Find Success with a Keyword Rich LinkedIn Profile

It goes without saying that networking is an effective way to build your business, or to get yourself seen when looking for a new career. Back in the day, that meant pressing the flesh and exchanging business cards, but the internet era has made that something of a thing of the past. Social networking is now the way that most people connect online, but it’s hard to think of Facebook or Twitter as places where you could advance your career. That is why LinkedIn has become the social networking site for those that are serious about building their business and making connections.

The first time people arrive at the site, the most common question that they ask is, “how do I use LinkedIn?” The answer really depends on what you want to get out of the site. This may be anything from getting your resume out to potential employers, to simply connecting with other people that share your profession. The best way to jump right in and get started is by filling out your LinkedIn profile and utilizing all the different sections to ensure that you promote yourself in the best way.

Your LinkedIn profile will actually look somewhat like a resume by the time you are finished with it, and it’s the information contained within that will help people find you. Try to keep that information as up to date as possible, just in case you are looking for work and an employer decides to come calling. Keeping your profile up to date will help you look a little more attractive than others in your industry who don’t.  Remember that as this is a business network for professionals, your profile should reflect that, so try to keep your LinkedIn writing as professional as possible.

A great way to connect with people and start networking is to join groups. Based on the information that you provide in your profile, LinkedIn will suggest a number of groups that you may be interested in. You will find that most will be based around your profession, but some will also match categories that you have listed as skills and interests. This is a great way to meet like-minded people and to get your network up and running quickly.

Groups are a fantastic way to keep up with everything that is happening within your industry, as well as a way to help others who have questions about the profession. If you are using LinkedIn to find employment, then you may be able to find out which companies are hiring, which in turn could save you a ton of time in your job search process. There are many different ways to use LinkedIn, and the layout is so familiar to other social networks, you will quickly be able to get the hang of how to navigate and will start reaping the benefits quickly.

Final Reminder: Don’t forget to use strategic keywords throughout your LinkedIn profile. The more keywords you can incorporate into your profile the greater the chance that your profile will be found by potential recruiters and hiring managers. Give yourself the greatest opportunity of finding success with a keyword rich LinkedIn profile.

© RedStarResume Publications – http://www.redstarresume.com

Stand Out From The Crowd With A Brand New Professional Resume, Cover Letter and LinkedIn Profile From RedStarResume:

Specializing In Over 35 Industries! – Turn your resume into an achievement based marketing documents in just 48-72 hours

Did you know?

The RedStarResume resume layout and design presentation has been highly praised by recruiters, hiring managers and career experts from across globe!

Top 5 Rules for Writing a Targeted Student Resume

Check out our post on GradConnection – The #1 employment website for students and graduates.

With student internships right around the corner, now is as good a time as any to ensure that your resume is updated and ready to be sent off to hiring managers and future employers. With competition for internships so demanding, it is critical that your resume is not only written, formatted and presented correctly, but is able to capture the reader’s attention instantly. Statistics suggest that a hiring manager will spend no longer than 20 seconds reading your professional resume. No matter how good your grades or your experience, your resume will be discarded if it does not stand out.

Create the right first impression

First impressions are so important when it comes to your resume and cover letter. Resume writing is more of an art form as opposed to an exact science, and while there are no exact rules to follow that will ensure your resume gets noticed, there are many things you can do that won’t help the situation. Firstly, ensure that your resume is reader friendly. Use headings and bullet points to emphasise important information and remove any unnecessary information that does not enhance your application. Does your resume say “Resume” or “Curriculum Vitae” at the top of the page? Remove this! A hiring manager knows that this is your resume and does need to be reminded of this.

Use Correct Spelling and Grammar

It seems so obvious, but incorrect spelling or bad grammar is a huge turnoff to the reader. It immediately reduces your professionalism and creates a negative impression on the reader. Another good tip is to convert your resume from a word document into a PDF. Not only does it look more professional, but it also eliminates any chance of those green or red lines appearing underneath certain words or sentences!

Focus on Achievements

A hiring manager wants to know how you can add value to their business. Ensure that your resume is full of achievement-based examples. Rather than listing all of your subjects in school, for example, emphasise certain subjects that you excelled in and provide examples. If you received a distinction or high distinction, make sure this is included on the resume. If you completed extra-curricular activities, community service or volunteer work, don’t merely list the organisations. Instead, focus on your achievements within those areas or provide examples of where you made a positive difference.

Use Strategic Keywords

With the competition for jobs so fierce, hiring managers can receive up to 1000 resumes for a single position. Because of this, many firms are now using software programs as a way of scanning candidate resumes. Using selected keywords will ensure that your resume passes the first stage of selection and will not be deleted before a hiring manager has even had a chance to read your application.

Provide Value-Added Information

Just because you might not have relevant work experience, don’t make the mistake of including irrelevant information just for the sake of it. Listing your hobbies and interests as “skiing, hiking and gym” may be worthwhile if you’re applying for a job in sports, however a hiring manager at an accounting firm, for example, will be less interested in this information. In fact, this type of information can actually detract from the resume. Concentrate on providing information that will only enhance your application.

