long, and how often? Remember my simple formula: numbers = results = value.
So, add this minor task to your Spring cleaning list this year. It won’t take long, but it will make all of the difference to employers when it comes to looking at your profile. (Want to make your life easier for next time? Keep up with your LinkedIn profile by reviewing it every month or so and making updates as needed.)
Are you ready to get HIRED?
Watch our free tutorial "8 Ways You're Being SHUT OUT Of The Hiring Process" with career expert J.T. O'Donnell to find out what's holding you back from getting hired... and how to fix it! WATCH NOWThis post was originally written by Ariella Coombs.
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
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Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
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Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
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Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.