Applying for jobs can be a clumsy process. You could spend hours manually entering your work details into an online application form, uploading your keyword-optimized resume, and hunting the name of hiring managers for your catchy cover letter. Enter, the ‘Easy Apply’ button on LinkedIn and we move away from tedious to easy. The only bad thing is that applying for a job using LinkedIn’s ‘Easy Apply’ option can put you at the back of the pack. ‘Easy Apply’ equals quick fix, right? The short answer is, “No.” In short, you are trading the opportunity for customization and targeting by using this button. Yes, all you do is push/click the button, enter your phone number, and email address and you’re done! In some cases, you’ll be asked to upload your current resume, but most of the time it’s optional. This simplicity can be tempting! When a recruiter acquires an ‘Easy Apply’ request, all they get to see is a snapshot of your LinkedIn profile. Specifically – your photo, education, headline, past and present work experiences, and skills you’ve listed. That’s it! So, if your LinkedIn profile is very bare-bones, isn’t up to date, or doesn’t elaborate your complete journey you likely won’t be hearing from potential employers anytime soon. Check out this article, How to perfect your LinkedIn profile to get noticed by recruiters. Throw your resume at a bunch of jobs and hope something sticks Sad to say that the “Easy Apply” button is so much like mailing your resume to a hand full of recruiters and hoping to hear back from them. When you decide to apply without uploading your resume or cover letter, the hiring manager only has an approach to your LinkedIn profile. The message that pops into their email will say, ‘(Name) applied to (Job Title)’ and it will contain your headline, location, and profile photo. If your headline is like most people’s headline – with the title of your current role and present company name – you will blend into the sea of sameness. The main idea of applying for any job is to get their attention. If you look like every other candidate, you’re not doing that. What incentive does the hiring manager or recruiter have to click on your application? All hiring professionals have the question ‘So what …?’ playing in their minds Are you answering the ‘So what…?’ question or do you fall into the ‘Meh!’ category? Not only do you have to give them a reason to open your profile, but you have to do so in about 6 seconds. Your LinkedIn profile is only providing a high-level overview of your career experience with some achievements sprinkled in here and there. Originally, the format was laid out in a way that aided with networking. Did you know that about 80% of all jobs are landed through networking? Effectively networking using an optimized LinkedIn profile is a great way to open yourself up to recruiters and hiring managers. However, now that LinkedIn has created the ‘Easy Apply’ feature, the platform isn’t being used just for professional networking anymore. This means you must completely customize your profile so that it is specifically targeted to a particular job or job type. This helps to answer the ‘So what…?’ question. It shows how you add value. Use your LinkedIn profile together with your resume to complete your career picture Every resume writer everywhere will tell you to customize and tailor your resume to each job that you apply to. Your ATS-optimized resume calls attention to your career accomplishments as they are associated with a certain job. When you combine your resume with the information on your profile, you provide hiring managers, recruiters, and HR personnel with a full overview of what you have to offer. Additionally, because your LinkedIn profile is written in the first person, it helps you inject a bit of your personality into your job search. Never say never It sounds like you’re being told to never use the ‘Easy Apply’ button. There are two possible scenarios where you can get away with using the “Easy Apply” button: 1. When you intend to upload a keyword-rich resume: Don’t let the fact that you’re also sending your resume make you think you can neglect your LinkedIn profile. The profile is still going to be the first thing they see. When you use ‘Easy Apply,’ your uploaded resume is shown as a hyperlink at the bottom of your application. What happens if the hiring manager misses the hyperlink or if they simply decide to not click on it? If your profile doesn’t catch their attention, there’s very little chance they’ll spend more time on your application by clicking on the hyperlink. 2. When you intend to follow up: Companies know that applicants who use ‘Easy Apply’ are usually only glancing at the job descriptions. For recruiters, the Easy Apply button tells them that you just pressed a button and don’t have much information about the full extent of the job. Whereas, when you follow them up, it portrays that you’re truly interested in what they are offering. Take-away Theodore Roosevelt said, “Nothing worth having was ever achieved without effort.” Applying to a job may be a tedious, overbearing, and time-consuming drain on your time. It’s worth it in the end, though, isn’t it? Always remember the value you get out of the time you spend. When you find that you meet the qualifications of a role, it’s time to get your resume ready. You’ll need a document that gets past the Applicant Tracking System and impresses the hiring manager. Always Typing Resumes has been helping clients do this for years. It would be a great honor to be a part of your career journey, too. Contact Us Today
Your resume should have at least these 6 sections
