Everyone has heard about the importance of networking, and it’s no secret the most successful executives generally have a large network. The more you network, the more you’ll be able to boost your executive profile and earn yourself a great reputation within your industry and beyond. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to be actively looking for a job in order to effectively network. Here are some tips to consider regarding professional networking at any stage of your career.
Start With Your Own Network
People who are uncomfortable networking should start with their own network. When you optimize your LinkedIn profile, you’ll make connections with your current co-workers and other professionals outside of your organization. Find your comfort zone at first by talking to familiar faces and re-establishing relationships.
Your Network Needs Constant Attention
Even if you’re comfortable with your job and have no intention of visiting the top resume writing services any time soon, you still have to give some attention to your network. Maintaining solid relationships with your network will help you stay informed within your industry, have your recruiting list built up at all times and know what’s happening with your competition.
Don’t Prioritize Yourself
Everyone is naturally more comfortable talking about themselves. However, don’t fall into that trap. Instead, ask leading questions to the person you’re talking to and let them do most of the talking. When you let the other person talk about themselves while you listen attentively, you’ll be surprised at how much they will admire you.
Eliminate The Salesman Mentality
Many people make the mistake of thinking a professional networking event is only to sell yourself. That couldn’t be further from the truth. While your executive profile can be promoted at these events, you should also eliminate any trace of a salesman mentality you have. Instead, focus your effort and attention on developing new relationships and learn how you can help them without selling any services. Sharing your experiences genuinely with another professional will go a long way in boosting your reputation.
Reach Out To A Mentor
Most executives have a mentor very close to them within their organization. Finding another mentor outside of your inner circle can be beneficial as well. You may want to learn something new, develop professionally in different ways or even want to start the process of searching for a new job. If that’s the case, then having the help of a mentor combined with utilizing the top resume writing services can help you tremendously.
Professional Resume Services wants to help you beyond simply writing your executive profile for you. We enjoy being involved with your career, no matter what stage you are at. For more tips like this, or assistance with writing a resume or cover letter, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at any time.
Utilizing LinkedIn to its fullest extent is important for professionals at any level. Whether you’re looking for a new job actively or if you simply want to boost your brand, seeking assistance from a LinkedIn profile writing service is never a bad idea. Most executives today have a LinkedIn profile, but not all of them know how to optimize it to make it stand out among the rest. You have to be careful with what you include and how you present yourself online, as you would on your resume or anywhere else. Here are some great tips on how to make your executive LinkedIn profile stand out.
Align Your LinkedIn Profile With Your Online Brand
Any recruiter, hiring manager or even a colleague will look at your LinkedIn profile as well as any other social media outlets, blogs or websites to get an idea of your brand. If you aren’t sure what your online brand currently is, now is a good time to search for your name in a search engine and look at the results. A good LinkedIn profile writing service will help match the contents of your profile to your online brand so there are no discrepancies. This alignment is critical in how you are perceived to other executives, employers or recruiters.
Fill Out Your Profile Page Completely
Having a LinkedIn profile isn’t enough today. Be sure to fill out every section as much as possible and keep it updated. It’s especially important to focus on the summary section, as this is the first thing people will see when they visit your profile. This section is a great opportunity to summarize your brand in just a couple sentences, and it could be the difference between someone viewing the rest of your profile or moving on to someone else.
Join Groups and Be Active
When you join LinkedIn groups, those groups will be displayed on your profile page. It may be tempting to join dozens of groups, but it’s actually a better strategy to only stick with a handful and be more active in those. The more active you are, the more people will look at your LinkedIn profile. As such, it may be best to work with a LinkedIn profile writing service before you get too active to be sure yours stands out when people view it.
At Professional Resume Services, we pride ourselves on being more than just a team of professional executive resume writers. We enjoy helping professionals with various aspects of their job search, including developing their LinkedIn and overall online presence. Never hesitate to reach out to us for assistance with a job search, developing your online brand or for resume writing.
