Getting involved in your community is much more than just helping others, even though that is the main benefit. Too many people think they are too busy to volunteer, or even think there are plenty of volunteers already so they aren’t needed. However, what if we told you volunteering in your community could help your job search, give you something else to put on your executive resume biography and boost your personal branding at the same time? The best professional resume writers preach this all the time for these reasons.
Boost Your Credibility
You may be a credible executive within your industry, but no one else outside of it knows that. Volunteering gives you the opportunity to get out in the community and show your talents as well. Offering your services for sale at your job is your career, but offering them for free through volunteering efforts can boost your credibility tremendously.
Meet New People
When talking to the best professional resume writers, they will always promote the importance of networking. The truth is many executives aren’t very fond of going out of their way to meet new people since it sometimes doesn’t feel organic. Volunteering is completely different. Your purpose for volunteering is to serve the community, and you’ll inevitably meet new people along the way. And if you happen to be searching for a job during your efforts, you never know if you could be connected to your next employer somehow.
Fill In Employment Gaps With Volunteering
Another way volunteering is beneficial is by filling in employment gaps in your executive resume biography. Employers typically don’t like to see gaps in employment for more than a few months. However, if you are able to fill in those gaps with volunteer projects, you’ll likely be forgiven and your chances of landing your next job won’t suffer. In many ways, volunteering can demonstrate your personal brand and your soft skills, while portraying you as a well-rounded person overall.
Open Your Mind To New Options
Finally, your volunteering efforts may open your mind to options you’ve never considered before. This may not apply to you if you’re happy with your current career, but it does if you’re unemployed or looking for a new job. Happiness with any job comes from being satisfied with the work you do, and being fulfilling and meaningful. The connections you make while volunteering, along with the volunteer work itself, can help you open your mind to new opportunities if you feel like you’re stuck.
Professional Resume Services does much more than simply write resumes that get you hired. Our team focuses on the big picture with every executive in order to help them find the most satisfying career path for them. Every individual is different, and sometimes volunteering is a great way to learn more about yourself and your passions. Feel free to contact us at any time to learn more about the connection between volunteering and your executive job search.
Some things simply go out of style, and your resume may be one of them. The best professional resume writers always see resumes that look like they were written 20 years ago. And if it’s clear to those professional writers, then you can guarantee it will be clear to a hiring manager as well. Not only will an old-looking resume potentially give away your age, but it could show you’re not quite caught up with the times and hurt your job candidacy as a result. Here are some of the most common things people still do on their resume that makes it look like it’s from the stone age.
Not Including Links To Social Media Accounts
The top resume writing services will always suggest including links to your social media accounts, assuming they’ve been cleaned up. Your LinkedIn profile definitely needs to be one of the links. You can consider incorporating Twitter, Facebook or other platforms if you use them to promote your personal brand or expertise, such as with original articles. Employers today want to know more about you than what’s on a resume and cover letter, so including these links is essential.
Not Conveying Your Personal Brand Clearly
When the best professional resume writers look at your resume, they need to see exactly what your personal brand is. Older resumes are typically generic and lack any type of branding throughout the content. Conveying your personal brand can be as simple as explaining your expertise, your overall views on workplace culture and what you believe in and stand for. Personal branding is not an optional component for resumes today.
Including An “Objective” Section
Every executive resume service today will delete an objective section if they see one on a resume. By submitting your resume to an employer, you are implying your objective, which is to get a job. You don’t need to reiterate it on your resume. Instead, use the space to show why you are the best candidate for the job. Hiring managers aren’t necessarily interested in what you want, but rather, want to know what you can do for them.
Including Your Street Address
Putting your street address at the top of your resume was acceptable more than a decade ago, but not today. The best professional resume writers will only include a name, phone number, email address and maybe a link to a LinkedIn profile. Anything more than that just clutters up the resume and is essentially useless to a hiring manager.
Professional Resume Services is here to help you modernize your resume to increase your chances of landing the interview you desire. Crafting the perfect resume can be difficult with the technology employers use to filter out resumes, but having a modern one is a great first step. If it’s been a while since you last created or updated your resume, feel free to contact us for an evaluation and see how we can help you modernize it.