Considering that your resume is probably the most important financial document you’ll ever own, making sure that it is properly crafted is of the utmost importance. Did you wrinkle your brow at the concept of a resume being a financial document? Let’s think about it for a second. Without a job, you can’t pay bills, go on vacation, or plan for retirement. Without a great resume, you can’t win the interview that will land the job. Now that’s settled, let’s dive into the 6 sections that must always be on your resume. Your resume and the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) Before a hiring manager even lays eyes on your resume, it often undergoes scrutiny by the ATS. These systems meticulously scan resumes, searching for relevant keywords, experience, and education. Properly structuring your resume, with the reverse-chronological format being the most common choice, along with the correct section headers, is crucial for getting past the ATS. So, what are the sections that you need on your resume? Contact information Your contact details should take the prime position at the top of the page. Do not bury them in the footer or set them as a header. Make them an integral part of your document to ensure the hiring manager can easily find your information. Placing it in the footer can make it difficult for the ATS to parse your details. You can creatively style your contact information with bold fonts and a subtle border to set it apart from the body of your resume. Title You should add a title, centered on a line by itself just below your contact info. It will represent what you want to do and will mirror the job description. A hiring manager will only spend about 6 seconds glancing at your resume. A title will help them immediately know what your job goal is. Be creative here! If the job description mentions the need to fill a position for a Nurse Practitioner, you need to include those words in your title. However, you can expand on that a bit to stand out from the crowd. Use something like “Patient-Centric Nurse Practitioner” instead. Professional summary The very next thing on the page should always be your Professional Summary, Career Summary, Professional Profile, or whatever else you want to call it. This is a 3-5 sentence statement about you that basically answers the Tell me about yourself interview question. Where you’ve been in your career, where you’re going, and how you’ll use your experience to get there. The days of writing an Objective are dead (by the way, the days of the one-page resume are dead, too). Just beneath the professional summary will be a SKILLS list. This is a simple list of 9-12 keywords. It’s a mix of hard skills (things you know how to do because of education and experience) and soft skills (personality traits). This list is directly targeted to the program/job you’re applying to. Professional experience Begin by listing your most recent position first and work your way back to your first position. However, don’t go further back than about 10 years. Keeping the content on your resume within the last 10 years ensures that it is fresh and current. The main idea here is context. You want to put what you did into a context that the hiring manager can relate to the job she is trying to fill. So, you worked at Burgers R Us as a Front Counter Manager and you trained the new employees. That’s great! Put two words into your brain right now, “so what?” The hiring manager is going to be thinking, you might as well be thinking it. Every time you write something on your resume, think “so what?” Why am I writing this? What value did it add to my employment at Burgers R Us? What value will it bring to my new employer? Additionally, it is important to talk about what you achieved instead of just what your responsibilities were. Just because you were supposed to do something at your last job doesn’t mean you actually did it. If you talk about what you achieved, you can better showcase how you will help the company to which you’re applying. Don’t forget about achievements: There needs to be at least 5 measurable accomplishments listed on your resume. These can be qualitative or quantitative. For example, a great quantitative achievement would be to talk about how many students you teach or what percentage you’ve been able to raise test scores. “Reviewed TABE test scores to ascertain student shortfalls and used those inefficiencies as opportunities for improvement, resulting in a 15% increase in scores over the prior year.” Education This section seems fairly self-explanatory. A huge opportunity is missed by a lot of people in the education section, though. Instead of just listing your degree and where you went to school, you can further demonstrate your knowledge by listing some of the courses you took. Now, if you took Art Appreciation as an elective, it probably will not help to list that (unless you’re going into a creative field). DO NOT list your high school. If you have higher education, the assumption is that you finished high school or at least obtained your GED, as you can’t get into college without one or the other. Even if you have no higher education, my suggestion would still be not to list your high school; just leave the education section completely off your resume. Listing high school doesn’t say, “I finished high school,” it says, “I didn’t go to college.” The absence of the education section will not cause you to miss out on an interview; however, it will give you and the interviewer something to talk about. Awards, certifications, and volunteer work It is important to list what you do outside of work and school. The idea of listing awards and certificates is fairly common, but many people leave off volunteer work. Were you the president of
What should a great cover letter look like?