© RedStarResume Publications – http://www.redstarresume.com

Stand Out From The Crowd With A Brand New Resume From RedStarResume:

Specializing In Over 35 Industries! – Turn your resume into an achievement based marketing documents in just 48-72 hours

Don’t forget  - Use the GradConnection discount code “GRADCONNECTION” and receive a 10% discount off the price of any of our resume services! It’s that easy (Enter the discount code in the “Discount Code Box”)

Does Your Resume Pass or Fail

Does your professional resume stand out from the competition? Will your resume meet the expectations of employers or hiring managers or will it end up in the deleted items folder?

Resume writing is an art form and while there are no exact rules that will ensure you get the job, there are plenty of mistakes that you can make that will prevent your resume from being noticed. No matter if you are a recent student or a high flying executive, a compelling written resume that highlights your skills and promotes your talents to the hiring manager will ensure that you give yourself every opportunity of making it to the interview stage.

What will make my resume stand out from the competition?

The most important aspect of resume writing is marketing yourself correctly. Do not waste the reader’s time with irrelevant information that will not aid your job description. Statistically your resume has less than 30 seconds to shine so make sure the most important information is placed on the front page. If you require a certain qualification or licence make sure this is easily located on your resume. The more you make the recruiter or hiring manager work to find your information, the greater chance they will delete your resume.

Replace the Objective Statement with a Qualifications Profile:

Do you have a generic, obsolete and boring objective statement at the top of your resume? Something that reads like: “Self-motivated professional seeking a position with a company where I can develop my career and skills”. If so, remove this immediately and replace it with a qualifications profile or career summary. Rather than telling the reader what you want, tell the reader what you can offer their organisation and therefore why you would be a good fit for this role.

Target the Reader:

As a hiring manager, when I read job candidate resumes, I want to instantly find certain requirements that I am looking for in prospective candidates. For example, if I am hiring a computer programmer and one of the requirements for the job is to be proficient in a range of computing languages such as C, Java, Perl etc. then I expect to see this on page 1 of the resume. By hiding this important information on page 3 is not beneficial for this job application. Employers can often receive hundreds of resumes for a particular job. The harder you make their life, the greater the chance that your resume will be deleted.

Strategic Keywords:

With demand for jobs so competitive, many firms now use software programs as a way of performing “first round interviews”. Using selected keywords will ensure that your resume passes the first stage of selection and will not be deleted before a hiring manager has even had a chance to read your application. The best way to find these keywords is by simply reading the job positions. See what the company is looking for and make sure your resume is full of these keywords!

© RedStarResume Publications – http://www.redstarresume.com

Stand Out From The Crowd With A Brand New Resume From RedStarResume:

Specializing In Over 35 Industries! – Turn your resume into an achievement based marketing documents in just 48-72 hours

Click Here to Contact Us Today

How to find an Australian Recruiter

Are you currently seeking a new job but don’t know where to start? A good idea is to prepare a list of Australian recruiters who specialise in your area of expertise and begin to develop relationships with individual recruiters. A common mistake job seekers make is signing up to every agency in town and expecting to sit back and wait for the interviews to start rolling in. Unfortunately, this is not how things work. Before you waste the recruiter’s time, (and more importantly your time), spend a few hours researching the recruitment company and what they can do for you. If your objective is to secure a new job in a large firm there is no point in meeting with recruiters who can only work with smaller boutique companies. Alternatively if you wish to work at a smaller company you need to focus your search on a finding an Australian recruiter who can help you in this area.

Can An Australian Recruiter really help me find a job in the Australian job market?

The simple answer is yes! Australian recruiters have an in depth knowledge of the Australian job market and often have key contacts within organisations. What’s more, they also have knowledge of current market salary expectations and often intimate knowledge of what certain employers are looking for in the “ideal” candidate. However, don’t forget that a recruitment agent relies upon placing candidates in jobs to receive their commission. There can often be a conflict between what is best for the job seeker and what is best for the recruiter.

Develop a relationship with your recruiters:

As per any relationship, building a close connection is a two way process. If you think that sending your resume to a recruiter is enough to get you noticed you are wrong. Recruiters can receive hundreds of resumes on a daily basis. In most cases recruiters have many different jobs on the go at one time and don’t have time to read through every resume with a fine-tooth comb. Although you may be a fantastic job candidate with experience, skills and qualifications it means nothing if the right person is not reading your resume.

A professional candidate needs a professional resume:

Reports indicate that a recruiter will spend less than 30 seconds first reading through your resume. With this very limited amount of time you need to ensure that your professional resume is error free, modern, formatted correctly and most importantly highlights your skills and achievements. First impressions are key to job seeking and the first impression a recruiter will make about a job candidate is through their resume.

© RedStarResume Publications – http://www.redstarresume.com

Stand Out From The Crowd With A Brand New Resume From RedStarResume:

Specializing In Over 35 Industries! – Turn your resume into an achievement based marketing documents in just 48-72 hours

What you get with RedStarResume:

Strategically written resume and/or cover letter designed to target hiring managers and recruiters.

Keyword Rich Resume – Strategic selection of Keywords and phrases designed to highlight your resume and make you stand out over your competition.

Targeted keywords based on your selected industry

Maximise impact with improved wording, presentation and design

Correct formatting and layout to ensure your resume is readable by computer software.

24/7 access to your own personal writer.

Did you know?

The RedStarResume resume layout and design presentation has been highly praised by recruiters, hiring managers and career experts from across the world!

The journey to finding your dream job starts with a brand new resume