Let me start by saying that I am not a recruiter. In fact, I’ve never been a recruiter, and I have no plans of becoming a recruiter anytime soon. I am, however, an expert when it comes to helping recruiters do their jobs better. Let me explain.
My name is Bryan Shaw. My team and I handle all of the marketing / advertising for STS Technical Services; a top-100 staffing firm in the United States that hires across the aerospace, defense, industrial and manufacturing industries. There’s a lot that goes into my role at STS, but the part that’s relevant to my expert claim has to do with the time and effort I expel promoting jobs and finding quality candidates using a myriad of online tools.
Over the years I have helped place more than 10,000 people into successful careers all across the country. I have viewed and edited a countless number of resumes, and I know what it takes to nab the attention of recruiters and ultimately get hired.
Now that you know a little about me and what it is that I do, let me borrow your time for the next few minutes while I show you five surefire ways to help you land the job of your dreams. Are you ready? Here goes.
1.) Be Professional & Active on Social Media
It’s 2023, and social media is ingrained in our culture. If you want to be taken seriously as a job seeker than you need to take your social media profiles seriously.
Studies have shown that nearly 75% of all employers view a candidate’s personal social media pages before making a hiring decision. This means that the content found therein can make or break your chances of getting the job. Knowing this, it’s important to ensure that every social media platform that you’re on exudes and heir of professionalism from top to bottom (yes, that includes Facebook and Instagram).
In addition to making your social media profiles reflect your professional persona, it helps to engage with content being shared by the company you’d like to work for. Don’t go crazy and comment on every status update and tweet they throw out (you’ll look a little stalker-ish if you do). Simply show an active and recurring interest from time to time, and you’ll soon reap the benefits.
2.) Your LinkedIn Profile Isn’t an Online Resume; It’s a Personal Marketing Tool
If your LinkedIn profile reads more like a resume, you’re making a huge mistake.
Here’s how you can fix that.
- Add a professional looking photo
- Be authentic
- Use images, links and video
- Make sure your contact info is easily found
- Be personable, but not too personable
A successful LinkedIn profile will not only highlight your professional experience, it will also give employers a glimpse into who you are as a person. No one wants to hire a face – unless you’re a model – and that means you need to inject some personality into your profile. There’s nothing wrong with letting an employer know that you’re an avid sports fan who loves to play golf and fish on weekends. At the end of the day, employers want to hire people they can relate to, not robots who clock in, clock out, collect their paychecks and go home.
3.) Create a Resume that Stands Out
The old days of printed black ink on white paper are all but gone. Today’s resume demands a little panache, if you will, or at least a little flare that will help you “pop” off the page. Here are some tips on how to accomplish that.
First, check out Canva. It’s a cloud-based graphic design program that’s so easy to use that you may soon quit your current job to become a graphic designer. I’m not kidding. The best part about Canva for job seekers is that it’s a FREE platform with hundreds of pre-populated resume templates that allow you to create an amazing looking CV in a lot less time than you might think.
Second, when is the last time you really dove into Microsoft Word? All modern versions of Word have resume template options for you to choose from, so if Canva intimidates you a little bit, open up a new document, select a unique resume template in the back-end and get work.
Last but not least, let’s talk about resume length. In other words, how long should your resume be? The answer to that question is easy though you may not like it. Are you ready? Your resume should never be longer than one page. If it is, you’re trying too hard. Recruiters will spend about 6 seconds (not kidding) looking at a resume before deciding to learn more or move on. That’s not a lot of time. Keep your resume concise and to the point. In other words, don’t use 20 words when you can say the same thing using seven.
4.) Learn As Much as You Can About the Company & Position Before You Interview
When it comes to landing the job of your dreams, knowledge is power. Those that have it will always steal the job away from those that do not. Here’s why.
By taking the time to learn about the company you’re applying to work for, you’ll be able to spin that newly-found knowledge back to the hiring manger(s) who will guide you throughout the interview process. If you show a genuine interest in the company and the products / services they offer, that interest will ooze out of you in the form of passion. And, like it or not, employers want to hire passionate employees; people who will go above and beyond in an effort to excel. Choose not to heed this advice and do so at your own peril.
5.) Help Recruiters Help You
Recruiters get paid to find you work. In fact, many of them get paid handsomely, particularly if the jobs they deal with require very specific skill sets. Knowing this, recruiters aren’t magicians. They can’t pull magic employment bunnies from an old-school top hat and land you the job of your dreams without a little help. So, the more that you’re willing to help a recruiter get to know and understand who you are and what exactly it is that you’re looking for, the more capable they’ll become at helping you land the job you’ve always wanted.
In addition to being helpful to recruiters, you also need to establish a strong human connection with them if you can. Think about it this way. Who would you be more willing to go to bat for; a person whom you barely know or someone you have a decent relationship with? The right answer is the latter, and if you disagree with me on this, you may want to return to the top of this article and try again.
Conclusion
So you want to land the job of your dreams. That’s awesome! Bright futures start with a single step forward, and this article has been designed to help you get moving in the right direction. I hope you’ve enjoyed it, and I thank you all for taking the time.
