Job searches are hard. We understand. Figuratively, you’re casting your line out in the world’s largest pond, already flanked with fishermen with just as much skill as you, and the fish headed your way are extremely choosy as to whose lure they’ll take. So what happens when you work your hardest, buy the best possible line and lures and camp out for hours chasing fish after fish, but fail to get a single bite?
Discouragement is the most frequent and understandable emotion. If you’ve been putting in applications to job after job but have yet to be hired by anyone, we realize and acknowledge your frustrations. However, you have to keep trying! Here’s what you can do to try and keep yourself afloat while your job search continues.
Check Over Your Resume
While this may sound like an irrelevant suggestion, it could very well ring true that you don’t have enough information included within your resume to push employers to hire you. Sometimes we shortchange ourselves by underestimating our skills. Sometimes we fail to see how certain skills and experiences relate to the industries we’re trying to work in, so we leave them out of our executive resume bio and flesh out the rest of what we have to offer. Go back over your resume and think about all of your qualifications, experiences and skills and whether you could have skipped over anything that could prove useful. Chances are you’ll come across something you shouldn’t have left out, but other times you may just need to tweak the wording to better align with keywords that potential employers search for.
Re-evaluate Your Prospective Jobs
If your resume checks out, you may be using it to approach the wrong positions. Again, this happens more often than you’d think! Look back on all of the applications you’ve submitted recently and make a note of what you find. While you’re doing this, be sure to consider your own skills and where you fit in terms of what the employer is asking for. Sometimes we apply to positions even when we don’t have exactly the right credentials. Other times, we simply may not yet have enough experience in the field to qualify for certain positions in it.
Invest in Some Self-Improvement
If you find a dissonance between the types of jobs you want and the types of jobs you qualify for, now is the best time to start brushing up on your professional skills so your executive LinkedIn profile (and other branding tools) will more adequately reflect your potential. You can potentially improve your professional skills by taking adult courses to learn any necessary software, researching what skills are becoming more relevant in your industry and much more.
It also helps to review the best ways to market yourself to any and all prospective employers. A professional resume company can assist you by critiquing your executive resume cover letter and much more! Be sure to reach out to your nearest and most qualified executive resume company to get back on the right track with your job search today!
How and Why Your LinkedIn Profile and Resume Aren’t the Same Thing
An executive LinkedIn profile can help you stand out.
When you are looking for employment, there are many tools at your disposal. Some of them are online, and a few of them are off. One of the most powerful online platforms for professionals is LinkedIn. This social platform is different from many other online networks because it caters to the professional. For anyone looking for a job in today’s competitive market, having an executive LinkedIn profile is a must. However, your executive profile on LinkedIn is meant to be much more than a place to post your resume. There are some distinct differences between the two.
Intended Audience
Your resume and your executive LinkedIn profile are written with totally different audiences in mind. Resumes are written with the intent of distributing them to hiring agents or recruiters. They are geared toward trying to obtain a specific position or take advantage of a specific opening or opportunity. Your LinkedIn profile development, on the other hand, is for the purpose of letting everyone in your industry become familiar with your professional work. Instead of being written for a single recruiter like a resume, your LinkedIn profile is written for anyone in your industry to read, from colleagues to supervisors to potential clients.
Search Engine Optimization
When you are writing a professional resume, you have to be succinct and remember space is limited. For most purposes, resumes need to be kept to a page or two max. When you are working on your LinkedIn profile development,there are character limits you should keep in mind. Because you don’t have an unlimited amount of space in your professional LinkedIn profile, you need to both stick to your highlights and try to incorporate as many keywords as possible. This will allow companies to pull you up in a search and see the most important details of your work history and skills.
Use Different Tones
A resume is straightforward when it comes to the tone. It is impersonal and you need to refrain from using “I.” However, in your LinkedIn executive profile, you can use first-person expressions. And you should! It’s important to share your personality and personal story with the audience. Your online profile lets others in your industry become acquainted with who you are as a person, not just a resume trying to get a specific position. Resumes are effective and have their purpose, but your LinkedIn profile needs to be more engaging and personal, while remaining professional.
In conclusion, your resume and LinkedIn profile are essential tools for making contacts within your industry. However, there are some distinct differences between the two. If all you do is post your resume on your LinkedIn profile, you will risk losing your audience altogether. Keeping in mind the intended audiences, tone and purpose will help you get the most out of both mediums and get your name out in the industry.