Not too long ago, it was thought that the age of using a cover letter was dying. That is no longer the case. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, companies have been more interested in cover letters as a means for connecting with job seekers. What should your cover letter look like? The layout, heading, and greeting Your cover letter tells the hiring manager what you can do for them. It should be a formal letter specifically addressed to the hiring manager at the company with whom you’re applying. It is okay to use the greeting “To Whom It May Concern” if you don’t know the name of the person specifically, but a name is always best. The body – paragraph 1 The first paragraph should be written to tell the hiring manager how you heard about the opening and to express your desire to apply. Now, this may seem self-explanatory (who would send a cover letter and resume to a company if the intent wasn’t to apply for a job?), but there is an actual reason. The company likely posted that job on multiple job boards, and it is also probably listed on their company website. Telling you where you found it gives them valuable marketing information about their job posts. So, you’re helping them with the first sentence, and if you’re keeping in mind that a cover letter is supposed to tell them what you can do for them, you’re already off to a great start. The body – paragraph 2 The second paragraph will tell them why you think you’re the right person for the job. Discuss one or two achievements you’ve had in previous positions or something you achieved while in college that will help set you apart from the rest of the pack. For example, did you single-handedly increase revenue for your department by 10% during an economic downfall? Talk about it and then turn it around to let them know you’d love to use that knowledge to increase their revenue. The body – paragraph 3 The last paragraph of the letter should reiterate your desire to work for their company. It should also thank them for taking the time to look over your resume and give them your preferred method of contact. Be specific, be bold. Instead of ending the letter with something like, “If you’d like to know more about me, please call,” end it with, “I look forward to hearing from you to discuss my candidacy.” Then close out the letter with your salutation and signature. The closing Finally, sign your name. Make sure the name you’re using matches all of your other career marketing documents including resume, thank you notes, and LinkedIn profile. The name you use DOES NOT have to be your legal name and IT CAN include any nicknames that you go by. Exclude any verbiage about your resume being attached. It is unnecessary. Summary The main idea of the cover letter is to tell the employer what you can do, not what you want to do or what you think you can do. Be positive, courageous and sell yourself! Resumes, Cover Letters, and LinkedIn Profiles — Oh, my! Always Typing has built an award-winning service for helping people earn coveted interviews and land dream jobs. We can help you, too! Contact Us Today
The reverse chronological resume is the best format for landing your dream job
When it comes to job hunting, your resume is your golden ticket. It’s the first impression you’ll make on potential employers and plays a crucial role in securing an interview. Among the various resume formats available, the reverse-chronological resume stands out as the preferred choice for job seekers. There are a lot of job seekers who think the way to stand out from the crowd during a job search is to have a creatively designed — pretty — resume. However, the reverse chronological resume is the best format to use for landing your dream job. In this article, we will explore why the reverse-chronological resume is the best format to use when applying for jobs and how it can help you showcase your qualifications and experiences effectively. Why should you avoid heavily formatted, creative resumes? A quick Google search for a resume template will produce hundreds of thousands of heavily formatted and over-designed resume styles. Opting for such formats significantly heightens the risk of encountering rejection by the Applicant Tracking System (ATS), a tool utilized by more than 90% of companies. ATS systems meticulously scan resumes for various elements, including years of experience, educational qualifications, relevant keywords, font, and margin specifications, and the number of quantifiable accomplishments presented. If the system struggles to interpret these components, it automatically dismisses the resume. The most prevalent consequence of ATS rejection is the phenomenon known as “ghosting.” In this scenario, the system promptly discards the resume without ever forwarding it to a human evaluator. Consequently, those responsible for hiring remain oblivious to the job seeker’s existence, and no follow-up communication is initiated. Furthermore, overly stylized and creatively designed resumes can divert attention away from their substantive content, making it arduous for employers to pinpoint essential information. Moreover, it’s imperative to recognize that creative resumes may not align with the expectations of all industries or positions. In conservative sectors such as finance or law, a flamboyant and imaginative resume could be perceived as unprofessional. Therefore, it is crucial to take into account industry standards and the preferences of the hiring organization when deliberating on the format of your resume. The overall advice you’ll receive from recruiters, hiring managers, and resume writers is to use a reverse-chronological resume While there are 3 widely accepted formats that you can use for your resume — the reverse-chronological, the functional, and the hybrid — the most popular is the reverse-chronological. Hiring managers like to see the reverse-chronological format because they know exactly where the information is and can quickly ascertain whether a candidate seems like a good fit for their open position. 