Like smartphones and flat screen televisions, today’s job search is always changing. As a result, your resume and job search tactics need just as much of an upgrade as the latest electronics. As you navigate the constantly evolving job search market, you must change too.
Fortunately, Forbes has put together a variety of ways that you can enhance your resume, online image and personal brand, which will in turn boost your chances of landing your next great job.
Your online image and ranking.
The first thing a potential employer is going to do once they’ve seen your resume is perform an Internet search on you. And if your name is John Smith, you’ve got a lot of work to do. Ideally, you want your name to appear on that first Google search page, which means you’ve got to put yourself out there in the online world. This Google Rankings article for Dummies is a great place to start when it comes to boosting your online search ranking.
Include a summary on your resume.
The average recruiter nowadays spends roughly 30 seconds looking over a resume. That means a lot of your experience, skills and talents are merely skimmed. Consider coming up with a 30-second elevator pitch and feature it as a summary on your resume. Nix the objective too. Employers are more concerned with who you are than what you’re looking for at this stage in the job application process.
Making your resume screen-worthy.
These days, hiring recruiters aren’t receiving resumes in the mail or even printing them out. With that, you need to make sure that your resume, as well as your cover letter, are formatted to a computer screen and not an 8 1/2 by 11 inch piece of paper.
Resumes are secondary.
Forbes points out that resumes have become secondary to relationships in the search process in today’s job market. Usually, a resume is requested after a relationship has been established. With this in mind, you need to set up an online profile. This is how hiring recruiters and managers are meeting potential job candidates in the virtual world, and you need to start competing with other job seekers on this level.
Establish your personal brand.
Just like you have an online image, you have a personal brand. You might be wondering what exactly that is and how you showcase it. Firstly, think of your personal brand as your reputation. What do you want potential employers to focus on when it comes to considering you as a candidate? Identify those skills and traits, and make sure your online image and profile work to support that.
Market your personal brand.
Set up your own website or Twitter and Google+ accounts that primarily showcase your professional interests; however, don’t be shy about representing yourself as an individual outside of the professional environment. Just be sure your posts are appropriate. Finally, as you continue to work and move throughout the professional sphere, be sure that your behavior and any documentation of your work acts as evidence of your personal brand and not an argument against it.
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