By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS, CSMCS, CELDC
If you want to grow in your career, sometimes you need to venture beyond your current employer. This means entering the job search market. As you move higher up the ladder, you’ll find that these positions are harder to find independently. Companies tend to use trusted sources and networking to find top talent. That means you need to attract recruiters instead of searching through job listings. This guide will show you how to attract the right recruiters for the industry and position you want to be in.
Know Your Goal
This is not the time to be a jack of all trades. Know what you want to do and what your strengths are and focus on those. Remember, you can either do a few things very well or many things mediocre. You want a recruiter and future company to understand what you can bring to the table.
Focus your resume and online profiles to use the same keywords as your goal job title and position. This makes you a better fit and look like the ideal candidate.
Become More Public
In this day and age, we all understand the importance of privacy settings on our social media and other online profiles. However, locking down your professional profiles can hinder your career efforts.
Consider making your profile more public that it’s searchable beyond the immediate platform. Websites like LinkedIn let you make your profile searchable on Google. If you’re concerned about privacy, you can make individual sections visible to public searches.
Give Yourself an Action Job Title
Did you know that the headline is the most crucial part of your LinkedIn profile? It’s the most searched part. Unfortunately, most people waste this opportunity to be found by putting their actual job title. Most actual job titles are not descriptive or intuitive as to what the person actually does.
Try changing yours to be more engaging with someone who would be searching for candidates. Think about what search terms someone would use to find someone like you. Instead of being “Director”, you could be a Sales Director, Operations Director, Administrative Services Director, or Marketing Director.
Prioritize Skills and Endorsements
Look for ways you can have previous employers and clients endorse your skills. It’s significantly more powerful to have others sing your praises than to boast about them yourself. This gives your professional profile and experiences an air of legitimacy.
Don’t underestimate the importance of your skillset. Be honest and detailed about your level of experience with tasks, technology, and processes. This gives the recruiter a better understanding of your experience and how you’ll fit into a new position.
Network
This old fashioned tool is still relevant today. Whether you’re doing it in person or through online methods, don’t underestimate the power of networking. You never know who someone knows who can connect you with a top recruiter. This is your chance to find out about someone else’s experience with a particular recruiter and how they assisted in an important career move.
On this same note, be mindful about who you form connections with. You want to create positive and uplifting connections. Look for people that you can provide a benefit to and who can then provide you with one in return. This creates a mutually beneficial and growth encouraging relationship.
Attract Recruiters Today
If you need help attracting recruiters to further your career, then we can assist you. Our team of experts knows what you need to create a focused and attractive professional profile. We can assist you with job search strategies, resume writing, LinkedIn profile writing, and branding.
Let’s get to work!
-Linda
If you are ready to move your executive career forward contact me today at [email protected]