Too many executives today aren’t getting the results they expected as they go through their job search. Most of those times, the job seeker either didn’t prepare enough or prepared the wrong ways. When you visit executive resume writing services, the importance of a strong resume will be stressed. However, it will also be expressed that a quality resume isn’t the only thing to help you land an interview. There are many different variables in any given job search today, so here are three ways to help you prepare.
Identify Organizations of Interest
Targeting your job search is the number one thing executive resume writing services will tell you. Without a target, you have nothing to aim for. Make a list of a dozen or so organizations you have interest in working for. Once you develop your list, narrow it down by researching each company individually to ensure there’s the possibility of a mutual fit. Take note of the culture, the qualities, skill sets required and more. You can eliminate some organizations quickly and focus on the ones that seem like the best fit for both sides.
Know What You Bring To The Table
You may have years of experience, but your next employer wants to know what value you bring to them. Through your own LinkedIn profile development, take a look at the profiles of employees of the companies you’re interested in. See what skill sets they have and how they present them in their profile. These can give you some good ideas to start from or build on if you have similar experiences. Being able to present relevant skill sets will help you stand out on your resume, LinkedIn profile, when networking or anywhere else.
Focus on Personal Branding
The concept of personal branding for senior level managers is more important now than ever before. Employers want to hire executives who are leaders, will fit into the culture and bring innovative ideas to the workplace. You can boost your personal brand by focusing on your LinkedIn profile development and demonstrating unique soft skills. Your confidence in your personal brand will be clearly evident in your writing and speech, and will help you stand out.
Professional Resume Services is here to help executives at any part of the job search process. Preparation is critical for any job search, and not spending enough time on it can lead to results you don’t necessarily want. Our executive resume writing services will provide you with assistance every step of the way, so never hesitate to reach out to us for assistance.
If it’s been a while since your last job search, you may have been introduced to a new tool to look out for called Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). These systems help employers filter through resumes easier by identifying specific keywords and phrases and eliminating the ones that don’t have them. This makes utilizing top rated resume writing services even more important, since they can identify ATS terms you need to use and ones you need to avoid. The more research you do on ATS, the more misinformation you could potentially read. Here are some of the most common myths we’ve seen and you shouldn’t believe.
Length Makes A Difference
The best executive resume format may suggest keeping your resume to no more than two pages, but the length actually has no impact on ATS. The hiring manager may not want to read a long resume, however. Having a long resume won’t hurt your chances of passing through ATS, but be careful with the length since it will eventually be read by an actual person.
Only Certain File Types Are Acceptable
Most of the newer Applicant Tracking Systems can read resumes and cover letters in various formats. Your goal should be to create a version which is easily readable for humans and another computer-friendly version. The good news is when you submit a resume electronically, the system will prompt you to upload the preferred file type so you can convert it accordingly.
Keywords Can Never Be Overused
You never know which keywords an employer is looking for in a resume. However, one thing you shouldn’t do is stuff it with the keywords you think are most relevant. Incorporating a mix of keywords into your resumes and cover letters is more effective than having a high density of one particular keyword. Keywords can definitely be overused and will make your resume sound unnatural as a result.
Capitalization or Various Fonts Can’t Be Used
ATS generally doesn’t recognize or penalize you for using capitalization, various fonts or styles. Your goal is to make your resume stand out without going overboard, and one strategy is to use these different features. If this is your strategy, then you can proceed accordingly without worrying about not passing ATS.
Professional Resume Services is one of the top rated resume writing services because of our well-rounded expertise. We stay on top of all the latest trends when it comes to job searching, and ATS is definitely one of them. We focus our efforts on helping job candidates format their resumes appropriately so they can be ready for any obstacle. For assistance at any point in your job search, don’t hesitate to contact us.
There are many different approaches you can take when undergoing an executive job search. While there isn’t one guaranteed way to make your searching most effective, there are plenty of things you can do wrong to derail your chances of getting an interview. Unless you’re one of the very few people (if any at all) who have the interview requests flowing in, there are some steps to take to master your job search. Visiting the top resume writing services is one of them, but here are some other tips to consider.
