Use a Beneficial LinkedIn Title

Every time I visit LinkedIn to help a client or see invites in my email box from LinkedIn, invariably there's at least one of the following titles used by a connection or invitee:

"Unemployed"
"Currently Looking for an Opportunity"
"Looking for Work"
"Needing a Job"

None of these titles will help you in your job search!  LinkedIn works through several different algorithms, and one of those is keywords.  Instead of using some sort of "description" regarding your current situation, tell them what you are looking for specifically.  For instance, if you are a salesperson try this:  Sales Professional | Business Development | Customers Needs Assessment | Consultative Sales | Cold Calling | Relationship Management

You have 100 characters and spaces to give Human Resources, Recruiter/Headhunters, and Hiring Managers detail on what you can do for them in the title section, versus just telling them you are unemployed.  What are the keywords and key phrases most appropriate to your industry?  Not only should they be used in your resume, but should be used on your LinkedIn profile, especially in the first thing a hiring professional will see - your title.   To your job search success.

Just Say “No” to the Resume Objective Statement

Although there have been many blog posts and articles concerning why an objective statement should no longer be used on a resume, it always bears repeating.  Too often I see the traditional objective statement on resumes saying what a jobseeker wants from a job, company, and career.  Plain and simple, it is always about what the company wants until you are in negotiation for the salary and benefits package.

Instead, use a job title, and let the reader know what relevant experience they will be evaluating in the resume. This of course means you may have two, three, or more resumes, concentrating on the different types of jobs you are pursuing.  You can follow that job title up with one of three choices:

1)      A summary statement (keep it to a short paragraph – no long statements).

2)      Three or four of the best and most relevant bullet points from your resume (remember to reword these back in your resume experience under the specific job for which they apply).

3)      A set of keywords and key phrases tailored to the job you are targeting.

Now, in a very short presentation you can better communicate your relevant experience prior to the reader reviewing your entire resume, and help HR, the Hiring Manager or Recruiter make a more informed decision.

Set Yourself Apart from Others with Your Resume

I want to talk to you today about the importance of setting yourself apart from others with your resume.  Your resume is not a one-size fits all document, and you are not a one-size fits all employee.  So let’s look at a few suggestions that will help you with your resume:

1)    More than one page is okay.  That rule came about for college students who were just graduating and had no real work experience.  Two to three pages will be the norm for most jobseekers.

2)    Showcase what makes you a beneficial employee.  When companies interview you they want to see that you will make difference in their organization.  Here are some items to consider:

§  Increasing profit or revenue.

§  Supervising employees (hiring, interview, dismissal, performance reviews).

§  Reducing costs.

§  Managing a budget.

§  Creating or co-creating proposals, policies and procedures, employee manuals, tips sheets, spreadsheets, etc.

§  Dealing with, assisting, or other regular contact with big name clientele in your daily work, like GE, AT&T, 3M, IBM, Bank of America, and Garmin.  This also includes big name companies within your city or region that others outside of the area might not know.

§  Managing inventory.

§  Sales numbers.

§  Building new business.

§  Training and coaching employees.

§  Negotiating pricing (with customers or vendors).

§  Starting a new department or branch from scratch.

§  Improving customer service.

§  Project Management.

3)    Use bulleted points instead of paragraphs.

4)    Use action words/verbs to start each bullet point (manage, develop, implement, systematize, increase, decrease, coordinate), remember to use the proper tense, and not overuse the same action verbs (get your thesaurus out or use the one Microsoft Word provides).

5)    Avoid generalizations like Microsoft Office and instead use each application – for instance:  Microsoft Word, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft PowerPoint.

6)    Proof, proof, proof your document.  Read it to yourself, wait a few hours and then come back to the document and read it out loud (this is a great way to catch syntax errors), and then read it backwards (better to catch spelling, punctuation, and double word errors).

Follow these simple tips and you will have better resume, and increase your chances of an interview.