I have this conversation frequently these days. It’s usually with people who’ve called me to talk about my resume-writing service, so they know something is up.
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But this topic also comes up with friends and business associates. One of two things usually brings it up:
I will mention an opportunity that would be just right for the other person. I say, “You should send them your resume.” They say, “Oh, I don’t have one.” I say, “You mean you don’t have an updated resume?” They say, “No, I don’t have a resume at all. I mean, I did at one point but…” They’re voice trails off into silence.
I will say, “I went on your LinkedIn page and it’s almost blank. What’s the deal?” (I’ll just interject here it’s not snooping if it’s on the Internet.) “Why don’t you have your resume on there, along with a compelling summary of what you do?” “Oh, I don’t have a resume,” they say, either confidently or sheepishly depending upon their circumstances.
I want to say, “Why are you even on LinkedIn? You have 357 connections and no way that’s going to turn into work for you.” Sometimes I do actually say it (usually, in a gentler way), which leads to me explaining the whole point of LinkedIn and why having a resume is essential, even for them. (More on LinkedIn later.)
Yes, it’s true. In the past, lots of people got freelance work – or even permanent jobs – without having a resume. There was a time that when someone who needed a graphic designer or a copy writer or a marketing consultant or even a new VP, Business Affairs would call their trusted friends and associates and their trusted friends and associates would tell them names of potential people to hire. And then the person in need would call a bunch of the referrals and ask those referrals about their experience and accomplishments.
Based on that, either finalists would be asked to bid a job or come in for an interview or one person would just be hired depending upon the size and nature of the project.
Here’s the thing: Word-of-mouth doesn't work as the only strategy anymore. There are too many freelancers and potential employees and, due to the Internet, people’s circles are too large.
And, for a big project at a big company – or a permanent position – you don’t just get hired by the person who you talked to on the phone. There are people from other departments who need to sign off on you, as well as upper management in the mix.
So now, each time you are brought up as a candidate, the person trying to hire you has to regurgitate everything they know about your relevant work history. If there are follow up questions (“Where’d they get their training? Have they ever done work for our type of company?”), they have to go back to you, get the information and then report back. You could see how someone with a resume would have an advantage in this situation.
Here are other people who need resumes:
People who have had jobs for a long time who would be open to moving on. I’m not saying you have to be actively looking. These are people who want to be ready when opportunity knocks, because they know a good opportunity won’t be available long enough for them to get a great resume together after they hear about it.
Most business owners. Yes, you are your own boss but how do people know they want to use your service or invest in you or come to you with a great offer to collaborate on a project?
Stay-at-Home Moms who need to make some cash while Junior is napping. We all know those work-from-home ads are a scam. Network marketing is almost always the fast track to… making next to nothing while pissing off all your friends. But if you have a successful blog or were a very effective PTA president for three years, you could parlay that into a paid social networking or community advocate position that works for your schedule. If people know about you and what you’d done.
YOU. Even if you are 100% happy with your current situation and you do not need nor want any additional income, you still need to be establishing and maintaining your professional reputation. There will come a time when you will need or want to make money some other way than you are now. Your job will end, your current freelance income stream will dry up, etc. You will not want to be starting from scratch.
Here’s where LinkedIn comes in:
Your resume no longer sits in a drawer or gets passed from fax machine to fax machine or even by e-mail address to e-mail address. It lives on the web! LinkedIn is the best professional tool to come out of the Internet age.
You create an identity from yourself simply by having your excellent resume copied onto LinkedIn, along with a compelling summary of who you are and what you do. You build your reputation by commenting in relevant LinkedIn groups you belong to. You connect with people in your field. You help them, they help you.
If someone hears your name as a potential hire and Googles you, your LinkedIn profile will come up and they don’t even need your resume sent to them. And sometimes people just stumble upon your profile on LinkedIn and contact you for work. (It’s happened many times for me. It can happen for you.) Which is why…
A blank or incomplete or badly-written LinkedIn profile is almost worse than no LinkedIn profile at all.
So if you don’t have a resume – or if your resume is not a strong representation of your career in terms of where you want to go with it – it’s time to put some time into it. And then get it onto LinkedIn. It will pay off. Trust me.
This post was originally published on an earlier date.
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.