Use Relevant Keywords
Learn what keywords are relevant to your industry and sprinkle them in throughout your resume, LinkedIn profile, biography and more. Many employers use an Applicant Tracking System(ATS), so keywords and key phrases are critical. The top resume writing services can help you identify some of these keywords and incorporate them into your resume. If using job boards or Linked are the routes you want to take, relevant keywords are a must.
Make Sure Your Executive Resume is Targeted
When writing an executive resume, you need to target the company you’re applying to and include relevant information to them. To a point, the company doesn’t care what you’ve done in the past as much as they care about what you can do for them in the future. Identify their needs and clearly explain why you are the best candidate to solve those needs.
Network, Network, Network
You can never network too much, but you have to be prepared before you begin your efforts. When you optimize your LinkedIn profile, you can reach out to others in your industry to expand your network. It’s also never a bad idea to attend various networking events in the area to help others put a face to your name. Networking is the best way to tap into the hidden job market and expedite your job search.
Boost Online Visibility
When you optimize your LinkedIn profile, you’ve taken the first step in being visible online. You should also do an online search for your name and see what information is available on you. Employers will do this, so cleaning up anything you don’t want visible could be critical for your chances of landing an interview.
Keep Your Resume Polished
Finally, visiting top resume writing services often will help keep your resume polished and relevant. Sometimes just minor tweaks are needed, but you always need to have it ready to send out when the opportunity arises. A lot of things happen during an executive job search, but the one constant you have to have is a perfect resume.
Professional Resume Services goes beyond simply helping people write an effective bio. We want to help you throughout your job search by providing tips and tricks based on our expertise, all while ensuring your resume, cover letter and bio are written for success. Don’t hesitate to contact us at any time if you need assistance with any part of your job search.
One of the first steps to getting the job you’ve always desired is finding a way to land an interview. But once you finally get the interview, it’s only natural to experience some nerves and anxiety before and during it. With all the time you spent writing resumes that get you hired, you can’t let a few nerves get in the way of completely dominating your interview. With that said, here are some proven ways to help you relax before you go into your executive interview.
Music Can Be Soothing
Even if you’re not a music lover, listening to the right type of music prior to your interview can help calm your mind a bit. Your heart rate is probably already elevated as you’re traveling to the interview, so avoid upbeat tunes. Instead, find some soothing music, like some classical music, to relax your mind and thoughts. You may be surprised at how relaxed you feel after just a few minutes.
Eat, But Don’t Overeat
When you’re preparing for your interview a few hours or minutes before it begins, it’s easy to forget about eating. The best professional resume writers will tell you to eat a small snack, like a granola bar, crackers, fruit or even as much as a sandwich. Walking into an interview on an empty stomach can make you jittery and cause you to not think straight at times. However, be careful with the amount you eat as well. Overeating can make you feel a little lethargic and cause you to not have as much energy as you need.
Work on Your Posture
Writing resumes that get you hired will only go so far. Your presentation during an interview is critical as well. Working on your posture also can help calm down some of your nerves and anxiety. When you’re sitting in the waiting area, be conscious about sitting up straight. And before that, practice standing straight up with your shoulders back. Simply incorporating good posture will increase your confidence levels and naturally decrease your nerves.
Be Confident in Your Preparation
You’ve visited an executive resume writing service, practiced interview questions and completed diligent research on the company you’re interviewing with. Confidence is one way to alleviate some anxiety, so trust that your preparation is good enough to do well in your interview. Thinking of yourself as an asset to the potential employer will also help you go in with the mindset of them needing you as much as you need them.
Professional Resume Services is an executive resume writing service, but we also help our clients throughout the job search process. Whether we can help you brush up your resume, social media accounts or provide advice on nailing an interview, we are always available to talk to you. Feel free to contact us at any time for more advice to help you feel more confident prior to your interview.
