How to Ace the Interview….Face-to-Face or Virtually

Interviewing

It’s clear that the global pandemic that has consumed 2020 has also changed the way our professional world operates.  If you’re in an active job search or feel like you may be one of the next victims of a layoff or furlough at your work place, you need to ensure that you take the time to fully prepare for any interviews you are lucky enough to be invited to. Below are five quick tips to help you to be ready for the interview…and hopefully, the offer.

Step #1 – Take the time to prepare

Knowing who you are is one thing, being able to communicate that to another person is a whole different ballgame. Showing you can effectively market yourself during an interview is key in nailing the interview, and ultimately, the job offer. Have a checklist of the things you need to do prior to, during, and after the interview-documents needed, location of company, AND floor or office where the interview will be conducted, Wi-Fi capabilities and access to equipment if your interview will be virtual, and any questions you may have regarding the job and company. Practice talking about your strengths and weaknesses, how you’ve overcome obstacles on the job, and some of the major highlights of your career. Also know the parameters of what the offer could be, salary and benefits you need/want. It’s very rare that an offer happens during the interview, but sometimes it does, and you need to know your value before you hear their offer, or if they ask questions about what you want if they offer the job.

Step #2 – Know the job

Be able to give concrete details of how your skills, experience, training, etc. combine to make you the ideal candidate for the job, based on the qualifications and requirements in the job posting. Have job-specific questions ready for your interviewer, and also ensure that you’ve done your homework regarding the culture of the business, as well as the services or product being provided by the company (and to whom they’re being provided).

Step #3 – Have your Interview “Toolbox” filled and ready to go

Whether you are interviewing in person or remotely, there are things you need to have at your fingertips, so you can speak to your credentials. First and foremost, have a copy of your résumé with you and be able to validate the content, if questioned. Have a list of professional references who can speak on your behalf prepared to hand over, or to email, if requested. Be sure your professional and personal social media profiles are cleaned up and that any professional sites have the same career information as your résumé. If you are interviewing virtually, it would be easy of have a typed list of questions prepared, so you can discuss them when the time is right. You can also contact the company prior to your interview to ask if there are specific items you should bring to the interview if you are going on-site.

Step #4 – First impressions are everything

Dress appropriately for your interview regardless of where or how it takes place.  If you are on site, the customary handshake may be a no-go, so be sure you understand any social distancing or cultural practices that need to be followed during the entire interview process. Be on time! This is key for any interview! Do a test run to the location and allow for traffic snafus, trains, etc. If your interview Is being done virtually, make sure your computer or phone is in a quiet spot (no potential background noises or interruptions), and that you are able to access the program the interview will be facilitated through. Eye contact is good and can easily be a sign of confidence in a candidate. If you are interviewing at a restaurant, order a meal that is easy to eat, and keep in mind that following the restaurant’s current guidelines and policies will show that you can follow and respect rules.

Step #5 – Do what you need to do to put yourself at ease

Be sure your body and mind are prepared to help you appear calm and confident during your interview.  Eat breakfast, work out (please shower/groom after), do some breathing exercises, and anything else you can think of that will keep your nerves on the down-low.  Shaky hands, not making eye contact, and talking too quietly or not confidently are all things that could make the interviewer determine how you handle stressful situations.  Keep the conversation positive and on track. Listen intently and think before you answer questions. Be sure to thank the interviewer at the end and if it has gone well, even ask what the next steps in the hiring process will be. Projecting confidence is important!

This year has been one of new ways, new policies, and new working environments for today’s professional workforce.  However, the basics of a common interview haven’t really changed much at all. You need to be sure you are fully prepared for your interview and can show the interviewer exactly why YOU are the candidate they want to hire for the job.

4 Benefits of Knowing and Communicating Your Personal Brand

Social Marketing/Online Branding
c-level personal branding

You may not think your personal brand is important, but hiring managers and business professionals do. This means you have to understand c-level personal branding to communicate it and know how others perceive you professionally. If you think about it, c-level personal branding isn’t difficult if you are authentic in the way you speak and act around others. And doing so will help you easily demonstrate your value and differentiate what you have to offer compared to others in your industry. Here are some of the main benefits of understanding and communicating your personal brand.

