Your online presence is crucial to your professional elevation and success. I recommend having a professional LinkedIn profile that highlights all your professional experience, credentials, and expertise, but that also includes any highlights of your personal and professional life that you would like people to know about. This can include things like volunteer work, awards, professional memberships, community engagement, relevant personal hobbies and interests and media coverage you’ve received, and more.
Your LinkedIn profile is part of your Professional Brand, and it encompasses everything you have done in a professional and impressive manner in order to build a solid professional network that can help you stand out as a leader in your industry which can enhance and advance your career tremendously. There is so much you can do to enhance your LinkedIn profile professionally. I highly encourage my clients to include the following components at minimum, in addition to their professional expertise and accomplishments to establish a professional and stand out profile:
These points will take your LinkedIn profile from boring and basic to professional and impressive quickly, and will help solidify you as a leader in your industry and help you advance your career exponentially. If you need help upgrading your LinkedIn profile, or need guidance to learn how to use it effectively to grow your professional network and advance your career or business, contact us for a free consultation! https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=20190656&fbclid=IwAR0zXIrDNXWJRfL1gFj-bt0WYrmqfZxtuIuB3j5JrLX6HNuhjq5dbYUz9k0
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Congratulations, you got the interview! Are you prepared to Ace it? Most managers we have consulted with have told us that they have been severely disappointed by the candidates who appeared perfect on paper but did not live up to their expectations during the interview.
This happens because many people simply do not spend the necessary time to prepare! Preparation is vital because it helps you to know how to openly share the areas of your background that are most relevant to the position, and to your prospective employer. Preparation also helps you relieve the stress so you can walk into the interview confident and relaxed, which is important if you want to land the job! Here are five helpful tips to help you prepare before your next job interview to improve your comfort level, so you can show them exactly why you are perfect for the job. 1. Research, research, research! It goes without saying that you should find out everything you can about your potential place of employment ahead of time. But we don’t mean just boring facts, history, and figures! Visit their social media pages to see if you can gather a feel for their overall culture, dress code, outings, events, etc. Little tidbits of information about how the company operates their day-to-day internal operations really help you get aligned with their company culture ahead of time, and will instantly portray to the employer that you would be a good fit, which is what they are looking for in the first place. 2. Know Who Is Interviewing You! Do your best to find out who you will be meeting with, whether it is an HR rep, your potential boss, or the company director. This is important to know because the interview answers and topics should vary based on the person you are speaking with, and by knowing who you will be talking to, you can think about how to connect with them during the interview. For example, a company’s executive will be focused on the larger picture, so you would want to focus on talking about a few big results, instead of small projects you have worked on. In contrast, if you’re talking with your potential supervisor you will want to show exactly how you plan to operate the day-to-day responsibilities of the job. 3. Let Your Personality Shine! If you made it this far, then you obviously did a great job impressing the interviewers with your outlined skills and accomplishments on your resume and cover letter. On top of wowing them with your experience and education, try to also sprinkle some of your personality into the conversation. This helps the interviewer to assess if you would get along with other employees and are a good overall candidate for the company. 4. Ask Questions!! You may already know that asking questions is essential during an interview, but you may not know that you should not leave them all until the end. During the interview, you should be actively engaged in discussion, so do your best to ask questions naturally, as the topics surface. You may also find that some questions will be answered as the interview unfolds, so try to come prepared with at least 10 questions ahead of time. At the end of the interview, always ask the housekeeping type questions, such as “When will you be making your hiring decision?” 5. Say yes to the glass of water! If your interview is in person, you may be offered tea, coffee, water, pop, whatever…TAKE IT! Even if you only take a few sips, always say yes to the offer of a beverage! This is important because it will help you stay relaxed, and after 30 minutes of talking, you will be so glad you did! Not only that, but accepting the drink is the natural thing to do. When you visit a friend’s home you have no problem taking a refreshing glass of water and doing the same during your job interview will show them that you are confident enough to be comfortable sharing 40+ hours per week with them. Interviews are a big deal! Just remember to relax, know the company, and shine bright like the diamond you are! If you need more assistance to prepare for an upcoming interview, please contact us! We offer extensive industry-specific Professional Interview Preparation checklists, support, packages and practice opportunities, to help you reach your highest potential and land that amazing job! A professional Cover Letter is a must when applying for any professional position. You wouldn’t wear just one shoe to a job interview so don’t send your Resume without an accompanying and coordinating professional Cover Letter. Think of your cover letter as a strategic tool to entice employers to consider you for an interview. Therefore, it has to stand out from the rest. Because hiring managers review dozens of job applications every day, they look for specific content in cover letters that tell them the most about the candidate and meet their professional expectations.
The purpose of a cover letter is to introduce you to a prospective employer through a personal and professional narrative of your interests, qualifications, personality and why you are the best fit for the desired position. While your resume is the place you want to highlight and promote your career achievements, a cover letter is where you want to give the employer more insight into your attitude, personality, and work ethic. Employers use cover letters to gauge how an employee may fit within their company culture. The first thing to consider when writing your cover letter is to make sure you take the time to tailor your cover letter to the specific organization and person (if possible) you are applying to. Research the company and pay attention to the job posting carefully to be able to offer valuable insight about yourself and how you will be of benefit to their company, as well as how you will fi in their company culture. Each letter should reflect professional aspects of your personality and enthusiasm for the industry you are in. It is a great idea to mention your personal drive and passion as they pertain to the position you are seeking, and to express pride in your work as well as what led you to embark on your professional journey. A cover letter can make or break your chances of being selected for an interview. Make sure yours presents your background, expertise and personality in the best possible manner to give you the best chance of getting the interview. If you need assistance with writing your resume or cover letter, please contact us for a free consultation! https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=20190656&appointmentType=15716195&fbclid=IwAR1aQ8Wupi8b3qm4xDFUnZVwSbm7ulwlmIXhAmIhFC2mI-UsP91v-WynYxQ Your resume is one of the most important documents you will ever own. A recruiter spends a total of 6 seconds scanning a resume for the first time, so you must make an amazing first impression if you are to stand any chance of progressing to the interview stage.
