Going through a career change can be difficult to wrap your mind around. This is especially true if you’ve been in the same industry or worked at the same company for several years. However, ask any professional resume writing services and they will tell you changing careers is becoming more of a norm today. How you present yourself on your resume will make a big difference in how successful you are with your transition. You don’t necessarily have to start from scratch, but you do need to do some tweaking and ensure these essential elements are included in your resume.
Clearly Demonstrate Your Goals
The best executive resume format will be easy to read and display information clearly. However, when you’re changing careers you need to take it a step further. The potential employer needs to know you are seeking a career change and why you think you are qualified for the job with minimal industry experience. You can do this by highlighting relevant achievements, certifications and summarizing your most important responsibilities and how they relate to the new job you’re applying for.
Highlight Applicable Skills and Positives
Some of your skills and achievements from the past may not necessarily apply to your new desired position. Don’t try to force this information into your resume, since it can seem like you’re trying too hard and can hurt your c-level personal branding in the long run. Instead, highlight the most relevant achievements and quantify them. Use numbers and statistics to show how you cut costs or turned a profit for your previous company. Every company can relate to these aspects, so they are the most applicable skills to show on your resume.
Optimize The Resume For ATS
Your professional resume writing services can help you optimize your resume for ATS. You may not have the exact experience required in the job requirement listing, but if your resume has the right keywords, chances are it will get recognized. Not including these keywords may not even get your resume in the hands of a human.
Be Specific With Achievements
As an executive, some achievements are impressive across multiple industries. It’s always better to be specific rather than general. Use dollar amounts, percentages and other numbers as needed to clearly show your success at previous jobs. The more specific you are, the higher likelihood of your resume getting noticed. Professional Resume Services is here to help you with all aspects of your job search. Whether it’s writing a resume from scratch, helping improve your c-level personal branding or providing interview tips, we are here for you every step of the way. A career change can be stressful due to the unknown, but we can help make your path a little clearer. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us at any time for advice on how to put yourself in a position for success in your efforts to change careers.
LinkedIn Questions Surrounding an Executive Job Search
Anyone who is in the middle of a job search has likely heard about the importance of their LinkedIn profile. However, simply having a profile isn’t good enough. Your profile can be the difference in landing an interview for a job or getting passed over. That’s why many executives turn to LinkedIn profile development services today to ensure they aren’t making any critical mistakes. Here are some of the most common questions about LinkedIn that we’ve answered to help your job search.
How Can You Use LinkedIn For A Job Search?
LinkedIn is the largest professional online network, and a large percentage of employers used the platform to make their next hire. With that being said, it’s best to utilize a LinkedIn profile writer to help you use relevant keywords and phrases, and to help make your profile as complete as possible. If you want to do it yourself, go over the job descriptions you are looking at and make sure they match up with what is in your profile. Connect with other professionals in your industry to learn more about them and any possible opportunities available. LinkedIn groups are also valuable, since they are full of like-minded people, allow you to demonstrate your personal brand to others and expand your network.
Is Quantity Better Than Quality When it Comes to Connections?
There are plenty of benefits to having as many connections as possible. Your profile will rank higher in the search results, and your message will be displayed to a larger amount of people as well. You may also find someone in your network who works at a company you are interested in, or who knows someone who does. That is the point of LinkedIn… to network. Don’t be afraid to reach out to people. Most are very receptive and generous with their time and information.
Can You Perform A Confidential Job Search on LinkedIn?
The best LinkedIn profile development services can help you adjust your settings in order to conduct a confidential job search. This involves turning off notifications, limiting who can see your connections, viewing other profiles without those people knowing and more. Many executives search for jobs while still employed, and you can easily keep your search confidential through LinkedIn.
Why is A Profile Photo So Important?
No executive LinkedIn profile is complete without a professional profile photo. If you choose not to include one on yours, a potential employer has no choice but to believe you are trying to hide something. And it’s important to note that LinkedIn is not the platform to put a photo of your family or pets. Keep it simple and professional with a formal headshot for the best results. Professional Resume Services provides LinkedIn profile development services to help make your profile as strong as possible. It’s one of the most important platforms for helping make your job search successful, so the time you spend on it is well worth it. We are here to help in any way we can, so never hesitate to contact us when you need assistance in any aspect of your job search.