You Come Across As Authentic

Understand your talents and your limitations and don’t say you’re an expert in something when you’re not. Authenticity is something highly valued by hiring managers and is usually easy to see. Being truthful and transparent are great personal attributes that can benefit you professionally as well, and will enhance your c-level personal branding efforts tremendously.

Understand Your Strengths and Weaknesses

No one is an expert at everything, so avoid trying to make yourself seem like you know everything. Focus on your strengths and the value you bring to the table, while also acknowledging your weaknesses. Follow-up on your weaknesses by stating ways you’re working to turn them into strengths. Doing so will give your personal brand a positive image since you’ll be seen as a well-rounded professional who is always working to improve their skills.

Know How You Are Perceived

It’s hard to know how you’re perceived without asking someone. An executive LinkedIn profile writer is a good resource to evaluate your profile and give their expert opinion on what people may think about you. And outside of LinkedIn, don’t be afraid to ask your trusted peers about how they perceive you professionally. You may be saying or doing things that are hurting your perception without even knowing it. 

Demonstrate Your Value Without Having to Communicate It

When you are comfortable with who you are as a person and a professional, you don’t have to sell yourself as much. Of course, you have to demonstrate your value to a potential employer, but it doesn’t mean you have to go over the top to do so. Many times your c-level personal branding speaks for itself. It takes some time to be completely comfortable and accepting of who you are, but once you are then you won’t have to communicate it as much since it will be clearly visible.

At Professional Resume Services, we focus a lot of our efforts on helping executives with their c-level personal branding. Our LinkedIn profile writing service is popular because it is one of the building blocks for creating your personal brand. It’s no secret that developing your personal brand takes time and a consistent effort, but that doesn’t mean it has to be hard. Feel free to contact us for tips on how to make your branding efforts simple and effective.

The Importance of Staying Up to Date With Your Online Presence

Social Marketing/Online Branding
executive linkedin profile

Many executives don’t appreciate the importance of having a positive online presence. And some don’t understand their online presence should always be kept up-to-date. If you’re actively looking for a job, you’re putting yourself in a big hole if recruiters can’t find you online. Having a clean and updated executive LinkedIn profile is a necessity today rather than a luxury. It’s worth hiring a professional LinkedIn profile writer if you’ve never developed one before, and there are plenty of other ways to develop and maintain a positive online presence. Here are some reasons why it’s so important.

Recruiters Always Look For An Online Presence

One of the first things a recruiter will do when they receive a resume is conduct an online search for the person’s name. If you have a negative online presence, or no online presence at all, then your chances of moving to the next step in the hiring process are slim. At the very least, develop your executive LinkedIn profile to the point where it shows up at the top of the search results. That way, you’ll know exactly what recruiters are seeing when they search for your name.

Tips For Enhancing Your Online Presence

With the high-level of importance of personal branding for senior level managers, there is always room to improve your online presence. Being active on LinkedIn and other social media platforms will increase your visibility. You can also publish original articles to your blog or social media profiles. Joining LinkedIn groups and participating in discussions on professional forums can also help promote your name. Just be sure to think carefully about everything you post online, as anything you say can be used against you.

Monitor Your Online Presence Regularly

Once you feel comfortable with your online presence, you can’t get complacent. You should always be looking to improve your presence and brand. Monitoring your brand online is critical since anyone can post negative information about you. Do a search for your name periodically and see what results show up. While you may not be able to remove information completely, you can combat it by responding appropriately. You don’t want to let any negativity about you linger online for too long since it could tarnish your reputation.

Professional Resume Services is here to help you upgrade your executive LinkedIn profile and more. We are much more than just a resume writing service. We take pride in working with every one of our clients individually and look at the big picture in terms of job searching. Your online presence is just as important as your resume itself, so contact us to see how we can help you build and maintain yours.

c-level personal branding

Every executive has heard and knows about the importance of c-level personal branding. With all else being equal when it comes to experience and expertise, it is a person’s personal brand that sets them apart from the rest. Whether you’re actively seeking a new job or if you’re interested in advancing even further in your career, using personal branding to your advantage can help you get there. Here are some tips on how personal branding for senior level managers can be used effectively.

