Your online profile can give potential employers in your job search a view of the type of employee you would likely be, based on your experiences, skills, accumulated knowledge, and results portrayed on it. If you can show you have lots of potential, you may land on a recruiter's A-list and you'll be contacted. Here are 10 tips to develop profile game.
Showcase your strengths
Focus the content on your professional expertise, benefits, and accomplishments. Itemize your current and past employment, education, industry, and know-how. Don't forget current professional memberships, awards, honours, and certifications. Contact info, including your phone number, is a must. Skip personal information, such as marital status.
Keywords
Be generous with relevant keywords throughout your profile so search engines come looking for you. Be sure to explain your job titles so search engines can do their job; merely listing yourself as a "consultant" without adding the keywords that identify the field (such as "consultant medial research") leaves you out in the cold.
Don’t look like a robot
Employers don't look or hire profiles; they want real people. Use short paragraphs and bullets. Start your profile with your impressive professional ammo. Write a striking opening summary loaded with requirements that job ads report to be important to employers in your sights, and then speak of your matching qualifications.
Headline power
Pull in readers with energetic/striking headlines, such as these examples:
• Experienced software engineer brings green energy to market
• Office bookkeeper with 100% accuracy record
• Social media manager expert in Twitter, Facebook
Don’t be jack-of-all-trades
Some people throw all their qualifications into their profile to see what connects with recruiters/employers. They end up looking like jacks-of-all-trades, but masters of nothing. Employers/recruiters usually look for specialists, not generalists. (An exception is a mini-business where each member of the workforce must wear more than one hat.)
Recommendations
Rather than fill your profile with self-praise, encourage others to laud your skills and qualities. You're more likely to impress when others comment on your work, such as bosses, co-workers, and customers. Factually explain how you made or saved money for the company. Tell how you delivered on a goal and how you earned top performance reviews. Emphasise provable accomplishments.
Have a complete, updated profile
A half-finished profile is unprofessional and unimpressive. Keep yours fresh and relevant. Most experts advise you to include an attractive and professional photo.
No personal data
Don't put your home address, bank or other non-relevant private information or family information in your profile. Restrict contact information to your phone number and e-mail and, if you have one, to a postal mail box address. Generally, treat personal identity information like a classified document to keep identity thieves away.
Find rewarding sources of opportunity
Where should you have your professional profile? The likely locations of most value are digital networks where you can make connections with people who share your interests in specific professional areas of expertise, such as information technology or journalism, retailing or insurance, medicine, marketing etc.
• For job seekers, the social networks at the head of the parade continue to be LinkedIn and Google Plus. Additionally, if you have your own website or blog, post your profile there.
• Facebook and Twitter are potential professional hosting perches.
• A number of other free websites are available for professional profiles.
Many are designed for entrepreneurs who market business products. Some are job-bidding sites. Others specialize in part-time work. Search the Internet to locate "free sites for your professional online profile."
Look at other profiles
Looking at other profiles is a very good source to help you develop your online profile. Have a look at the approaches others take, how they layout their profile etc. What do you think when you look at? What stands out from it? If you were an employer, would you hire them? You may find something that could help you stand out more to employers/recruiters.
Showcase your strengths
Focus the content on your professional expertise, benefits, and accomplishments. Itemize your current and past employment, education, industry, and know-how. Don't forget current professional memberships, awards, honours, and certifications. Contact info, including your phone number, is a must. Skip personal information, such as marital status.
Keywords
Be generous with relevant keywords throughout your profile so search engines come looking for you. Be sure to explain your job titles so search engines can do their job; merely listing yourself as a "consultant" without adding the keywords that identify the field (such as "consultant medial research") leaves you out in the cold.
Don’t look like a robot
Employers don't look or hire profiles; they want real people. Use short paragraphs and bullets. Start your profile with your impressive professional ammo. Write a striking opening summary loaded with requirements that job ads report to be important to employers in your sights, and then speak of your matching qualifications.
Headline power
Pull in readers with energetic/striking headlines, such as these examples:
• Experienced software engineer brings green energy to market
• Office bookkeeper with 100% accuracy record
• Social media manager expert in Twitter, Facebook
Don’t be jack-of-all-trades
Some people throw all their qualifications into their profile to see what connects with recruiters/employers. They end up looking like jacks-of-all-trades, but masters of nothing. Employers/recruiters usually look for specialists, not generalists. (An exception is a mini-business where each member of the workforce must wear more than one hat.)
Recommendations
Rather than fill your profile with self-praise, encourage others to laud your skills and qualities. You're more likely to impress when others comment on your work, such as bosses, co-workers, and customers. Factually explain how you made or saved money for the company. Tell how you delivered on a goal and how you earned top performance reviews. Emphasise provable accomplishments.
Have a complete, updated profile
A half-finished profile is unprofessional and unimpressive. Keep yours fresh and relevant. Most experts advise you to include an attractive and professional photo.
No personal data
Don't put your home address, bank or other non-relevant private information or family information in your profile. Restrict contact information to your phone number and e-mail and, if you have one, to a postal mail box address. Generally, treat personal identity information like a classified document to keep identity thieves away.
Find rewarding sources of opportunity
Where should you have your professional profile? The likely locations of most value are digital networks where you can make connections with people who share your interests in specific professional areas of expertise, such as information technology or journalism, retailing or insurance, medicine, marketing etc.
• For job seekers, the social networks at the head of the parade continue to be LinkedIn and Google Plus. Additionally, if you have your own website or blog, post your profile there.
• Facebook and Twitter are potential professional hosting perches.
• A number of other free websites are available for professional profiles.
Many are designed for entrepreneurs who market business products. Some are job-bidding sites. Others specialize in part-time work. Search the Internet to locate "free sites for your professional online profile."
Look at other profiles
Looking at other profiles is a very good source to help you develop your online profile. Have a look at the approaches others take, how they layout their profile etc. What do you think when you look at? What stands out from it? If you were an employer, would you hire them? You may find something that could help you stand out more to employers/recruiters.