The new year means it’s time to make New Year’s resolutions! You probably reached multiple goals in 2017, and chances are you fell short on some goals as well. The key to making the best New Year’s resolutions is to make them so they are challenging, but still attainable. Here are some of the top executive New Year’s resolutions to consider making for yourself to help boost your career and opportunities.
Spend More Time on LinkedIn
The larger your LinkedIn network, the larger your overall professional network will be. But in order to utilize the social networking site most effectively, you may want to start out the year by hiring a LinkedIn profile writer to ensure your profile is most effective. Creating a solid positive overall presence is crucial on social media, so you don’t want to overlook anything.
Join an Organization
The benefits of joining an organization are astronomical. No matter if you’re in a steady job and looking for advancement or if you want to build new connections to help land a new job, joining an organization can help get you there. But before you do so, check in with a professional resume writing service to ensure your resume is current and effective so it will be more impactful when you have to use it.
Follow A Blog
There are many great blogs out there for any industry you work in. Follow one or two of them to stay current on the latest industry trends. And if you’re feeling extra ambitious, consider starting one of your own. It will look great in your executive profile if you are able to include a link to your blog full of original content.
Keep Your Resume Updated
Most executives are guilty of not updating their resume as often as they should. You never know when a great opportunity will arise, so consider visiting a professional resume writing service a couple times throughout the year to tweak it or make additions if needed. This way, you’ll be more prepared for a new opportunity, or an opportunity to advance with your current company. Professional Resume Services wants to help you achieve all of your professional New Year’s resolutions this year. Whether you need a professional LinkedIn profile writer, resume writer or just need professional advice about jobs and job seeking, we are here for you. Feel free to reach out to us to see how we can help you reach your goals this year.
The Similarities and Differences Between Your Resume and LinkedIn Profile
With the digital age we live in today, it’s easy to think platforms like LinkedIn have completely diminished the importance of a traditional resume. While there are plenty of benefits to having a great LinkedIn profile, it was not created to replace your resume. There are actually more differences between the two than similarities, although they can be used in the same ways at times. Here are the main similarities and differences between the two to keep in mind.
How Are Your Resume and LinkedIn Profile Similar?
When you write resumes that get you hired, you’re going to put your past jobs, skills, experiences, projects and accomplishments on it. These are facts you should also put on your LinkedIn profile, even though they will be displayed a little differently. You also want to focus on your value with both LinkedIn and your resume, along with incorporating the right keywords to make them both stand out.
How Are They Different?
The best executive resume writers will tell you to have multiple versions of your resume for different positions you apply for. However, having multiple LinkedIn profiles can just lead to confusion. Your LinkedIn profile should be more general, while your resume is more specific. The tone used is also a key difference. When writing resumes that get you hired, you need to use a formal tone. LinkedIn is best for more of a social or conversational tone. Also, your resume should be brief, while your LinkedIn profile can expand on points a little more. In a way, your LinkedIn should provide more context and stories behind your factual points, which should not be included on a resume.
Both Are Useful and Effective
Your resume and LinkedIn can’t replace one another, but they can be used effectively in conjunction with each other. Many recruiters will look at your LinkedIn after reading through your resume, so simply duplicating the information is not what you should do. LinkedIn is designed to provide a bigger picture of your accomplishments, show your personality and show off all of your achievements. Today, both are needed and can be extremely valuable when used most effectively together. Professional Resume Services has a team of the best executive resume writers to help you with your job search. We know how to maximize your resume and LinkedIn so they can work together most effectively and present your experience in the best way possible. Utilizing your resume and LinkedIn effectively can be tricky, so feel free to contact us at any time to see how we can help you separate the two, while still making them both work to your advantage.
You have a maximum of 30 seconds to impress someone who reads your LinkedIn profile summary. Many executives struggle with balancing the requirement of talking about yourself, while also explaining your impact on others. It’s challenging to do when you sit down and think about it, so sometimes it’s best to just start with LinkedIn profile development services for assistance. Being concise is key, since every single word matters in your profile summary. Here are the main things to keep in mind when developing yours.
Tell People Who You Are
Can you describe yourself in roughly 10 seconds? That’s about one or two sentences to explain who you are, what your identity is and what value you bring to the table. You don’t have to be a professional LinkedIn profile writer to put together these two sentences, but you do have to choose your words carefully. These first two sentences are critical, since people will generally choose to keep reading or leave your page depending on how intrigued they are.
Be Brief About What You Do
This is the part where you can get specific. Expand on your role within your company, your specialties, areas of expertise and a brief summary of what you do in a nutshell. Do your best to fit this information in three or four sentences to avoid getting too lengthy. If you choose to hire a LinkedIn profile writer, they will try to condense this section as much as possible, while still getting the point across.
Finish With A Bang
If you want to really know how to optimize your LinkedIn profile, it’s by finishing your profile summary with a bang. These last couple of sentences will be similar to your opening two sentences, but make them even stronger. Reiterate how your passion and expertise helps people succeed and how your success has translated into success for your company. Making the last sentence or two impactful will help make your profile summary memorable. Professional Resume Services understands the challenges of writing an effective LinkedIn profile summary. Our LinkedIn profile development services can help you develop the most impactful profile to aid in your networking and professional development efforts. To learn more about how to wow with your LinkedIn profile summary or about the many other services, feel free to contact us at any time.