Boost Your Reputation Within Your Industry

Every industry has a network, and people within the network have different impressions of people. So if you have a great personal brand and people recognize it, it won’t take long before your reputation gets a boost throughout your industry. You can use this reputation boost to your advantage by seeking leadership opportunities, speaking at engagements, hosting networking events or any other opportunities that arise. Once you’ve established quality c-level personal branding, your options for continuing to improve your reputation are unlimited.

c-level personal brandingMake Contacts Outside Your Current Professional Network

Your executive bio may indicate you’re an expert in a specific industry, but your personal brand can lead to professional connections outside of your network as well. This gives you the opportunity to broaden your views on business and many other aspects, and could give you more ideas for your own job. Plus, certain industries like to get advice from professionals in an unrelated industry just to see how operations work. The larger your network is outside of your own industry, the more opportunities you will have to grow your personal brand as large as you desire. You can never have too many connections across any industry, and the better your c-level personal branding is, the more naturally the connections will be made.

Use Self-Confidence to Your Advantage

If nothing else, personal branding for senior level managers can provide a major boost in self-confidence. Use this self-confidence to your advantage by standing by your decisions in any aspect of your career and becoming a resource for others within your industry. Complete self-confidence is rare, even among executives, so once you develop it, there are plenty of opportunities for you to boost your brand even more.
Professional Resume Services goes beyond simply writing a resume for professionals. It is a big part of what we do, but we also look at the big picture to help executives with their careers. Whether it’s boosting professional branding through networking or simply creating an executive bio anyone will be impressed with, we are here to help. Be sure to contact us at any time for more tips on how personal branding can be used to your advantage.

c-level personal branding

Whether you’re a brand new executive or you have years of experience, you should know by now that summer is one of the best times of the year for networking. You can spend hours working on resumes and cover letters during the colder months, but now is the time to disperse them to your best contacts. What makes the summer season the best time to improve personal branding for senior level managers? Here are some things to consider the next time you network this summer.

Volunteer Opportunities

There are numerous volunteer opportunities across any community nationwide throughout the summer. Take advantage of these opportunities by doing good deeds while meeting some new people along the way. You’d be surprised at how your c-level personal branding can improve by being active within the community. Plus, just about everyone is open for conversation since they feel great about contributing to a good cause. There are many great people you’ll meet when volunteering that can lead to lifelong friendships and potential business contacts.

People Are Open For Conversation

There’s something about the summer season that makes people more relaxed and open. With vacations planned and more time spent outside the office, people are more open to conversation now than any other time of the year. There’s never a bad time to work on your c-level personal branding. Whether you’re at a Meetup group, a work event or even a happy hour with some colleagues, never miss the opportunity to improve your brand. And don’t forget your business cards so people will have something to remember you by!

Casual Environments Are More Relaxing

People simply get tired of being in an office all day long. Summer is the perfect time to get out and have some drinks on an outdoor patio after a long day of work. Find events that are outdoors during the summer, since generally you’ll find the people there are more relaxed. Just be sure to adapt to your environment so you fit in rather than being the person who ruins the vibe.
Professional Resume Services isn’t just about resumes and cover letters. We also have some valuable tips about networking as well. This summer is the perfect time for networking, so feel free to contact us at any time if you need any tips or advice on making the best connections this summer.

Do You Have a Social Media Strategy for Your Executive Job Search?

Executive ResumesSocial Marketing/Online Branding

exec social media
It’s no longer enough to look for a job through traditional methods such as  submitting an application and resume through job listings. Social media has become essential to the C-level job search. For this reason, LinkedIn profile development should become an integral part of your job search process.
Why Is LinkedIn Important?
There are a number of reasons why you need to focus on writing a stellar LinkedIn profile to help you obtain a C-level position. LinkedIn profile writing services can help you:

  • Promise value to a potential employer and advance thought leadership
  • Reach recruiters and decision makers
  • Advance your job search with LinkedIn’s unique features
  • Network with industry leaders who may connect you to your next position
  • Prove you are who you claim to be

 
How to Complete LinkedIn Profile Development
Whether you work with an experienced executive LinkedIn profile writer or you choose to attempt this process on your own, it’s essential to know what aspects of your profile require the most attention to be effective.

