Employers click on high strength, complete profiles 47% more than incomplete profiles.
What are the two most exhausting things on earth? Dating and job hunting. When you think about it the two are very similar. Both are a hunt for the right fit. And in today's world both seem to get started online. We tend to be so careful on dating sites to make our profiles funny, and approachable while still conveying our principles and goals. We want to stand out among a sea of other singles all claiming to want and possess all the same qualities.
How is it that we lose that self awareness in our online job searching? We rely on only 2 documents, our resume and cover letter, a total of 10 paragraphs max, to make us stand out. I think we can all agree most of us have more to us than the same 10 paragraphs everyone else has. Let's look at how to effectively keep yourself in front of your target audience and make it impossible for employers not to pick you out of a sea of sameness.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying your resume and cover letter aren't important anymore. On the contrary, they are the catalyst for your transition. No matter which forum you use, traditional or digital, these documents are the first thing employers see about you. They just shouldn't be the only thing anymore. Using our dating analogy, they are your "profile pic". It's an attention getting snapshot of your professional history. You should begin with a personally branded resume and cover letter. Your resume can no longer be a laundry list of employers and responsibilities. It needs to convey your value proposition to hiring managers.
Now, 94% of relationships begin online. Likewise over 90% of Fortune 500 companies use some kind of online recruitment. Be it job board or recruiting site they will all have you submit your resume and cover letter and build an online profile. The personal or biography section of your profile should be written around your personal branding statement. Every sentence should highlight an attribute or personality trait that makes you the best at what you do. A lot of candidates either copy and paste sections of their resume here if they don't just skip it all together.
Don't forget the Professional Memberships section if you belong to any professional organizations within your target. Do not rely on including it in your resume! You want to highlight those on their own.
Last we come to the stepchild of profiles, the skills section. The number 1 reason people don't use eharmony is because of the part of their questionnaire that has you rate activities and interests. People complain it is monotonous and boring. Conversely, eharmony has the highest number of lasting relationships and "good matches". This, is the skills section of your profile. It's not only vitality important that its filled out but you also need to enter those skills in order of importance to your target. Again, most candidates, if not skipping this altogether, will enter broad, boring information like: Skill - Microsoft Office or typing. These are not what set you apart from your competition. These are not your core skills nor do they have anything to do with your brand.
When sifting through profiles on dating sites we rarely take the people with only a snapshot seriously. The same is true for employers. Candidate A offers his professionally written resume and cover letter. Candidate B offers a personally branded resume and cover letter and matching branded profile, and fully completed Skills section. Which candidate would you call for an interview?
I know this is a lot of information to take in and all of a sudden know how to make it work for you. This is why you need a professional to guide you through the process and provide seamless writing between marketing tools. Having a successful online presence, dating or professional, begins with being thorough and making sure everything is filled out completely and is consistent all the way through. It works, I promise. My clients have been successful professionally, and, by the way, I met my husband online.
Author - Devon Benish