Almost everyone has at least one social media account today. So since social media is such a big part of life and business, doesn’t it make sense to include your accounts on your resume? The short answer is yes, but with some caveats. Certain social media platforms are perfect for including on resumes, while others should be avoided completely. Executives have to think about their c-level personal branding with every decision they make, especially when it pertains to social media. Here’s what you need to consider when incorporating social media on your resume.
Best Social Media Accounts to Include on Your Resume
LinkedIn is the number one professional social media platform that should always be included on your resume. However, simply having an account won’t do you any good. Consider working with a professional LinkedIn profile writer to optimize your profile for your job search. If you include your LinkedIn account on your resume, you have to assume the recruiter or hiring manager will look at it. The best LinkedIn profile development services will ensure your profile enhances your resume, and your chances at landing an interview.
Twitter is another account that could add value to your resume, depending on how you use it. From a c-level personal branding standpoint, your Twitter feed can demonstrate your beliefs, personal interests and other aspects you normally wouldn’t put on a resume. Just be sure to clean up anything you don’t want others to see before you make your account known on your resume.
Don’t Include These Social Media Accounts on Your Resume
Even though you have a Snapchat account, it doesn’t mean it should be included on your resume. You can get yourself into more trouble than you can benefit from by including a Snapchat account. Other accounts you may want to consider not including are Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. While there may be value in including these, it all depends on how you utilize them. Most people use these platforms as fun, informal and entertaining social media accounts, which have no place for a professional resume. Instead of cleaning these up, it’s best to just avoid them all together.
Social Media Can Make Your Resume Stand Out
When used properly, including social media accounts like LinkedIn and Twitter on your resume can make it stand out and improve your c-level personal branding. The best thing you can do before including it is allowing LinkedIn profile development services to take a look at your profile to ensure it’s in the best shape possible. You don’t want a simple oversight to be the difference in landing an interview or getting passed over.
Professional Resume Services dedicates a large amount of time to helping executives with their LinkedIn profile development. The importance of including social media on a resume is increasing by the day, so ensuring your accounts are valuable and professional will help your job search significantly. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us at any time for assistance with brushing up your resume or your social media accounts.
You spend so much time writing the perfect resume, so why do you have to exhaust the same amount of time and effort on a cover letter? The little known fact about resumes and cover letters is they go hand-in-hand in most cases. Some recruiters will look at a cover letter first to determine whether they even want to bother reading a resume. Others will look at a resume first and decide at that point whether it’s worth reading the cover letter. Since you never truly know which is most important, it’s best to make sure your executive resume cover letter is in the best shape before sending it in. Here are some of the details you need to make sure you include in yours.
Personalization
Find out the hiring manager’s name if you can, and address them in your cover letter accordingly. The top rated resume writing services suggest using personalization whenever it’s appropriate throughout your cover letter. This demonstrates you’ve done your homework and the reader will feel more of a personal attachment as well. If you need to, feel free to contact the employer and ask for the name of the hiring manager.
Perfect Grammar and Punctuation
Even a minor typographical error is magnified when it’s in your cover letter. It tells a hiring manager you’re not focused on details, and could be a big black eye when it comes to your chances of landing an interview. Utilize the top rated resume writing services available to you to proofread your cover letter to ensure you’ve incorporated perfect grammar and punctuation.
Your Own Contact Information
With all of the details, experiences and accomplishments you have to focus on in your cover letter, many executives neglect to include their own contact information. The basic contact information you need to include on your executive resume cover letter is your name, phone number and email address. You may also choose to include your LinkedIn profile to provide the hiring manager with an additional resource.
Include The Company Name
Hiring managers can easily spot a generic cover letter from a personal one. Get the full name of the company correct, and spell it correctly. If you use an existing cover letter as a template to write another one, be sure to change the company name appropriately so you’re referring to the right place.
Professional Resume Services provides services beyond just helping executives write resumes and cover letters. We want to help you throughout your job search process. When you visit us early on, we will provide helpful guidance along the way to ensure even the tiniest details don’t get overlooked. To learn more about how we can help you land your dream job, don’t hesitate to contact us at any time.