Made a Mistake at Work? Repair it in Five Easy Steps
Everyone is going to make mistakes at work. Some mistakes are bigger than others, but most of them are repairable if you handle them in the appropriate manner. Many times if a good result comes out of the mistake, then you could actually enhance your reputation and make the most of it. Here are five steps to take if you’ve made a mistake at work.
Apologize To The Appropriate People
Most of the time you’ll have to apologize to your boss for a mistake you’ve made. Even if what you did or didn’t do was out of your control to some extent, it’s important to make a sincere apology about it. One thing you can’t do is blame others for it. Apologizing immediately will help your reputation and give you the opportunity to make up for it.
Take Full Responsibility
Even if a mistake wasn’t entirely your fault, it’s never good for your c-level personal branding to throw others under the bus. While it’s usually acceptable to acknowledge external circumstances that may have led to a mistake being made, it still makes you look much better if you take complete responsibility and work toward fixing it.
Seek Opportunities To Do Positive Work
If your reputation has taken a hit because of your mistake and you’ve done the first two steps, the next thing to do is seek out opportunities to prove yourself again. One mistake generally will not drastically damage your reputation, and it can sometimes quickly be restored by producing high quality work again. Of course, negatives generally outweigh positives, so the more positive work you do, the quicker the negatives will fade away.
Let it Go
Dwelling on a mistake isn’t good for anyone. When you’ve apologized, taken full responsibility and continue to do great work, you have to let your big mistake go. It’s easy to continue thinking about the mistake and how bad you feel about it, but chances are others have moved on from it, so you should too. It does no good to continue thinking about the mistake, since it could hinder your ability to move on.
Collaborate With A Mentor
If all else fails, talk with your mentor about the mistake you’ve made and how you can successfully alleviate it. Your mentor should be very tied into your c-level personal branding, so getting advice from them should be very beneficial. If nothing else, your mentor can bring you peace of mind knowing you’ve done everything you can to fix your mistake and help you move on from it. Professional Resume Services is one of the top rated resume writing services, but we believe we are more than that. We enjoy helping executives with every aspect of their job search, as well as deal with issues that come up with their current job. Whether you need help writing an executive bio or just need to talk about personal branding, contact us at any time and we will be here to help.
Networking is valuable whether you’re actively looking for a job or not. If for some reason you believe building your network doesn’t bring any value to your personal or professional career, then there’s a chance you may be doing it wrong. Having a solid LinkedIn profile is one of the most effective ways to make new connections. But how you approach each of those connections could be the difference between them being a viable resource or just another name. If you’re going to spend time with the top rated resume writing services and attending networking events, then it’s best to do it the right way. Here are some of the mistakes executives make when networking.
Talking Too Much
It’s human nature to talk about yourself, since no one knows more about you than you. However, when you’re networking, it’s better to allow the other person to do the talking and just be a great listener. Of course, you have to throw in a story or two or build on the points the other person makes, but try not to take control of the conversation. Similarly to executive resume writing, using the right words is better than using a high quantity of words.
Not Talking To Enough People
It’s also human nature to find an interesting person and spend the entire evening talking to them. The point of networking events, though, is to talk to a variety of people to get your name out there more. To help you with this, take a look at your LinkedIn profile before the event and see which of your connections are attending a certain event. Write down a list of names or make a mental note about them and seek them out at the event. When you’re a LinkedIn connection with someone, they should at least see your face as being familiar, at the very least. Even if you just introduce yourself and hand out a business card, it’s better than not speaking to that person at all.
Neglecting to Follow Up
Even if you’ve done the first two points to perfection, not following up with them will make all of your efforts disappear. You don’t have to call, email or text them right when you leave the event, but consider visiting their LinkedIn profile afterward and thank them for the opportunity to talk to them. At that point, you can invite them to other events or see if they would like to get together with you individually to talk more. You don’t necessarily have to follow up with every person you talked to at the event. But you should follow up with the people you connected with the most. Professional Resume Services wants to help enhance your networking efforts. We are one of the top rated resume writing services because we cater to each individual’s needs. Whether you need help with executive resume writing, cover letter writing or just need networking tips, we are here to help. Don’t hesitate to contact us at any time for any tips or advice as it relates to your professional career.