1. Highlighting Your Recent Achievements The reverse-chronological resume format places your most recent work experiences at the top, making them the focal point for recruiters. This is important because employers are often more interested in what you’ve been doing recently rather than what you did several years ago. By starting with your most recent job and working backward, you immediately present your current skill set and expertise. 2. Tailoring Your Resume for Each Job Application Customization is key when applying for jobs, and the reverse-chronological format makes it easier to tailor your resume for each position. You can prioritize and emphasize the experiences and skills that are most relevant to the specific job you’re applying for. This flexibility ensures that your resume aligns perfectly with the requirements of the role. 3. Building Trust and Familiarity Recruiters and hiring managers are accustomed to the reverse-chronological format. Its familiarity and clarity make it easier for them to quickly assess your qualifications and compare your profile with other candidates. This ease of evaluation can work to your advantage, as it increases the likelihood that your resume will receive thorough consideration. 4. Demonstrating Career Progression One of the key advantages of the reverse-chronological format is that it allows you to showcase your career progression. Employers want to see that you have been steadily advancing in your field and gaining more responsibility over time. This format makes it easy for them to trace your professional journey and see how you’ve grown in your career. 5. Addressing Employment Gaps If you have experienced gaps in your employment history, the reverse-chronological resume can help you handle this issue strategically. By placing the focus on your most recent jobs, you can minimize the visibility of any gaps in your work history. Additionally, you can explain employment gaps in your cover letter, ensuring that you control the narrative and present yourself in the best possible light. Here is an example of a great reverse-chronological resume: Some tips to ensure your job search success In order to keep your resume current and fresh, stick to detailing out only the last 10 years of experience. Unless you’ve participated in some major research projects, have done a lot of public speaking, or have published works, keep your resume to no more than 2 pages. There may be times when it is appropriate to omit career details from your history. The reverse-chronological resume format reigns supreme with an emphasis on achievements and career progression. If you’re on the hunt for your dream job, remember that the reverse-chronological resume is your secret weapon for success. Craft your resume with care, and watch as it opens doors to exciting career opportunities. Contact Us Today
How to perfect your LinkedIn profile to get noticed by recruiters
LinkedIn – it’s where the professionals go! You may be thinking that LinkedIn is just another social media platform; however, it is so much more than that. We all spend so much time perfecting our Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Snapchat profiles. The profile pictures must be just right, we play with the settings to ensure privacy is the way we want it, we talk about our kids, discuss our relationships, update our job statuses, and spend hours organizing the photos into neat albums. In fact, we should be spending our time on LinkedIn, instead. LinkedIn has over 600 MILLION registered members in over 200 countries. These registered members are all professionals talking about their companies, seeking job candidates and, yes, some members are seeking jobs. In fact, some companies only list their job openings on LinkedIn. If you’re not on there, then you’re missing out. If you’re on there but you haven’t taken the time to perfect your profile, you could also be missing out. The goal with your LinkedIn profile is to get it to what they refer to as ‘All-Star’ status. Here’s what you need to do that: A profile photo Industry and Location Experience An “About” section Skills – LinkedIn allows 50, but you have to have at least 5 Education At least 50 connections Your profile picture Considering those first impressions are everything, then the photo you choose for your LinkedIn profile is of utmost importance. Most career coaches recommend a professional photographer. That’s not necessarily accurate, though. If you work in a professional setting If the position you seek is a professional, office-type, or executive position, then you should hire a professional photographer. If a professional photographer isn’t in the budget, then have a friend take a picture of you. Instruct them how you want to be framed in the photo, and make sure there’s no weird background to distract viewers. Alternatively, you can choose the best picture you have — just make sure it is a picture of you and you alone. Don’t crop someone else out of it or leave a levitating arm dangling around your shoulder. If you work in a creative setting If you are going into a field that requires you to be creative, then be creative with your profile photo. Just remember to keep the creativity of your profile photo slightly muted so that it’s not overwhelmingly distracting. You don’t want hiring managers trying to figure out what’s going on in the photo when they should really be reading your profile. If you work in an industrial/manufacturing setting A great profile photo for you would be one in which you are outdoors or even in the place you work. There’s a vast difference between people who work indoors and people who work outdoors. Use your first impression to demonstrate that you’re not afraid of being outside. The bottom-line for profile photos Discussing profile photos can go on and on. The general idea is to make your profile photo match what you do the best way you can. Make sure it’s clean, not overly distracting, and that it’s only you in the picture. The recommended size for a photo uploaded to LinkedIn is 400×400 pixels. LinkedIn does say that it’s okay to upload a larger photo