Gerrit Hall is the CEO and co-founder of RezScore,
a free web application that reads, analyzes and grades resumes
instantly. Gerrit has successfully combined his passion for computer
science and the careers space by helping job seekers write the best
resume possible. You can connect with Gerrit and RezScore on Facebook and Twitter.
Thanks to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and a slew of other social media platforms, job seekers are closer than ever to the decision-makers at their target companies.
While social media is wonderful as a stand-alone tool in any job
seeker’s toolbox, you should know that it’s even better when combined
with other “old-fashioned” standbys — such as your resume.
The glory of a resume is that it’s completely fluid. A resume can be
big, small, online, offline, video-recorded, illustrated, etc. No matter
the format, your resume will only improve when combined with social
media.
Follow these four tips to optimize your resume with social media.
1. Link to Social
Nowadays, 10.9% of resumes include a social media link,
and the number continues to rise. The more transparent you make
yourself to potential employers, the the more comfortable they’ll be
hiring you.
Include your Facebook, Twitter and especially LinkedIn
profile URLs along the top of your resume, next to your name, email and
phone number. Make sure the links are handy so the employer can quickly
learn more about you, without having to do a lot of digging.
2. Fact-Check Yourself
While sending your information out in a dozen different directions,
it’s easy to overlook outdated information. Therefore, update
constantly. An employer shouldn’t see one thing on your resume and
something different on LinkedIn.
Keep a list of all the social media and career sites on which have
professional accounts or information. Once a month, check to make sure
everything is up-to-date and matches your current resume.
3. Don’t Just Copy/Paste
Your resume is full of content that also works great for your social
media profiles. Feel free to use information from your resume for social
network sections like “work experience,” “about me,” etc.
However, remember to share carefully selected content. Don’t just
copy/paste your entire resume into your “about me” section. Not only
will this flood your profile, but your resume’s formatting probably
won’t travel well either.
Instead of copy/pasting, select a handful of solid phrases or
anecdotes for your social profile. That way, you’ll guarantee that
anyone reading your profile will get the most important information.
4. Use Keywords for SEO
Beyond your experience, skills and goals, remember that keywords are
king. The unfortunate truth about today’s job search is that potential
employers use Google and almighty Applicant Tracking Systems to peruse social media sites for the best candidates.
To stay on top of current industry jargon, study similar job listings
for words that pop up frequently. Additionally, a variety of powerful SEO tools, which already exist for marketers, can easily be re-purposed to optimize your resume for search.
What do you think? What other tips should social media-savvy job
seekers keep in mind when optimizing their resumes for social media?
Share your thoughts in the comments below.
| Posted by Azziet Singh follow me on twitter |