5 (online) steps to landing the job you want

Transcription

1 BRAND ou SERIES BRAND SERIES 5 (online) steps to landing the job you want

2 Create, connect, share and customize Even when we have a job, most of us are in search mode we re consistently seeking new ways to expand our skill base, and to land a better role. With this in mind, we all need to find ways to stand out and sell what we have to offer to our employer of choice. This idea is nothing new, but the ways in which we do this have changed. Social media is being used at an ever-increasing rate to augment and refine the hiring process and how you present online is (at least) as important as how you present in person. For some roles, it is actually more important. So, if you want to stand out from other job seekers, begin to think of your online presence as another kind of resume. The five key steps to using both online and offline networking tools to increase your employability are: Establish your digital presence, or online brand Create an employment profile Bring job posts to you Customize your resume to fit the opportunity Talk to a recruiter 2

3 Q. have you or your company successfully hired a candidate who was identifed or introduced through a social network or social media? (% Yes) 15% increase from 2010 to % 63% 73% Source: 2012 Jobvite Social Recruiting Survey

4 Establish yourself online Are you really leveraging the power of social sites like LinkedIn? At a minimum you probably have a profile page. But does it have a clear, professional photograph? Are you a static user who never posts or joins conversations? While having a profile is a good first step, it s even better if you work to become an active user within these professional networks by: joining industry specific groups in your region/profession; contributing to the discussion with meaningful dialogue; expanding the network of people you know, including connecting with recruiters or other professionals in your industry; following and starting conversations with people you want to work for. Once you ve done this and you re ready to invest more time and effort, consider refining and expanding your activity online by: 1 Cleaning up your digital dirt : this includes removing or altering any content or posts that recruiters or employers might be able to access that damages your employee brand or reflects negatively on you Start Building a digital portfolio: set up a catch-all page that hosts your resume, your blogs, links to your twitter feed etc. and provides people with a well-rounded picture of who you are and what skills you have. Becoming more active in industry-specific websites, social media, recruiting forums, blogs etc. Make sure people know how to find you. Be prepared to give more than you get in social media! Share content that is interesting and accurately reflects who you are and start conversations or groups of your own. following companies and leaders/specialists in your field that you re inspired by. This will help you better understand the organizations you seek to work for, and will ensure you have a good grounding in the issues affecting your industry when you attend interviews. 4

5 LinkedIn boasts more than 175m users, yet just half (50.5%) have a complete profile 5 Source: Powerformula.net portrait of a LinkedIn User infographic;

6 Create (and regularly update) your job board profile It s a good idea to create a job board profile on one of the key sites in your market. And, it s equally important to ensure you update and refresh it regularly. Not only does this ensure it accurately reflects your current skills, it also means that your resume will stay towards the top of the resume search results. By ensuring that your resume keywords are searchable, and that you list all of your technical skills, you re more likely to be found by people seeking your specific skill-set. Don t forget to test that your resume is print friendly and does not have margins that force the viewer to waste time adjusting it! Wherever you post information about yourself, ensure it s up-to-date. 6

7 Bring job posts to you There are many great tools available to make your job search as effective as it can be. Many sites and apps will allow you to input specific criteria that will filter and only send you roles that fit within that criteria via a mobile notification or . Some of the most popular include: indeed.com: this is the #1 job site worldwide, with over 70 million unique visitors and 1.5 billion job searches per month it is available in 50+ countries and 26 languages, covering 94% of global GDP. CareerBuilder.com: this site allows you to post your resume, manage your search criteria and search for jobs in many parts of the world. LinkedIn: connect with employers and recruiters to see their job posts. Add information about your skills and join groups, which will increase the number of job posts you can see. Seek validation of the skills you list from those within your network (this is an in-built feature of LinkedIn). Internship Seeker: search available internships by location or role type. Kelly Career Network: search for a job and create a profile on a streamlined job search and profile management site, designed to help you find the job you ve been looking for! With minimal effort you can locate numerous job opportunities, sign up for job alerts, and create and manage your profile. By completing a profile, you will be more likely to be found by one of Kelly s recruiters for existing job opportunities. kellycareernetwork.com By following your preferred companies on Facebook and LinkedIn, you ll also hear about developments that might lead to job opportunities. Another good idea is to actively research the hot spots for jobs with your skill-set. If you re prepared to relocate, or have experience working remotely across regions, make that fact a key feature of your resume and any conversations you have with recruiters. 7