Many executives don’t have to look for a new job very often. So if it’s been several years since you last conducted a job search, things could have changed drastically. Visiting a professional resume writing service should be your first step, just to make sure your resume is formatted properly and doesn’t have any mistakes. Some job seekers are still surprised it takes them so long to find a job. Here are some of common reasons why job searches take longer than expected and how you can expedite the process.
Not Targeting Effectively
Before even writing an effective resume, you have to target the industry or specific employer you want to send a resume to. Your resume has to demonstrate a certain amount of value you bring to the table, so if you don’t know what a company needs, you won’t be able to show your value clearly. Target a handful of companies and research them thoroughly, including each job description, so you know exactly what they need. The hiring manager will be able to identify how serious you are about the position based on the information in your resume.
Exhausting Efforts On Job Boards
Too many professionals make the mistake of spending a significant amount of time applying for jobs through job boards. While jobs are plentiful on there, the chances of you getting hired through one are slim. Instead, spend your time networking with other professionals through networking events or even LinkedIn. The majority of senior-level positions aren’t going to be posted online, so networking is your best option for tapping into the hidden job market and landing a job quicker.
Not Focusing On Your Personal Brand
Any executive resume writer will tell you a quality resume will only get you so far. Your personal brand is an essential component when it comes to getting hired. You have to assume hiring managers are going to Google search your name, so it’s highly recommended for you to do the same and see what the results show. Clean up anything you don’t want to be visible to ensure your online presence reflects who you are as a person.
Making Mistakes In Your Resume
Spending a lot of time writing an effective resume is valuable, but even minor mistakes can hurt your chances of landing an interview. Have an executive resume writer tweak your resume and proofread it thoroughly to ensure there are no mistakes damaging your efforts. It’s easier than you think to omit information or overlook a critical typographical error, so make sure your resume is spotless before distributing it to potential employers.
At Professional Resume Services, we see ourselves as more than just a professional resume writing service. We also believe we are a resource for executives to come to when they need to tweak their job searching efforts or even just need advice at any stage of their job search. A resume is only one part of landing a job, so contact us today if you feel like your searching efforts are taking longer than expected.
Things can be going great for you when all of a sudden your company goes through layoffs and you don’t make the cut. Sometimes the best situations can change instantly like this, which is why personal branding for senior level managers is so critical. You’re essentially always supposed to be networking with other professionals to enhance your brand and be better prepared for unemployment, should the situation arise. The good news is your c-level personal branding doesn’t have to suffer if you don’t have a job, and here are some tips for keeping it alive and well.
Fill In Employment Gaps
When you lose a job, it’s usually best to take some time off to reevaluate your goals and find the right fit. The only problem is this can lead to employment gaps of several weeks or months. These gaps don’t look good on a resume, so finding temporary work, freelancing, volunteering, obtaining higher education or certification courses and more can help fill them. If nothing else, filling the employment gaps in these ways will demonstrate you are still serious about your profession and are constantly enhancing your skills before finding the right opportunity.
Reconnect With Your Current Network, Then Expand
You may choose to work with a professional executive LinkedIn profile writer to get your profile up-to-date and ready for a strong networking effort. It’s easy to let your network get stale over time when you are comfortable with your job. However, everyone usually understands this, so there’s no harm in reconnecting with people. By reconnecting with your current network, you may be able to naturally expand it by being introduced to new people. The more people you talk to, the better your chances are of improving your c-level personal branding and finding a job you didn’t even know was out there.
Leverage Social Media
Having an online presence is essential in today’s professional world. While social media can be a complete disaster if you aren’t careful, it’s also one of the most valuable resources you have at your fingertips. Use it to demonstrate your knowledge by commenting on articles, joining LinkedIn groups or promoting your own organic content through a blog or other platform. The more you build a positive online presence, the better your c-level personal branding will be and the quicker you’ll be discovered, most likely.
Professional Resume Services believes personal branding for senior level managers is one of the most important characteristics of any job search. Your personal brand shows who you are and why you would be valuable to any given company. Neglecting to enhance your personal brand while unemployed is a major mistake, so contact us at any time if you need assistance or tips on how to continue working on it.
