It’s very simple advice with very significant outcomes: make yourself both visible and accessible.
Whether you are employed or unemployed, happy or unhappy with your plot in life, visibilty and accessibility are invaluable to you. The more a potential employer can see about your experience and your personality, the better your chances are for finding a great opportunity. You don’t need to be on the job hunt to revamp your resume and Linkedin profile with your latest work. Also, updates done in bite-sized portions are more manageable than the mighty crunch-time overhaul, right? With any given job, there is always room for improvement, so set yourself up for the best possible outcome by letting the world get in touch with your business side.
Your resume is never “finished.” No matter how long you work on it at a given time, it will always be old news by the next week, the next month, or even the next day. Linkedin can help ease the documentation your professional life, and it should be used as a resource for visibly displaying your relevance as an employee, but it cannot replace that classic, highly-polished, bullet-point ridden masterpiece that defines your monetary worth in the world of business. Take care to capture your work in the best light by being able to include details of what you’ve done for your employer as you complete certain tasks, instead of losing those details to time-induced amnesia. Your resume needs to be a priority in your life, and it will pay you back for the time that you put into it by sitting proudly atop job sites across the internet, waiting to be scooped up by an employer or recruiter.
Be sure that your Linkedin matches up with your resume (Or make a Linkedin account if you haven’t yet!). Your Linkedin profile need not be as extensive as your resume, but should have a good summary of what you have accomplished to date. Also, the nature of Linkedin allows you to infuse your profile with more personality than a resume, so don’t be afraid to give an onlooker an impression of your interests, professionally and personally. Personality will determine how well you fit the company culture, and how well the company culture fits you, so taking away some of the mystery will help the right people find you.
Now that your resume and Linkedin profile are looking sharp, be ready for a few phone calls and emails! Don’t be perturbed or put-off by us recruiters; we are here to get you or someone you know a chance at a new opportunity, or to just get to know you better for future possibilities. Be accessible and take a minute to talk to us, and we’ll work hard to help get you where you want to be.