  1. Optimize Your Profile – Make sure your profile reflects every position you are considering. Be sure as much of your profile is complete as possible. A complete profile is more effective.
  2. Request Recommendations – LinkedIn allows coworkers and former employers to provide recommendations for individuals. While some people automatically provide these when you connect, you may need to ask others.
  3. Increase Your Network Connections – LinkedIn is designed to make networking online easy. Even before you start searching for a job, you should reach out and connect to other individuals in the industry you are considering. You should also connect with past coworkers, friends, family members and anyone else you know.
  4. Look for a Job via LinkedIn – LinkedIn Jobs makes it easier to use this social media site to find your next job. This tool will suggest jobs based on your profile. Therefore, you should follow companies and industries you are interested in and research recruiters in your industry.

 
Engaging in LinkedIn can be a useful tool in helping you find your next C-level position. However, without the proper LinkedIn profile development, you may impede your efforts, rather than help you obtain the right position. If your profile isn’t well-suited for your job search, employing the help of LinkedIn profile writing services will ensure your profile makes a good first impression and helps you land the job of your dreams. LinkedIn is the top social media site for executive-level positions.
If you need the help of an executive LinkedIn profile writer, contact us. We can help you revise or create your profile so it appeals to recruiters and prospective employers.

Put Technology To Work For You

Executive ResumesSocial Marketing/Online Branding

put technology to work for you
If you think about it, you have “employees” of your own. You pay them to do things for you — find information on what concerns you, keep track of data you need to access again, and anything else you don’t want to do yourself. Some of your employees are paid when you get the bill from the phone company and your internet provider. Others are paid when you get your electric bill. Some are actually people who provide a service you appreciate.
Technology can be an excellent employee, if used correctly. How much easier is life when your smartphone works? How much harder is it when you can’t figure it out? If you don’t have a smartphone (“substitute computer”), or whatever technology you use on hand, life can feel out of control.
One problem with this employee of yours is that technology changes over time. Your comfortable way of doing things gets out of sync with the way the rest of your world is moving and you miss out on important details. This is when a person who provides a service can help. You could catch up with the current technologies yourself, if you spent the time and energy to figure it out. But employing someone to get you started lets you get up to speed much more quickly and you get a head start.
The LinkedIn Profile Development service is a good example of what I am talking about. Right now, LinkedIn is one of the best technological tools available for connecting with others in your career field. But they are moving at a very fast pace. This service puts you in the best position to start putting technology to work.

 Social networking is one of the fastest growing forms of communication and advertisement. It helps to connect people, including co-workers with each other and employers with their employees. It is also a great way for employers to examine potential employees. In order to have the best odds at getting a job you need to take advantage of social networking as well as creating an impressive resume and acing the interview.
The best way to use social networking for a job is to have a LinkedIn profile. This site is meant for professional and business connections, and is used by businesses, employers, and those searching for a job. If you have a LinkedIn profile, you need to let your potential employers know. List your profile URL on your resume so it will be easy for employers to find you. If they have a difficult time locating your profile, then they may become frustrated and may already have a bad impression of you when you come to an interview.
Since your LinkedIn profile will be for strictly professional and business purposes, it is imperative that you keep the profile looking professional. Reserve your LinkedIn profile for business connections only-save your personal activities for other networking sites, like Facebook or Twitter.  Be warned: employers will not only look at your LinkedIn profile, they will look for you on other social networking sites. Do not say vulgar or offensive things that could jeopardize your chance at getting the job. If you’re going to discuss aspects of your job search on social networking site, be sure you are only making positive posts/comments.  Make your personal information interesting and make it look professional. This will allow your potential employers to see your “human” side and help them decide if you are the right candidate for an interview and the job.
Using social networking sites in your job search is a great way for you to advertise yourself to potential employers. Take advantage of them and give yourself a step up on the competition.