Many executives feel similar emotions when they’re searching for a new job. They work so hard on their executive resume biography, improving their personal brand by networking and more just to land an interview. And when the opportunity to interview at a great employer presents itself, you want to do your absolute best. But what does it mean exactly to be your “best” at an interview? Sometimes simply being yourself will put you ahead of the curve, as interviewers can identify a dishonest person quickly. In addition to honesty, here are some of the best ways you can ace your c-level job interview.
Research, Research, Research
Before you even step foot in the interview, you have a lot of research to do. Research the company as much as you possibly can. This can include visiting their website, asking a recruiter what they know about the company, dissecting the job description as thoroughly as possible and you may even consider contacting the employer directly to learn more about the position. And if you’re able to find out the name of the interviewer, take a look at their LinkedIn profile to learn about them, so you have an idea of who you’ll be talking to. You may have already conducted some of this research when writing your executive resume biography, but you can never be too prepared.
Be Natural When Talking To The Interviewer
Rehearsing a list of commonly asked interview questions will help you be prepared to answer them, but you also don’t want to sound like you have canned responses. The key to writing resumes that get you hired isn’t necessarily the same key as interviewing successfully. Your resume should use professional language as much as possible, while your voice should be more natural in an interview. Just don’t confuse natural language with unprofessionalism, though.
Ask Your Own Questions
The best resume writing service will suggest having your own list of questions to ask the interviewer as well. You want to make sure the employer is as good of a fit as it seems like on paper, so ask them why they believe you would fit in. Ask them about short-term and long-term opportunities, potential advancement, travel time and anything else you have concerns about. Most interviewers will be open to answering all of these types of questions, and may even be more impressed with you as a result since it demonstrates your strong interest in the position.
Professional Resume Services prides itself on not only being the best resume writing service, but also a resource for executives who need assistance with interview preparation or anything else. We enjoy working with executives of all backgrounds and understand everyone has their own needs and desires. Heading into an interview is a nervous time for most people, so feel free to reach out to us at any time if there’s anything we can do to help.
It’s only natural to be concerned about your privacy with anything you post online about yourself. In fact, sometimes people will refuse to use social media platforms, including LinkedIn, due to privacy concerns. While everyone has their own views on this subject, it’s also important to know the ramifications of not having an executive LinkedIn profile when conducting a job search. Here are some of the main points you need to know about the consequences of not having a LinkedIn profile.
Hiring Managers Expect To See A Candidate’s LinkedIn Profile
In this day and age, recruiters and hiring managers will look at an executive LinkedIn profile before they even look at a resume, in some cases. If you don’t have a profile set up, it could send a message that you’re behind the times, aren’t technologically savvy and more. While these may not necessarily be fair assumptions, it’s the reality of the times we live in today. If you’re truly concerned about privacy, consider working with LinkedIn profile development services you trust so you can feel more comfortable with the information put online about yourself.
You May Miss Out On Opportunities
Many job opportunities are only posted on LinkedIn or are found by networking through LinkedIn. When you optimize your LinkedIn profile, you give yourself more visibility to be discovered by recruiters and could be presented with more opportunities than you would get without having a profile. A secret many employers won’t tell job candidates is they will check their LinkedIn profile immediately after looking at their resume. If a resume presents a good candidate, but a hiring manager can’t find any other information about the person online, it could get their resume thrown out of the candidate pool.
Carefully Weigh Your Risks
It’s understandable to be concerned about privacy of your executive LinkedIn profile. However, you also have to be conscious of the times we live in and weigh your risks. Networking is such an essential component of developing a career today, and LinkedIn provides a valuable platform for doing so. Not having a LinkedIn profile may not necessarily mean you’ll be unemployed, but the chances are greater of you not finding the job you’ve always desired.
Professional Resume Services not only helps develop the perfect resume, but we also enjoy helping executives strategize their job search. Our LinkedIn profile development services are top notch and we know how to design it strategically to help get you noticed. Privacy concerns are always valid, and we can help answer any questions you may have about them. Feel free to contact us at any time if you have any reservations about using LinkedIn to enhance your career.
