Sometimes your job search gets so frustrating that you just want to climb to the tallest building in the city and dump a stack of resumes off of the roof in hopes that it will land in the hands a recruiter or someone in a position to hire you.
Don’t go to those extremes, you can get your resume in front of recruiters and hiring managers by following these simple steps:
1. Make sure your resume is keyword rich.
You can accomplish this by reading job postings and ensuring that your skills and accomplishment are a match for what the company is asking for in a qualified candidate. When recruiters search for candidates, they use the keywords in their job postings. Whether you are posting on Monster, Indeed, or careerbuilder, employers are using keywords to find you so make sure you appear in their searches.
2. Create LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter profiles that are eye-catching and has the keywords company and recruiters are searching for when they are looking for someone in your field.
According to a survey released by Jobvite, an applicant tracking software company, 92% of employers are using or planning to use social networks for recruiting this year. The survey is based on insights from more than 1,000 companies, primarily based in the U.S., in various of industries.
73% of recruiters will view your social media site whether you provide them or not. As a result, it is important to have profiles on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. If you don’t have profiles on these sites, companies may think that you have something to hide. Your profile is viewed by companies to find out if an applicant will fit into their corporate culture. With this in mind, keep you pictures and comments clean.
Companies are creating Facebook pages and promoting them, as well as jobs, through the Facebook Ads platform. Recruiters are using Facebook groups, advertising and their corporate Facebook careers page in order to source candidates. Recruiters also check for volunteerism. 66% of recruiters responded favorably to candidates who volunteer. Grammar is a major factor when screening a candidate. Poor grammar and spelling mistakes are worse social networking sins than writing about your wild weekend escapades: 54% of recruiters had a negative reaction to grammar and spelling mistakes, compared to 47% of recruiters negative reaction to comment about your hard partying activities.
Companies are posting jobs on twitter using third party companies, such as Tweet My Jobs and Twit Job Search,to promote their listings. As a Job seeker, you should follow companies you want to work for on Twitter and check our their job postings. For example, CareersInGov has government positions and job fairs on its Twitter site. It is also a good practice to interact with employees who work at these companies on Twitter.
So remember, you don’t have to go to extremes to get your resume in front of recruiters, you just have to properly use the resources available to you. Good luck in your career search!
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If you want to learn more on how to network and how to leverage social media. Join us on Monday, October 20, 2014 at the Free Library of Philadelphia – Cobbs Creek Branch for a Job Search Strategies Workshop –geared to professionals at all levels, where you’ll learn how to tap into the “hidden job market” where 75% of the jobs can be found. This workshop helps you with the targeted job search and with networking skills to get that interview and job. Click here to register for the free workshop!