Is There Such a Thing as Too Many LinkedIn Connections?
When it comes to LinkedIn profile development, sometimes executives have more questions than answers. It’s actually a good thing to have questions, though, because not developing your profile enough won’t benefit you much. One of the most common questions is whether it’s possible to have too many connections. The answer varies depending on who you ask, but the short answer is “no, but it depends.” When you work with a reputable LinkedIn profile writing service, they will help you get the right amount of valuable connections, which is more important than the quantity of connections. Here are some things to consider when it comes to the number of connections you have.
Who To Connect With
When learning how to optimize your LinkedIn profile, you have to keep your connections in mind. You want to provide some sort of value on your page, so people will want to reach out to you. But who exactly should you connect with? These people can include:
Hiring managers at companies you’re interested in working for
Recruiters in your industry
Past and current co-workers
Friends and colleagues with similar interests
Fellow alumni
Business owners, clients or vendors you’ve worked with in the past
These are just a few of the types of people who are considered valuable connections. Simply sending a connection invitation to random people won’t do any good, and no LinkedIn profile writing service will suggest it.
Create A Personalized Message With Each Connection
Making every connection meaningful is easier than it sounds. When you send an invitation to connect, you have the opportunity to send a personalized message to the recipient. Take advantage of this! There’s no need to write an entire story in your message, but a couple of sentences demonstrating your interest in connecting with them will go a long way. If you do this with every person you connect with, then each one will be valuable, no matter how many invitations you send.
Benefits of Having More LinkedIn Connections
The bottom line is, the more connections you have on LinkedIn, the more visible your profile will be. As long as you’ve spent a good amount of time on your LinkedIn profile development, then there will be many more benefits compared to disadvantages from having this high number. When you have more than 500 connections on LinkedIn, your profile will rank higher in search results, so more people will be able to find you. Having this many connections also gives you a platform to be able to spread your value and personal brand to more people. Professional Resume Services is here to help with your LinkedIn profile development. Having a large number of connections is great, but how you treat those connections will make a difference in their value. If you’re ever in need of assistance with your LinkedIn profile, don’t hesitate to contact us at any time.
Mistakes to Avoid When Creating Your Personal Brand
If you’re trying to make a name for yourself in any industry, spending a significant time focusing on your c-level personal branding is critical. It can take years to build your personal brand to the level you want it to be at, but avoiding some common mistakes along the way can help accelerate the process and prevent it from having the opposite impact. You’re going to spend a lot of time shaping your brand anyway, so you might as well do it right the first time. Here are a few of the most common mistakes executives make when creating their personal brand.
Being Fake
People can see right through a person when they aren’t authentic. You can optimize your LinkedIn profile to make yourself sound like an expert at everything, but that will only get you so far. You have to be able to back up everything you say on your profile when you make connections in person. Not only will being fake limit your opportunities, but it could cause permanent damage to your c-level personal branding efforts.
Not Making Your Message Clear
In order to make your message clear, you have to know what you’re trying to say. The presentation of your appearance and overall demeanor either online or in-person must match. So when you optimize your LinkedIn profile, make sure your profile picture is a professional headshot rather than a more casual photo. Complete alignment with your overall message is critical to create the strongest personal brand.
Not Targeting Your Audience
It doesn’t do your brand or company a lot of good if you don’t know whom to market your brand to. When it comes to personal branding for senior level managers, you have to be able to connect with your audience in order to make a name for yourself or your company. When your audience can make a personal connection with you, then you’ll be able to effectively cater your brand toward them.
Only Focusing on Certain Aspects of Your Brand
An overlooked aspect of c-level personal branding is not aligning your business brand with your personal brand. If people don’t agree with your personal brand, then your business brand will take a significant hit. The best way to earn and keep business today is through trust, and if a consumer’s trust wavers, then your brand will not be very strong. Professional Resume Services is here to help executives not only craft the perfect resume, but also develop their c-level personal branding. There are many aspects to creating a personal brand, and we will help you throughout the process to ensure all bases are covered. If you ever need assistance or advice about your personal or business brand, feel free to reach out to us at any time.