Every executive should know their resume and LinkedIn profile should be treated differently. If not, it’s one of the first things executive resume services will point out. But what about the summary section of each? Many people make the mistake of using the same summary for both their resume and their LinkedIn profile, thinking a hiring manager won’t think twice about it. The truth is hiring managers look at both and want to see different information to learn as much as they can about you before calling you in for an interview. Here’s how to differentiate your summaries.
Your LinkedIn Summary Should Be Longer
Your resume needs to be condensed as much as possible. If you’re like many people, you tend to be a little too wordy on your resume, so executive resume services can help tighten up your sentences for you. On the other hand, a LinkedIn profile writer will tell you the more detail you can provide, the better off you’ll be. You want to be specific with your strengths, what you bring to the table and offer a brief summary of your career up to this point. Think of your LinkedIn summary as a way to pull back the curtain a bit and give a recruiter or hiring manager a glimpse of who you are outside of just a name on a resume.
Formal vs. Informal Tone
Part of your LinkedIn profile development should be writing in an informal tone and showing a bit of your personality. In other words, when a person reads your LinkedIn summary and then hears you speak, they should be able to easily identify you as the same person. Of course, an informal tone can’t be confused with unprofessional, because you still have to present a professional demeanor on your LinkedIn profile. Just tone it down a bit from the formal language used in your resume summary.
Why It’s Important For These Summaries To Be Different
A hiring manager wants to know as much as they can about you upfront before they even invite you for an interview. So if you simply copy and paste the text from your resume summary to your LinkedIn summary, it either indicates you aren’t taking your job search seriously or you may have something to hide. This is why a good LinkedIn profile writer will create their summary separately from their resume summary, while still pointing out all the important facts about them.
Professional Resume Services knows exactly what hiring managers and recruiters look for in high level candidates. Job candidates may not think their resume or LinkedIn summary is important, but the reality is both are looked at closely. If you’re in need of some help with your LinkedIn profile development or anything to do with your resume, feel free to reach out to us at any time for assistance.
There may come a time in your career when you’re ready for a change. Obvious challenges are present when making a career change, and none are more evident than trying to write resumes that get you hired. Some of your skills may transfer over to your new career, but many of them won’t. Your main goal should be to discuss in your resume which skills you can use from your previous career, as well as why you want to make the career change in the first place. Employers will have plenty of questions for you, but writing an effective resume can answer a few of them. Here are some tips to consider when writing a career changing resume.
Discuss Transferable Skills
Every company wants new employees to have a solid mix of technical skills as well as soft skills. Depending on the nature of your career change, some of your technical skills may not transfer over well. Instead, executive resume writing services may suggest focusing on soft skills like your personality, work ethic, leadership, communication and more. Strong soft skills are transferable to almost any profession, so clearly showing your strongest skills backed by examples will make the most significant impact.
Target The Company
The key to writing an effective resume is targeting the specific company you’re applying for and demonstrating your understanding of their needs. The same is true even if you’re going through a career change. While you may not have the hard skills listed in their job requirements right now, if you have a complete understanding of what the company’s overall needs and goals are, you can shift your resume to target those aspects. Using examples from past experiences to show how you helped previous companies meet their goals will show your track record of success. And when you show an understanding of the company’s goals, they’ll be more impressed that you’ve done your homework and will then know you’re serious about the career change.
Demonstrate Your Passion For The Career Change
Employers today don’t necessarily like taking chances on candidates. They would rather hire someone with the exact experience they desire in their industry. That’s why executive resume writing services will suggest writing your resume to show a clear passion for what you want to accomplish with your career change. Demonstrate how thoroughly you thought the career change through and why the position is exactly what you’re looking for. Employers will look for any reason to not hire a person in your position, but when you show your passion on paper, they’ll be more likely to at least give you the opportunity to interview.
Professional Resume Services knows how difficult it is to change careers. However, when you put forth the effort to write resumes that get you hired, the result is well worth the time and energy. Your resume always needs to be perfect regardless of the situation, and everything is magnified when you’re changing careers. Writing a career changing resume is tricky, so don’t hesitate to contact us if you need help getting started.