The best resume writing services can help you hunt for a job successfully.
The task of finding your next job can quickly become overwhelming, especially if you don’t go about it the right way. While working with the best resume writing services and creating a solid executive LinkedIn profile can go a long way toward making you attractive to prospective employers, it’s important to learn how to walk the fine line between looking desperate and showing determination.
Mass Distribution
You spend a lot of time creating your resume so it seems like a lot of work to customize it to every employer you are considering. This can lead you to send out a mass resume mailing to every job you want. Unfortunately, sending carbon copies of your resume to every potential employer can actually cause you to lose your chance at the job. Instead, you need to do your research on every company you are considering and make minor adjustments that reflect the company philosophy and the exact requirements of the job to which you are applying.
Applying to Everything
If you’ve been looking for a job for a while, you may be tempted to start sending your resume out to every job listing you can find in the hopes of landing any job. While this may be necessary in some situations, it’s important to make sure you’re putting your executive resume in front of the right people. Think about what skills you have and which types of businesses are most likely to need someone with your skill set. An executive resume writer can help you focus on your skills and determine which job listings are worth your time.
Being Too Honest
Most people are aware they won’t get a job or could lose a job they thought they had if the employer finds out they have lied or exaggerated on their executive resume. While honesty is always the best policy, there is such a thing as being too honest. When you’re writing a professional resume and cover letter, there are some things you shouldn’t include, such as the exact reason you want the job, especially if it’s because of the pay grade, or your lack of experience. Instead, the best resume writing services will help you shine yourself in a positive light without stretching the truth or providing too much information.
While an executive LinkedIn profile may be a valuable tool in helping you get the job you want, your resume will still play a key role. Before you start your job search, however, it’s important to work with the best resume writing services to ensure you are taking the right approach to your job hunt. With their help, you can be sure you will make the best impression and increase your chances of landing the job you want.
Your executive LinkedIn profile can help you get a job.
Today, it’s more important than ever for individuals to pay close attention to their LinkedIn profile to boost their chances of getting hired. In fact, some employers conduct candidate searches on this popular social media site. This means you need to pay close attention to the makeup of your executive profile before you click the link and send in your application. An experienced executive LinkedIn profile writer can help you update your profile to ensure it includes everything employers are looking for.
An Optimized Headline
Many individuals fail to pay attention to the headline after they create it. However, if this headline isn’t eye-catching or if it is not optimized to the job for which you are applying, chances are it will be overlooked quickly. Before you submit your LinkedIn profile for consideration, make sure you include relevant keywords and position titles within your headline. Because this is one of the first things employers will see below your name, it is extremely important.
The Presentation of Current Employment
How you present your current employment situation can play a dramatic role in your appeal to prospective employers. The title of your position can attract prospective employers or it can lead them to toss your executive LinkedIn profile to the bottom of the pile. For this reason, it’s essential to list all of your positions, particularly the one in which you currently work, as accurately as possible.
Choose Past Employment Carefully
While your current employment often holds the most weight, it’s essential to make sure your past employment is addressed properly. If you held multiple positions within the same company, separate them with a comma but be sure to list them all to ensure prospective employers gain a clear picture of what your experience looks like.
Ask for Recommendations
An executive profile is incomplete if you don’t currently have recommendations from others. Employers want to see you are a team player and are seen as a valuable asset in your past jobs. Don’t be afraid to ask co-workers, current clients and previous employers to leave you a recommendation on your profile. Having this positive feedback available to your prospective employers shows them your work is worthy of good reviews.
Having an executive LinkedIn profile isn’t enough to help you land the job you’ve always wanted. In fact, it’s important to find out what employers are looking for to help you make the right first impression when you apply for a job through this social media site. Hiring an executive LinkedIn profile writer can help you adjust your current profile so it’s ready to use when you locate the right job to further your career.
Job searches are hard. We understand. Figuratively, you’re casting your line out in the world’s largest pond, already flanked with fishermen with just as much skill as you, and the fish headed your way are extremely choosy as to whose lure they’ll take. So what happens when you work your hardest, buy the best possible line and lures and camp out for hours chasing fish after fish, but fail to get a single bite?