Now is the time of year for holiday parties to be in full swing, which means it’s also time to revisit some important conduct rules to follow. Getting together with your fellow co-workers to celebrate another year in the books is fun, but if you aren’t careful, you could end up having an embarrassing moment or two. You likely won’t talk about your past office party experiences on your cover letters for resumes, but you still don’t want to alter people’s perception of you in a negative way. Here are a few Christmas party do’s and don’ts when your office gets together.
Avoid The Gossip
There’s a time and place for gossip, and it’s not at your office party. It’s acceptable to talk about personal matters, but you don’t want to say anything that could potentially start rumors. And if you’re talking about another colleague, keep it positive and professional because you never know who will overhear your conversation.
Stay Off The Phone
Unless you’re looking at executive LinkedIn profiles of other professionals to show your colleagues, keep your phone in your purse or pocket. Nothing shows your disinterest in being at the Christmas party more than having your face buried in your phone. Aside from any emergency or expecting a very important phone call, you shouldn’t have your phone out at all during the party.
Do Attend
One of the biggest “do’s” of your office party is actually attending. It’s unlikely for you to be fired for not attending your company’s holiday party, but it could be seriously frowned upon. Even if you’ve been writing cover letters for resumes as part of your search for another job, remember you’re employed by your current company and you need to be in attendance and engaged as much as possible.
Engage With As Many People As You Can
Speaking of engagement, don’t just sit off in the corner and talk to one or two people all night long. Spend 10-15 minutes talking to one person and then move onto the next person. Depending on the size of your office, there could be people there you haven’t met before. And since many company parties are open to spouses as well, you can have a conversation with people other than whom you work with. Professional Resume Services is one of the top resume writing services to help you with any aspect of your job. An office Christmas party is usually a fun event to attend, but you need to be sure to approach it properly. For more tips on office party conduct, writing cover letters for resumes or anything else pertaining to executive jobs, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at any time.
Being aggressive with an executive job search doesn’t necessarily mean you have to be pushy or demanding. Aggressiveness actually means spending a significant amount of time developing the best resumes and cover letters tailored to the job and company you’re applying for. There’s still a time and place for a follow up after you’ve applied for a position, but the vast majority of your work should be done beforehand. Here are some tips to consider throughout your job search.
Tailor Your Resume Specifically For The Job
Writing general resumes and cover letters won’t get you very far. One of the best things you can do is look at the details of all the requirements and insert the keywords you identify into your application papers. You may think an HR manager or recruiter won’t be able to know you’ve sent in the same resume to multiple different companies, but they’ve likely filtered through thousands of resumes in their career to know the difference between a general and specific one.
Read The Job Application Thoroughly
Missing a critical detail in a job application is a guaranteed way to be removed from consideration. For example, if a specific work sample is required for the application, not including one shows your lack of attention to detail. No matter how much you follow up, they will remember you didn’t follow directions from the application, so what makes them think you can follow directions if they hire you?
Make Connections
Once you’ve put together your best executive resume biography and filled out the job application perfectly, wait a week or two before following up. In the meantime, feel free to make connections with the HR manager or other company personnel via LinkedIn or other networking platform. Just be sure to optimize your LinkedIn profile before your reach out so it helps your case instead of hurting it.
Follow Up At Appropriate Times
Following up on a job application is important and effective if done at the right time. As mentioned, wait at least one week after you submit your application before you follow up. There’s sometimes no way to tell if your resume and cover letter get lost in the shuffle, so sending a quick email displaying your interest is recommended. A follow up email is an aggressive way to move your job search forward, but be sure to draw the line between being aggressive and being pushy. Professional Resume Services wants to be involved with all aspects of your executive job search. We can help you optimize your LinkedIn profile, craft the perfect cover letter or resume or even provide tips on how to show the right amount of aggressiveness during your job search. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you’re in need of assistance at any point during your job search.
How and When to Follow Up After Your Executive Job Application
It’s human nature to want to receive a response very shortly after sending in your executive resume for a job application. However, the reality is an HR manager likely has to filter through hundreds of resumes on top of their other job duties, so a quick response rarely happens. That doesn’t mean you should never follow up though. Your executive resume writing service will tell you there’s a right time to follow up, as well as a right way to go about it. Here are some tips to consider once you’ve sent in your resume.
Wait At Least One Week to Follow Up
The HR manager or recruiter likely won’t be contacting anyone for at least one week, so give them time to sort through the stack of resumes. Another tip to consider is sending in your follow up in the middle of the week, since Monday’s are generally the busiest days and Friday’s are more relaxed.
Choose Email Over Other Communication Methods
When writing an effective resume, you likely sent your job application for consideration via email. But even if you didn’t, your follow up should still be sent over email rather than a phone call or an in-person visit. Those two methods demonstrate aggressiveness and could be perceived as pushy. Email shows you’re interested in knowing the status of your application, but will give the recipient time to respond at their leisure.