Here are 7 areas that must be clearly communicated to ensure your resume makes the cut! 1) Tailoring your resume to each job you are applying for is essential, so make sure that the job titles, responsibilities and descriptions on your resume are relevant to the job being offered so that it is streamlined to and relevant to the position you are seeking. 2) Ensure your experience comes across as consistent and relevant to the job you are applying for, and be clear as to HOW you added value, as well as your exact contribution to any projects. This is very important. Make sure you do not merely post descriptions of what your duties were. Always add some highlights that make you a stellar employee. 3) Include all relevant skills gained in previous jobs. Your skills complement your experience and show how suitable you are for the job. They also can be used to step into new professional territories when trying to level up or pivot in your career. 4) Always highlight your results and achievements. Focus on the outcomes and how you played a big part in that. Make sure you demonstrate how you over-achieved in any project or position you were responsible for. 5) Make sure to include any relevant educational certificates, especially if they were listed in the selection criteria. This includes any training, certifications, and courses that you have taken in your career. They can make the difference between getting called for an interview or not, especially if the training is directly related to the position you are seeking. 6) Ensure the layout is clear, clean, and consistent. One font is sufficient, use bullet points rather than long sentences, and make sure there are no spelling or grammar mistakes. 7) Use relevant language. Read the job description and make sure your language is similar so that the reader feels an immediate connection between you and the role. Remember that although you may be the best person for the job, if you do not articulate that effectively on your resume, you may not be considered for the position. If you like to have your resume professionally written, please contact us! Our team will ensure your resume stands out and gets you noticed so you have a better chance of getting hired for the job of your dreams. Are you fulfilled in your present job? If the answer is no, maybe it’s time to start thinking about a decisive change in your life, beginning with a Career Pivot.
When you’ve been at the same job or career for years, thinking about making a switch to something different can seem impossible and even scary, but not only is it doable, it can bring newfound joy and happiness to your life. While Career Pivoting can be risky when you are not prepared, it can be done easily and with much less of a risk factor when you take the following steps to ensure a smooth transition. What is your motivating factor? Many people who feel stuck in their present jobs and careers are overwhelmed with the resentment that comes from doing something they don’t like daily. This feeling can sometimes cloud the reasons they need or want to look for something different. Getting clear on what motivates you to leave your line of work in exchange for another puts things into perspective. It allows for a logical sequence of strategy-driven events to start taking place, rather than basing it solely on your frustrations. Take some time to answer the following questions to help you establish your true WHY so you can decide what the best course of action is and what steps to take toward making your career-pivoting dreams a reality: Why do I want to leave this job? Why do I think a new career will make my life better? What might the downsides or risks be? What are the benefits? Having some concrete answers will help you decide whether you’re just emotionally drained and need a break, but not necessarily an entire career pivot, or can shine a light on how much more appealing switching jobs is to you. Where do you want to go from here? Knowing that you want to leave your present job and being clear on why is the first step, but having a clear picture of exactly where you would like to go next is equally important before making a big career move. Sometimes people leave jobs out of frustration without having a plan in action and find themselves even more stressed out when they have no idea what they will do next. It is always a good idea to have a solid plan and strategy ahead of time that is already in the works before putting in your resignation. To help you get you focused on where you want to go next, answer the following questions: What does your new job or career look like? What does it not look like? What’s it called? And most importantly: Do you have the skills and expertise to leverage to excel in that position? Many skills are transferable, but you should have the firm confidence that your skill-set is aligned with your new career choice to make a successful transition to another career or industry. You're much better off pivoting into roles that leverage the career skills you’ve already built up over the years and drawing upon these areas of expertise in new and creative ways. What will you need to do to get there? Maybe you’ve already figured out that your transferable skills are worth making the jump to another career. It is still worth exploring whether getting certification/class/license may make you a more attractive candidate for the new position you are seeking. Or maybe all you need is a polished professional rebranding starting with your Resume and Cover Letter to give you the push you need to switch roles. It is always a good idea to outline all the resources you will need to transition smoothly to a new job or career and any potential obstacles you will face. This will prepare you to come up with solutions ahead of the game. Once you’ve completed this part, you are ready to move forward and begin putting your Career Pivoting plan into action! What is your action plan? Now that you know your why, you have your what, and you know which resources you will need to set in place before moving forward, you are ready to put it all together and create an action plan. Give yourself an ideal timeline of when you want to make the switch. Then, start activating any skills or credentials you need to acquire. Next, begin networking with relevant connections in your chosen career path, and rebranding your LinkedIn and your professional documents to get them ready for the big switch. Lastly, make sure you spend time wrapping unfinished business up at your present job, and any other personal matters you need to attend to so you can leave with a clear conscience and make your new beginning that much smoother. Give yourself a detailed to-do list and check things off daily, weekly, and monthly that get you closer you completing everything necessary for you to switch careers. Take your time and don’t rush it. The more you get through that checklist, the more excited you will feel, and the more authentic your career switch will start to become. If you complete the above steps in a realistic time frame, your career pivot will be a fascinating and enjoyable process. If you are ready to switch careers but are unsure of how to go about it or need help professionally rebranding yourself to make it happen, consider working with a professional consultant who can guide you every step of the way. Don't hesitate to get in touch with us for a free consultation so we can discuss your options and help you reach your highest potential! We would be happy to help you through this exciting transition. |
AuthorVictoria Rubio Archives
October 2023
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