85% of jobs are discovered through job networking. Finding a new career path can become rather frustrating when you’ve submitted resume after resume, and feel like you’re not finding the job opportunity that you’re looking for. The good news is that by leveraging your professional and personal network, you can find opportunities. It may be that you find something with a contact you’ve already made, or you may have to make new connections, but with the world of social media and other things like career fairs, you’ll be able to build up a network quickly. Let’s explore 3 ways to further your career through networking. Social Media Today’s society has grown especially committed to utilizing social media to further goals. Companies use social media to grow their brands, recruiters use it to find job seekers, and hiring managers rely on social sites to learn more about potential interviewees. It’s important to remember that your brand is YOU. Social media connects people from across the street to across the globe. Use it to grow the brand of YOU. Aside from the usual suspects, such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, there are two other social media platforms that are integral to networking for job seekers–LinkedIn and TikTok. LinkedIn LinkedIn is the largest, direct social media platform primarily used in networking for careers. From your LinkedIn profile to the connections you make, this website offers you multiple avenues for leveraging your network all within one online global, one-stop shop. Keep up the momentum and stay active on the site. Activity equals profile views. More profile views can increase your connections and your job possibilities. Connect with alumni or previous coworkers, and grow your LinkedIn following. Make sure to offer recommendations and endorsements to others in your network and ask that they endorse or recommend you, as well. Again, you are using social media to advertise yourself. So, it’s critical to show that you are just as capable of giving as you are of receiving when it comes to those connections. TikTok TikTok has over 1 billion users worldwide. It is a huge resource for networking. While making random videos on an online platform may seem overwhelming, it is extremely rewarding for your potential networking pool. Knowledge and creativity can attract multiple resources, which will increase your employment connections. Influencers are a major part of social media platforms. Think of yourself as an influencer, and influence your audience to invest in you. That audience includes companies and headhunters looking for their next employable asset. Be the asset. Utilize your TikTok as a resume, and make it work for you. Personal Network Your personal network is an avenue to a possible new career opportunity. There are simple ways you can manage that avenue. Communicate Keep in touch. No, this doesn’t have to be daily communication. But do reach out, especially when someone in your circle may hold a lead to your future career. If you’re introverted or not a huge people person, that’s okay; use digital communication. Be genuine. When communicating with your personal network, make sure to do something thoughtful, like sharing an article they may enjoy or a meme on occasion. So that when you inquire about information at a later date, it doesn’t seem intrusive. Community Service There is a reason why colleges and employers want to know about what types of community service you have provided. It shows initiative and it shows selflessness. If you’re willing to give freely, you are likely just as willing to work hard to earn that paycheck. Volunteering with the people in your personal network shows that you are willing to work to help others without expectation. Giving is important. Volunteer opportunities also help to forge connections with new people to add to your existing personal network. Show gratitude Sometimes, the smallest things can mean the most, and impressions matter. People are more likely to refer to somebody in their personal network if they value them as a kind individual. Aside from it just being good manners, saying “Thank you” can go a long way. Gratitude can be shown with acts of kindness. When it comes to your personal network, impressions are, in fact, personal. Career Fairs & Events Career Fairs help connect employers to potential employees, and are a great way to leverage potential contacts. Make sure to have your resume on hand and dress to impress. Consider also noting employers that are hiring which may interest someone in your personal network. Career events such as conferences that specialize in your skills are a great place to forge new connections. It’s always beneficial to keep some copies of your resume on hand when attending any of these types of events. One of your new connections may be looking for someone just like you! Network with your resume in hand As you’re on the path to growing your job networking skills, it’s imperative that your resume is ready and properly targeted to your career goals! If you’re not sure whether your resume will attract the job offers you really want, don’t worry; we are here to help. We will look over your resume for you–for free. Contact Us Today