Consider LinkedIn For A Follow Up
An HR manager’s email inbox may have been flooded with new applications, including yours, so sending a message through LinkedIn could be a welcoming change for them. Just be sure you’ve focused on your LinkedIn profile development prior to reaching out, since your profile will likely be looked at closely. A LinkedIn message could prompt the HR manager to dig through their stack of resumes to find yours, since matching a name with a face is ideal in most situations.
Show Interest Without Being Desperate
Desperation doesn’t look good on anyone. Instead of simply asking what the status of your application is, send in a letter of recommendation along with why you’re interested in working for their company. The key to an effective follow up is giving them something to remember you by. Professional Resume Services is here to help you with anything related to your executive job search. Whether you need some assistance with your LinkedIn profile development, writing an effective resume or knowing what to include in your follow up email, we are here when you need us. Feel free to contact us at any time to learn more about our services.
Online C-Level Personal Branding Skills That Entice Employers
You may have written a well-crafted resume, but you can’t rely solely on it to get a new executive position. The importance of c-level personal branding today can’t be understated. The executives who take it seriously and work to improve theirs will always be ahead of the curve. There are certain online c-level personal branding skills that stand out among the rest, from an employer perspective. Here are a few of those skills to keep in mind and try to demonstrate as much as possible to entice a potential employer.
Demonstrate Your Skills By Writing
You’re likely very experienced in your industry, so employers need to know about it. The first place to start is your LinkedIn profile. You have the freedom to write as little or as much as you want on your profile, so take advantage of the space. However, just be careful not to overcrowd your page with a lot of text, since potential employers won’t spend much time reading it. It may be valuable to you to hire a LinkedIn profile writing service to get your initial page set up, then you can update it as needed.
Create and Update Your Own Website
Having your own website shows you have the drive and confidence to market yourself. Employers like this attribute, since they would expect those skills to translate well to their company. You must make sure you always keep your website updated to highlight your most recently acquired skills and experiences. Consider writing a blog on your website once or twice a week to keep fresh and relevant content on your page. And always include a link to your LinkedIn profile.
Be A Social Media Guru
Utilize social media to promote your skills and improve your c-level personal branding, but be careful not to go overboard. There are several social media platforms you could choose, so be sure you use the right one. LinkedIn is always the best choice for executives, but if you use Facebook and Twitter the right way, you may find value in those as well. Promoting the fresh content from your website through social media is a great way to be active on social media and improve your online brand. Professional Resume Services not only helps executives write their resumes, but can also help with LinkedIn profile development. Building your online brand is critical in today’s business world, and we can help you get started. Feel free to contact us at any time when you’re ready to promote your online brand to entice potential employers.
Having a digital presence in today’s business world is invaluable. However, some people only focus on improving their digital brand, which is a big mistake. Business cards have been effective since the beginning of time, and it hasn’t changed. Technology has made certain things easier for executives, but there are also plenty of challenges if you solely rely on it. Focusing on writing an executive bio on your LinkedIn page is great, but you still need a business card for people to find you. Here are some important points to consider when it comes to business cards for executives.
Business Cards Are Still Respected
Whether you’re at a formal networking event, or you just happen to meet someone in passing, they may ask you for your business card. And if you don’t have one, your credibility is going to take a hit. Trading business cards is still expected for executives, so do yourself a favor and always have several handy. This practice is one of the most respected and expected methods of trading information, so you could be the talk of the event in a negative way if you don’t have a business card to offer.
Be Careful Going Completely Digital
When you learn how to optimize your LinkedIn profile, it can be easy to go completely digital in your networking efforts. The truth is other professionals want to have your information readily available at all times, rather than searching for you on LinkedIn. Even if you have your LinkedIn URL on your business card, it’s still more effective handing them a business card than just saying “look me up on LinkedIn for all the information you need.”
Accuracy Is Never A Question With A Business Card
If you verbally give someone your email address or phone number to write down, the chances of them transposing numbers or not spelling your name correctly increases. But when you have the information on a business card, accuracy is never a question. Similar to writing an executive bio, being clear and concise with the information displayed on your business card is invaluable and can improve your brand even more so than your LinkedIn profile. Professional Resume Services is an executive resume service dedicated to helping professionals with their resumes, cover letters, LinkedIn profiles and even business cards. Whether you need help simply writing an executive bio or need to start drafting a resume from scratch, feel free to contact us at any time for assistance.
The new year means it’s time to make New Year’s resolutions! You probably reached multiple goals in 2017, and chances are you fell short on some goals as well. The key to making the best New Year’s resolutions is to make them so they are challenging, but still attainable. Here are some of the top executive New Year’s resolutions to consider making for yourself to help boost your career and opportunities.
You have a maximum of 30 seconds to impress someone who reads your LinkedIn profile summary. Many executives struggle with balancing the requirement of talking about yourself, while also explaining your impact on others. It’s challenging to do when you sit down and think about it, so sometimes it’s best to just start with 
