Today I listened to a webinar entitled Writing Powerful Online Profiles that Lead to More Connections, Interactions & Possibilities with speaker Allison Nazarian author of “One Minute Copy Writer”. Here are my thoughts and notes based on the webinar.
During your job search, potential employers will Google you to see what you are about. Only 17% of jobs come from job boards. What would a hiring company find if they see your on-line profile?
Writing for paper is different than writing for online profiles. You don’t want to just cut and paste. Your résumé may stay the same for years. Social media allows for more personality. You could potentially be editing your social media profile hourly. The social media medium allows you to brand yourself in your own voice.
You forward a paper résumé to a company, possibly unsolicited and wonder what if anything is done with it. If you update your LinkedIn or other on-line profile, you could receive an immediate response from people within your network. You are able to create a dialogue when writing for the on-line medium that isn’t available in a written résumé.
Copywriting principles apply to on-line profiles. You are selling yourself on your profile to a potential employer. Your profile is your on-line advertisement. Use words to sell your career skills.
1. Know your target market - before you place your profile or make a change to it, determine who you are targeting to read your profile. What is the job title of the person who would hire you? What are the demographics of the company that would hire you? How can you solve the problems your potential hiring company might have? You are also writing to your allies and advocates who might know someone who needs a new employee with your skill set. Be deliberate with your keywords for the search engines to hone in upon.
2. Benefits vs. features – your résumé will list the skills and experience you have, but doesn’t necessarily allow you to express the benefits without adding several pages to the document. On-line profiles allow you to express the benefits of your problem solving actions that could be applicable to the company to which you are applying. Potential employers think “what’s in it for me?” Make it short, sweet and simple so that the employer knows what you are offering.
3. Formatting – make your profile easy to read and visually pleasing – use short paragraphs, bulleted lists, bolded sub-titles, and ensure it is easily scanned for rapid review. Use first person when writing your profile. i.e. Use XX machine to complete orders.
4. Action verbs – use an active voice and action verbs when writing your profile – see our previous post on action verbs for a list of action verbs. Action verbs express that you do things, perform for an employer and act on problems. Get specific with what you can do for a potential employer. When you edit your profile, let your verbs do the work for you. Be conscientious of using the verb groups “to be” (is, are, & were), “to do”, “to say” and “to go”.
Remember you are selling yourself to a potential employer or business associate if you are seeking contract work. Use all of the tools at your disposal to get yourself re-employed.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Friday, April 9, 2010
Job Fairs - Dressing for Success
Do you plan your wardrobe for a job fair?
Recently, at a job fair, the clothing choices I witnessed that individuals were wearing, brought up this topic. The options ran the gamut.
First, let me say that you don't have to be a fashion plate at a job fair, but you need to be professional in your appearance. Many of the men had on suits with a dress shirt and tie, briefcase with resumes, and the women had on equally nice pants suits or skirts and heels. These individuals were prepared for any situation.
Other men had on khakis, a nice shirt and tie, or the women were wearing slacks and tops. In most situations this is considered appropriate attire.
What struck me the most were the individuals who had on jeans, sneakers and baseball jackets.
When working a job fair you are one of a sea of individuals who the recruiter will see. You have potentially 10 seconds to make a good first impression. How you look and what you say are all judged within that time. You want the recruiter to have a good impression of you from appearance to your skills.
Your thoughts?
Recently, at a job fair, the clothing choices I witnessed that individuals were wearing, brought up this topic. The options ran the gamut.
First, let me say that you don't have to be a fashion plate at a job fair, but you need to be professional in your appearance. Many of the men had on suits with a dress shirt and tie, briefcase with resumes, and the women had on equally nice pants suits or skirts and heels. These individuals were prepared for any situation.
Other men had on khakis, a nice shirt and tie, or the women were wearing slacks and tops. In most situations this is considered appropriate attire.
What struck me the most were the individuals who had on jeans, sneakers and baseball jackets.
When working a job fair you are one of a sea of individuals who the recruiter will see. You have potentially 10 seconds to make a good first impression. How you look and what you say are all judged within that time. You want the recruiter to have a good impression of you from appearance to your skills.
Your thoughts?
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
How do YOU work a job fair?
Before you go, you should spend some time on your plan of attack. Most job fairs post in advance the names of the companies that will be in attendance. Review the list, see if any of the companies fall within your targeted area of expertise. Complete some background research on that company so that you are able to converse with the representative at the fair. Make sure that your resume reflects the skills you have that will best suit that company. If there happens to be more than one company at the fair that you will be focusing upon, prepare an individualized resume and cover letter for each of the companies. Don't just "spray and pray".
While you are at the Job Fair, make sure you have your "elevator speech" ready. You may only have a few moments of time with the recruiter and you want to make the most of them by being able to express why you would be a good fit for their company. If you are allowed time to ask questions, you could ask about opportunities, job responsibilities, and skills and/or past experience they are seeking. Also, you may want to ask about the application and hiring process and the appropriate method and timeframe for follow-up.
Do you ask for business cards from the recruiters? It is a good method to complete your follow-up (based on the follow-up timeframe) and send a thank you note or email. Use it to notate what you spoke with the recruiter about at the fair.
After the fair, make sure you send recruiters any additional items they requested. Send your thank-yous. Track everything in your log so that you can jog your memory when they call for the on-site interview.
For more assistance on job fairs and your job search, visit our website at www.kcdee.org/jobfairs.html
Opinion time - Should you invite the recruiter to be a LinkedIn contact?
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