Tips On How to Organize Your Job Search
Did you know only 30% of job seekers are actively looking for new positions? You may not be in a rush to find a job, but being disorganized about your job search can extend even the laxest timelines. Applying to jobs continuously can be time-consuming and confusing. Did you apply for that job already? When did you apply to that company last? What information do I still need to do? That’s why you need to know how to organize your job search. Keep reading and we’ll show you how. Benefits of Organizing Your Job Search Action Plan The average job search lasts about five months. If you apply to several jobs a day for at least five days a week over five months…you have a lot of applications to keep track of. This is where being organized can be extremely helpful. Some of the benefits of organizing your job search include: Maximize Time and Efficiency Have you ever been filling out an extremely long application only to find out when you try to submit that you’ve already applied for this role? By organizing the search, you maximize your time and efficiency. You no longer waste time trying to figure out if or when you applied and can streamline the entire process. Learn From Mistakes Answering the pre-screening questions can sometimes be a lesson. If you have an organized plan for the job search, you can keep track of those answers too. Then you can figure out how to make them better for the next application. Strong Interviews Being organized will definitely strengthen your interview capabilities. You’ll have each application documented, so you can easily check back when you get an interview request and refresh your memory. This is the first step in researching the company and will demonstrate that you are excited for the opportunity. How to Organize Your Job Search To begin, you can use whatever tools or supplies you’d like to organize the job search. Maybe you’d prefer to use a pen and paper over a spreadsheet. Whatever works for you is going to be the best option, because you’ll be more likely to stick with it. Now, for the organization tips: #1: Update Your Resume The first thing you want to do is update your resume. You can’t have a streamlined and efficient job search if you are constantly looking for an updated resume. Or if you have to continuously go add information you forgot to include. Although, you do need to remember to tailor your resume to different jobs to get through the Applicant Tracking System. Once you are very clear on what you want to target, then you can update. Be sure you gather any recent information that is missing, such as training or certifications. If you are overwhelmed by the thought of doing this, we can help! Learn more about our resume services and see real client resume samples here. #2: Be Clear On the Basics You want to define the types of jobs you want to apply for and the industry. If you are interested in several, that’s okay! But by breaking it down to a specific job type, you make sure you have a focused job search. This will go a long way in achieving success. #3: Track Progress Be sure to track your progress throughout the job search. Whether you create a paper sheet or use an online version, you want to include the following information about each application: Ensuring you have this information for every application will help you to avoid costly mistakes. There are a lot of free project management tools that would be great for managing this, such as Asana. #4: Create a Schedule It’s easy to get caught up in the job search and spend all your time applying for roles. While it’s good you want to apply to as many as possible, it’s important you don’t overdo it and burn out. If the job search lasts for several months, that could lead to discouragement quickly. So, set a plan for your job search. Start by creating a goal for the number of applications you’ll send out daily (3-5) and determine how many days a week you’ll do this. Then follow the schedule! #5: Use a Checklist You want to make sure you include all relevant information before you submit an application. You also want to make sure you have everything ready to go before beginning the job search Creating checklists ensures you don’t miss a step. It’s also a way to increase your productivity and manage your time more effectively. #6: Expand Your Network Your job search is an excellent time to build your network. When searching for jobs, you can identify key people in the company or industry to connect with. This will help you out in the long run. Many job opportunities come from a referral, so networking is an invaluable tool. Complete #1 On Your Job Search Game Plan Now you know how to organize your job search! The first step is to update your resume and you are in the right place. Always Typing Resumes has the expertise you need to develop a professional resume that passes through ATS software and captures the attention of recruiters. Contact Us Today
Do I Need a LinkedIn Profile? Yes, You Do!
