Simply Hired Blog

Professional Branding on LinkedIn

LinkedIn is one of the many tools used by both job seekers and recruiters to fill positions at companies. This social networking site tends to draw a more professional crowd, making it a great place to network with others in your industry, connect with potential employers and hiring managers or other professionals who could help get your foot in the door at a company.

If you don’t have one already, your first step is to create a LinkedIn account. Even if you’re a new grad without much experience, polishing up your LinkedIn profile will help you build your professional online presence.

Important parts of your LinkedIn profile:

Picture – Add a picture of yourself that shows you looking professional. Do not include inappropriate photos, photos of you with others, or an image  not of yourself.
Headline – In a brief phrase, describe what you do or the opportunity that you are looking for. This is the first thing a recruiter may see, as it is on the top of your profile, so make yourself stand out!
Summary – This is a great way to give others a sense of your background and to highlight important experience from your work history.
Specialties – Here, you can specifically call out skills, interests and particular experience factors you have gained, which shows recruiters and hiring managers on LinkedIn your strongest suits.
Experience – This portion of your profile is basically your resume. Include not only places of work and dates, but go into detail of what you accomplished or were responsible for in that role.
Education – Include your alma maters and an focuses, along with awards, interests and activities.
Recommendations – After connecting with your friends, family, colleagues and others in your network, ask them to recommend your work at past employers. Instead of listing references when applying to a new job, you could refer them to your profile to see all the great things your co-workers said of you!
Additional Information – Finally, this section allows you to enter any information not included in your profile above, such as websites, interests, LinkedIn group membership, honors and contact settings. If you are interested in learning about job opportunities, be sure to highlight it here!

If you’re in the midst of a job search, LinkedIn is a great way to connect with others, build your online brand, and land a great job!

What do you think of LinkedIn? Have you found a job on this networking site? Leave a comment below!

Tweet

Tailoring Resumes and Cover Letters

Tailoring your resume and cover letter is an important part of the applying process that many job seekers tend to overlook. By tailoring your application materials to the jobs you’re applying for, you will show those potential employers that you are that ideal candidate for their specific position. Simply Hired has tips and tricks for tailoring your resume and cover letter.

Your main point of reference when tailoring your cover letter and resume should be the job description for the position to which you are applying. In a job description, employers write out the exact requirements of the role they are hiring for – so your cover letter and resume should highlight how you fit these very specific requirements.

Here’s how:

• Language: Look at the job description and modify your resume and cover letter to match the language used in the job listing. Recruiters are not necessarily experts in the fields they recruit for, so they often look for specific keywords and phrases in the resumes and cover letters they receive. In addition, some large corporations electronically screen candidates by keywords in their resume and cover letters.
• Qualifications: Emphasize the qualifications you have that are required for the position to which you’re applying. Also, consider removing qualifications that aren’t relevant, or moving them to an “Other Skills” section at the bottom of your resume.
• Ordering: Typically, employers put the most important requirements at the beginning of the job description and move to the less important or even optional skills. In your resume and cover letter, rearrange your skills so that the most important requirements are highlighted first on your resume and cover letter.

Simply Hired has some additional tips for stellar and targeted resumes and cover letters:
Writing a Targeted Cover Letter
Make Your Resume Stand Out

By creating tailored instead of generic resumes and cover letters, employers will see that you truly are the candidate they want to hire. You will land your dream job in no time!

Do you have other tips and tricks for tailoring resumes and cover letters? Comment in the field below!

Tweet

The 100 Fastest Growing Companies of 2010

This morning, CNNMoney / FORTUNE released their 2010 list of the 100 Fastest Growing Companies. This year Eldorado Gold, a gold mining company based out of Canada, topped the list—an impressive feat as it didn’t make the cut on last year’s list. Rounding out the top three were Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, a Vermont-based coffee company and Ebix, an IT consulting and outsourcing company headquartered in Georgia. These companies are booming and growing rapidly, and are great targets for your job search.

Top 10 Fastest Growing Companies

1. Eldorado Gold
2. Green Mountain Coffee Roasters
3. Ebix
4. salesforce.com
5. KapStone Paper and Packaging
6. SXC Health Solutions
7. First Solar
8. Pegasystems
9. Bucyrus International
10. HMS Holdings

While you’re perusing through the companies that made the fastest growing list, we’re happy to point out a Simply Hired job widget on each company profile page. Here, you will find jobs at that company, so you can easily see the kinds of jobs that are available there and apply!

What’s your reaction to this year’s fastest growing companies list? Are you surprised by the companies that made the list in the current economy? Tell us what you think by leaving a comment below!

Tweet

Acing Phone Interviews

Employers often use phone interviews as a way to screen candidates to bring in for in-person interviews and a way to interview candidates that live further away. Most often you will get a call for a phone interview without any notice, however the lucky few may get an email ahead of time asking when an appropriate time to schedule the call. But don’t fret - Simply Hired has the tips that you need to ace the phone interview and lead the way towards an in-person interview.

Preparation
Although you might not know when a phone interview will occur, there are ways to be ready when you get a call from a recruiter or hiring manager:

• Keep a copy of your resume with you or near your phone so that you can refer to it or need it to answer questions
• Have a pen and paper handy so you can take down notes or write down questions you’d like to ask during your call
• Know your answers to typical interview questions, such as your biggest strengths and weaknesses, accomplishments, past experience and even salary expectations
• Practice! Have a friend give you a call and give you a mock phone interview and get their feedback on ways you can improve

During the Phone Interview
During the call, there are a couple things to keep in mind:

• Find a place to take the call where it is quiet and free of distractions so you can focus on the phone interview (and definitely don’t take the call while driving!)
• If it is a bad time for you or if you have less than optimal cell phone reception, ask if you can reschedule the call for a more convenient time – and possibly consider giving them a landline number
• Speak slowly and clearly so the interviewer can easily understand you, and speak as if they were sitting in front of you – feel free to smile and gesture as you normally do when speaking to people
• Don’t eat, chew gum, or smoke while you’re on the phone – even though you’re not seated in front of your interviewer, they can hear what’s happening on your end of the phone
• Grab a glass of water in case your mouth gets dry or if something gets caught in your throat

Afterward
The phone interview isn’t over after you hang up the phone. Here are ways to follow up after the call:

• At the end of the call, make sure you have the interviewers’ name (including spelling) correct, and get their contact information
• Thank the interviewer for their time on the call and send your interviewer a thank you note as soon as you’re off the phone

We hope these tips will help you ace the phone interview and get you one step further in the interview process during your job search!

Tweet

Tell us what you think: Facebook Integration

It’s been over a month since we announced SimplyHired.com’s integration with Facebook and we hope you’ve had a chance to check it out. If not, watch our Personalized Job Search video that will show you how it works and then try out the cool, new feature for yourself!

We'd like to hear what job seekers think about this integration with the major social site. Personally, we think it’s the best combo since peas and carrots (but we’re slightly biased). So what do YOU think of our Facebook integration? Please share your experience with us at simplyhired@schwartz-pr.com.

Thank you from the Simply Hired team!

Tweet