Jan 27, 2013

How to Say ‘Look at Me!’ to an Online Recruiter

Posted by Wendy Weber

Check out this piece from today’s New York Times: click here.

Good advice.

I cannot imagine why someone would not have a LinkedIn Profile in this day and age.  Even if you are happily employed, why would you choose to avoid the opportunity to reconnect/stay in touch with professional colleagues… and prevent yourself from even being on the radar of an employer or recruiter who might have an even more enticing career opportunity to discuss with you?  (I did encounter one job seeker who came from a prominent family, and did not want to reveal too much information on social networks.  He chose not to post a profile on LinkedIn).

One area of disagreement:  Although one of the “job search specialists” quoted in the piece felt that cover letters were “a great way to differentiate yourself from the competition”, I disagree.  I think the resume should tell the story, and that cover letters are generally fluff, or are written in an attempt to explain away a weakness in the candidate’s background.  I don’t read cover letters.

A tip in terms of “being searchable” online:  Make sure you have keywords on your Profile that an employer or headhunter might use to find you.  For example, if you do search engine optimization for a company that sells their products through a catalog and an ecommerce website, include the terms “search engine optimization”, “seo”, “organic search”, “catalog”, “ecommerce” and “multichannel” in your Profile.  Make it easy for a new career opportunity to come your way!

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