as long as it’s square and doesn’t exceed 8MB of 4320×7680 pixels. Your professional headline (120 characters max) Headlines grab our attention. They make us want to read what’s in the article. Sometimes, though, the headline tells us all we need to know. This is the same with your LinkedIn headline. You want it to grab their attention and make them read, you DO NOT want them to read it and move on because then you’ve just lost. Most people don’t take the time to write a custom headline. In fact, most headlines on LinkedIn simply say, “Team Leader at ABC Company.” Recruiters and hiring managers are seeing 100s of profiles that have the exact same title. You have to write a headline that makes them stop. You want them to think, “Wait … what?!” That will make them read your profile. LinkedIn allows 220 characters for your headline, including spaces. Utilize this space to say who you are by listing your target Job Title and then a short blurb that says how you do what you do. Here are a couple of examples of the headlines Always Typing has written for clients: “Cunning entrepreneurial advisor, trade expert, & venture capitalist with a track record for ethical success.” “ICAT System and Healthcare Project Manager Working Toward Technological Innovation and Improved Patient Care.” Use those 220 characters to your advantage. It is valuable real estate that gives your LinkedIn profile curb appeal. Your profile summary – “About” section (2000 characters max) The professional summary is the next section on which to spend a bit of time. Generally, a professional summary on a resume is written in a very professional (some might say “stuffy”) tone. With LinkedIn, it’s a little different. The summary is a GREAT place to showcase your wittiness and creativity. Use your voice in a way that invites open dialogue from colleagues, recruiters, and prospective employers. One thing to keep in mind is that 2000 characters are a limit, not a goal. Always Typing consistently begins writing profile summaries using a quote that’s relevant to a job seeker’s field. For example, a profile for a Regional Manager in the field of sports memorabilia could be started with a quote by Vince Lombardi. Work Experience (10 years max) Julius Caesar said, “Experience is the teacher of all things.” Prospective employers believe the same thing. So, how do you reflect what you’ve learned through experience? You pay close attention to detail in your work experience section and highlight achievements. Why should you highlight achievements? No one cares what you were supposed to do (i.e., were responsible for) at your previous job. They care about what you actually did that made the place you were
How to find your dream job by networking and getting job referrals using LinkedIn
A resume is the most common and necessary item when searching for a job. However, it’s not the only thing in your toolbox. This is where networking and job referrals come in. One, or both, of these things can easily get you a job. Most people prefer hunting for jobs on their own. Sometimes, though, it’s important to make your job search easy by leveraging your network. For instance, a job referral from your network on LinkedIn can help you expose your resume to the appropriate recruiters, headhunters, and hiring managers. In this article, we cover essential things to help you land your dream job. Quick statistics Job referrals are 50% more likely to get you an interview About 40% percent of referred candidates get their dream job Networking is responsible for 80% percent of all jobs Networking and job referrals Networking is all about finding the right people to connect with and build a good reputation. Do not underestimate your network on LinkedIn, because therein lies vital connections. How do you find and build a network It is understandable that not everyone will have a ready-made network to capitalize on. Your first step will be to search for the company that has the job you want. Click through to see the list of their employees. In the spirit of understanding before asking to be understood, don’t jump right into asking for help with finding a new job when you reach out to these people. Build a good rapport with them, then introduce the conversation about your job search later. What happens if you don’t know anyone at the new company? They may know someone with whom you’re connected. If they do, then that’s a great person to reach out to. Mention knowing/how you know the mutual connection to help you build a good rapport with the third-party contact. Doing so will make it easy for you to request a job referral. Other ESSENTIAL ways to help you network on LinkedIn Join LinkedIn Groups The fun part of LinkedIn is the various groups where you can find like-minded individuals to connect with. Be smart by joining some interesting LinkedIn groups. You’ll be able to see what members post and know how best to interact with them. It will also help you to learn how to engage with others through your posts in the group. After some time, you should be able to share appropriate information and connect easily with group members to build your network. You should learn to encourage one-on-one conversation through your engaging posts. Go ahead and invite members of the group to share their experiences. Your posts should be geared towards the benefit of many group members. However, you should make personal comments in direct messages. Respond to posts Responding to other people’s posts is a great aspect of networking. This will help you expose your profile to many people. The posts you respond to can receive recommendations from LinkedIn with huge traffic. People who like your may have connections who are likely to see the post as well. As a result, you may get new connections, enabling you to increase your network on LinkedIn. Using LinkedIn to network and search for referrals may just be the key to landing to taking the next successful step on your career journey. If you need help perfecting your LinkedIn profile, let us know and we’ll get to work with you on it. Contact Us Today