8 Research the key markets for your skills These are the markets with the highest concentration of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics jobs across the US. seattle minneapolis boston san francisco san jose baltimore washington San diego dallas Atlanta houston 8 Source: STEM Careers: Demand is up for Today s Innovators, Kelly Services

9 Customize to fit the opportunity Numerous small research studies suggest that recruiters spend very, very little time reading your resume. If the under 10 seconds rule is true, then your resume has to work pretty hard to grab attention quickly. It s also likely that the ability for recruiters to search online resumes for key words has contributed to this small window of opportunity to make an impression. Only a certain percentage of resumes even make it in front of a decision-maker, so it s important to: be honest be direct and to-the-point be relevant. To capitalize fully on the 10-seconds-or-less that you have, tailor your resume to address the focus of the role you re applying for. Be specific about the skills you have that align with the job description. Don t just update your objective, make sure you customize the details of your previous experience as it relates to the job description you re applying for, and carry the theme right though the resume. Yes, all of this effort does take time, but try this little test and see if it works: Fold your resume in half. Does the top half (or first 10 seconds worth) sell you for the job you re applying for? If not, get customizing! 9

10 69% of all annual hires are the result of candidates networking efforts 10 Source: Department of Labor

11 Talk to a recruiter Recruiters can help you get in front of large organizations even when specific roles in your field haven t been advertised yet. They know what s on the horizon in terms of expansions, organizational change and significant projects. Look for a recruiter that specializes in the work you want to do so that they really understand your skill set and know what sets you apart from other candidates. Be clear about your purpose and what you want to achieve in your career so that the recruiter can be targeted in which companies they approach for you. Remember, networking is still a key way to find a job or internship. Don t be afraid to reach out to people you know who might be hiring, and to add recruiters to your professional networks by approaching them directly with targeted, personalized messages. Don t just send the standard I d like to add you to my network message. Tell them why connecting with you is a good idea: research them, know what they have to offer and sell the skills you know they re looking for. 11

12 Did you know that Kelly Services hires 9,100 new STEM (Science, technology, engineering, math) contractors every year? Last year alone, 28,700 science, engineering and technology contractors worked for Kelly at 98 percent of the Fortune 100 companies. Visit our job search site now: References Jobvite Social Recruiting Survey 2011 Jobvite Social Recruiting Survey Kelly Global Workforce Index 2011 Kelly Global Workforce Index 2012 Powerformula.net portrait of a LinkedIn User infographic; STEM Careers: Demand is up for Today s Innovators, Kelly Services Department of Labor 12

13 BRAND ou SERIES BRAND SERIES About the Author Erin Kish is the University Talent Specialist and Professional Recruiter at Kelly Services. Erin s focus within higher education targets key schools and universities to gain valuable recruits for our customers. She is instrumental in the development and support of building relationships with university contacts to showcase Kelly Services opportunities and place their most sought after students. Erin holds a Bachelors of Science Degree in Human Resource Development and a Masters of Business Administration with a concentration in Management Information Systems from Oakland University. About Kelly Kelly Services, Inc. (NASDAQ: KELYA, KELYB) is a leader in providing workforce solutions. Kelly offers a comprehensive array of outsourcing and consulting services as well as world-class staffing on a temporary, temporary-to-hire, and direct-hire basis. Serving clients around the globe, Kelly provides employment to more than 550,000 employees annually. Revenue in 2011 was $5.6 billion. Visit and connect with us on Facebook, LinkedIn, & Twitter. Download The Talent Project, a free ipad app by Kelly Services. This information may not be published, broadcast, sold, or otherwise distributed without prior written permission from the authorized party. All trademarks are property of their respective owners. An Equal Opportunity Employer Kelly Services, Inc. EXIT