In the past, having a strong personal brand was seen as a luxury to put yourself ahead of your competition. However, as technology and the digital world in general has advanced, boosting your c-level personal branding is a necessity to keep up with the competition. And if you aren’t careful, your brand will be shaped for you. Personal branding for senior level managers doesn’t happen overnight, and you can’t stop working on it once you’ve reached a certain point. It’s an ongoing process that needs nurturing and attention at all times. But why is this so important? Here are some things to consider about designing your own personal brand.
Manage Your Reputation
Your online reputation means more than just about anything else today when it comes to c-level personal branding. People can say whatever they want to about you on the Internet. Managing your reputation means seeing what is being said about you and taking the necessary steps to clean up any of the negative comments and build on the positive ones. And any time you are active on social media, make sure every single comment or post reflects your brand in the way you want it to be perceived.
Create Content Based on Your Brand
Many executives write books, articles or blogs to boost their c-level personal branding. It doesn’t necessarily matter which one you choose, but it does matter how the content is presented and perceived. Content creation is a great method for increasing exposure, but using the right means for sharing the content is also important.
Have Instant Credibility For Future Jobs
When you’ve designed your brand effectively and manage it appropriately, you’ll have a ton of credibility for any future job you hold. Combine your c-level personal branding with using the best executive resume writing service and your options will be wide open as far as potential employers. Of course, if you’re currently happy at the job you have now, then you can still continue to boost your credibility to enhance your brand and the company’s brand.
Design Your Brand So Others Don’t
When it comes to personal branding for senior level managers, if you don’t work towards designing your own brand, then other people will do it for you. This is a challenge many executives with high visibility have. With the digital world we live in today, people are more expressive than ever before. Opinions can quickly be perceived as factual, and can quickly damage your reputation if you don’t manage it and constantly work to design it. Professional Resume Services takes pride in being the best executive resume writing service, but we are more than that. We want to help our clients with every aspect of a job search, or simply provide tips on how to boost their brand. Our focus is always on helping you achieve your goals, so feel free to contact us at any time to see how we can do so.
The First Month is Critical for Any New Executive Job
You’ve worked so hard on your job search to find a perfect fit for your career and it’s finally paid off. Now that you’re at your new job, what are you supposed to do? Depending on the nature of the job, you may be thrown right into the fire and be slammed with work right away. However, most employers will ease in a new executive and allow them to get a feel for their new position, their co-workers and the overall culture in general. The first month of your new job is critical for setting the standard of your work and becoming familiar with systems and processes you can’t develop or learn through a LinkedIn profile. Here are some things to do during the first month of your new job.
Fit In With The Culture
You likely did some research about the culture of your new company during the job search. It was important to learn about the culture while writing an executive bio, and the professional resume writing service you used likely took the culture into consideration as they crafted your resume as well. However, there’s nothing like getting first-hand knowledge and experience to learn how people operate on a daily basis. You should have a basic knowledge of the company’s culture before you even begin your first day, but taking further steps to ensure you fit in as much as possible will benefit you as well.
Make Internal Connections
Connect with anyone you can within the office during your first month. You may have seen some of your coworkers’ LinkedIn profiles, but stop by and have a short conversation whenever you have a chance. This goes for anyone outside of your department as well. Connect with them on a work level and a personal level as appropriate so they will get a sense of who you are and you will establish your reputation along the way.
Build Your Credibility To Set The Standard
Your professional resume writing service helped you build credibility in your resume, but now it’s time to show it. Go above and beyond the job duties given to you during the first month. Building this credibility right away will help set the standard and give others the impression they can rely on you to get the job done.
Don’t Be Overly Ambitious
Just be careful about being too ambitious, since you don’t want to show up anyone during your first month. This goes for questioning internal policies and procedures as well. It’s ok to make suggestions at times, but it’s also important to understand every company operates differently and some of these things need to be accepted without rocking the boat. Professional Resume Services is here to help you throughout your job search process and beyond. While we are known as a professional resume writing service, we are well rounded in our experience working with executives throughout their career. To learn more about how we can help you at any stage of your career, feel free to contact us at any time.
In the past, having a strong personal brand was seen as a luxury to put yourself ahead of your competition. However, as technology and the digital world in general has advanced, boosting your c-level personal branding is a necessity to keep up with the competition. And if you aren’t careful, your brand will be shaped for you. 