More than 57 million businesses have LinkedIn profiles. This means, the hiring managers and recruiters from 57 million businesses have profiles and could potentially find yours. That is if you have one. Clients ask us every single day, “Do I need a LinkedIn profile?” The answer is yes, yes you do. You need one now. If you want to use LinkedIn to find jobs or if you want the 90% of recruiters and hiring managers who source candidates using LinkedIn to find you, this article is for you! Why Do I Need a LinkedIn Profile? Millions of people are using LinkedIn to find a job and just as many people are using LinkedIn to network, showcase their expertise, and build solid relationships that will make an impact later in their careers. Out of the site’s 885 million users, more than 310 million of them are active each month. LinkedIn is a highly popular and active social media site. Professionals across all industries find value in having a profile, whether they’re looking for a job or are happy where they are. The potential of LinkedIn is immeasurable when you really think about it. It only takes a few minutes to create a profile and a few more to fill it out, so why wouldn’t you want one? Advantages of Having a Profile When Job Searching on LinkedIn So, what are the benefits of having a profile? We mentioned a few above but we’ll go into more detail here. Read more: It’s More Personal One advantage of having a profile during your LinkedIn job search is that you can be more personable on the profile. When writing a resume, there are very strict industry guidelines that must be followed. These rules leave little room for imagination or personality. However, you can let your personality shine on LinkedIn. In the summary (a/k/a About section), you can discuss the “why” behind what you do. You can even show off the causes most important to you in the affiliations and organizations section. There are also many opportunities to brag about awards, honors, or publications that your resume may not have room for. Search Optimization You likely have heard about applicant tracking systems and the importance of optimizing your resume. But did you know it’s just as crucial you optimize your LinkedIn profile? The entire site works a lot like Google, so recruiters and hiring managers can find you easily with a few keywords. We’ll talk about ranking in recruiter searches in a little bit. Networking Having a strong network is an invaluable asset to have in your career. LinkedIn allows you to connect with previous colleagues or schoolmates that could help you get a sweet deal today. You never know when your network could come in handy, so you must always work on it. Other benefits of networking include: Networking may seem scary at first, but it gets easier as you go. Having a great LinkedIn profile makes it go much more smoothly. You Can Showcase Industry Expertise When someone visits your LinkedIn profile, they can quickly and easily see what you are an expert in. There are very few industries where this is not an advantage. You can easily position yourself as an expert or thought leader, making your job search much easier in the long run. In fact, you may catch the eye of some recruiters and speed up the process quite a bit. Research Potential Employers and Hiring Managers After you use LinkedIn to apply for jobs and win a coveted interview, you can use LinkedIn to research the company and the people. This is especially important when you want to try to find out more about the person who will be interviewing you. How Recruiters and Hiring Managers Use LinkedIn Not surprisingly, recruiters and hiring managers both leverage LinkedIn a little differently. For one, hiring managers – you know, the people who will be interviewing you – will look at your profile to get an idea of whether you fit within the culture of their company. Recruiters use LinkedIn to find you. Recruiters That’s right. You’re looking for a job and recruiters are searching for people like you to fill those jobs. In fact, they pay for this privilege. When you develop and optimize your LinkedIn profile, you make it easier for recruiters to find you. Your summary is a great opportunity to showcase your expertise and give the reader something memorable that makes you stand out among your competitors. Remember to use as many relevant keywords as you can, but use them in a way that makes sense. You don’t want to be accused of keyword stuffing. LinkedIn will rank you in recruiter searches based on keyword density, among other things. Most companies expect you to have a LinkedIn profile and some even demand it. Go ahead and create an impactful profile so that you don’t have to throw something together at the last minute. Hiring Managers Hiring managers use social media, especially LinkedIn, to learn more about candidates. When applying for a professional role, a lack of a LinkedIn profile could be what prevents you from moving forward. Hiring managers look at LinkedIn to understand your career path and industry expertise. It is an excellent way to showcase your accomplishments so hiring managers can’t wait to meet you. You can also set yourself apart from other candidates by posting relevant content within industry-specific groups. It’ll help potential bosses think of you as an expert. Prepare Your Career Documents Before Applying to LinkedIn Jobs Now you get why we say, “Yes” when someone asks, “Do I need a LinkedIn profile?” We’ll go as far as to say it is just as important as your resume. This is especially true for job seekers applying to LinkedIn jobs. Before starting your LinkedIn job search, you must ensure your documents and profile are as professional and up-to-date as possible! Contact Us Today
Applying for a job using LinkedIn’s Easy Apply Option Can Put You at the Back of the Pack
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. 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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
