MARKETING YOURSELF
Even the best product must be marketed and promoted for the world to know. As a job seeker, that means refreshing your profile, resume and references.
For many job functions, LinkedIn is the place to start. With more than 660 million users, it is the go-to for many recruiters, and you want to put yourself in their crosshairs.
Ensure your LinkedIn profile is complete and up to date, and privacy is set to open so recruiters can find you in their search results. There is also an #Opentowork frame that you can apply over your profile picture – but that isn’t recommended, given you don’t want an awkward conversation with your current company if they find out.
You should also take time to solicit testimonials. Take time to request them from former colleagues, bosses and even staff. An easy way to motivate them to write one for you is to write for them first. That makes them somewhat obligated to return the favour.
Apply the same update to your resume but have it specific to the kind of jobs you are looking for. You can use online tools like Jobalytics to tell you if the keywords in your resume “match” the ones in the target job posting, as most companies use technology to rank candidates based on keyword-match.
DO IT ON YOUR OWN TIME
With COVID-19 almost disappearing from our rear-view mirror, face-to-face networking has returned with a vengeance.
