Still Job Searching? Tips for Updating Your Online Resume & Profiles

Still Job Searching? Tips for Updating Your
Online Résumé & Profiles
Contact Heather at heather@comerecommended.com

What Employers Want to See Online

• Consistency
– Dates of employment, previous jobs, skills, etc.

• Communication skills
– Can you convey your skills and experience across in a
concise and compelling way?

• Skills & experience
– Can you clearly convey your strengths?

– Do you have a handle on your brand?

Contact Heather at heather@comerecommended.com 2

Common “Problem Areas” Online

• Incomplete profiles or professional websites
– A lot of users sign up for social or professional networking
websites, but don’t go beyond the sign-up process

• Inactive accounts
– No activity on your account might convey that you don’t
care about your presence or aren’t serious about job
seeking

• Lack of updates
– Updating your network lets them know how you’re doing
and what you’re interested in



• Lack of interaction
– Social networking sites are made for meeting new people
and interacting with others in your field

– If you’re constantly posting information only about you –
instead of interacting – you might come off as self-
absorbed

• Difficult to find
– Lack of consistency in usernames or linking to other
profiles may make it difficult to find you online
– When profiles aren’t complete, you won’t be as visible to
employers or recruiters searching for candidates



• Inappropriate content
– Many job seekers don’t realize employers are looking at all
of their online profiles

– Accounts used for personal reasons might not be
considered work-appropriate

– Take advantage of privacy settings or clean up your profile
before job seeking


Tips for Updating Your Résumé & Online Profiles

• Update your experience & accomplishments
– Does your résumé or online profile list responsibilities
instead of accomplishments?

– Employers want to see results – quantify what you
accomplished at each past organization to show why you
are the ideal candidate

– Follow this outline:



• Complete your profile
– According to LinkedIn, users with complete profiles are
40 times more likely to receive opportunities through
LinkedIn

– For LinkedIn: Follow the “Profile Completeness”
percentage on the side of your profile to ensure your
profile reaches 100%



• Use free online tools to create a sleek online
résumé
– Although many employers still want you to turn in a copy of
your résumé, creating an online version is proactive and
tech-savvy

VisualCV.com is a
free & simple way
to create an online
résumé – and some
companies even
ask for your
VisualCV link when
applying



résumé
About.me is a free
site that allows you
to point users to
content from
around the web.

Flavors.me helps you create a
free homepage in minutes by
simply connecting an existing
Google, Yahoo or Facebook
account



résumé
– Convey your strengths, experience & skills

– Include work samples & accomplishments



• Claim your personalized URL
– Purchase your domain name for your online résumé and
portfolio

• Ideally, www.yourname.com

• Typically under $10 per year – a great investment for your
job search & career!

• Check on GoDaddy.com to see if your name (or some
version of it) is available & the cost



– For LinkedIn, go to “Edit Profile” and click “Edit” next to
your Public Profile link

– Click “Customize Your Public Profile URL”

– Choose your first name and last name or something
similar to your social networking usernames

– Consistency in your usernames will help recruiters &
employers find you easily



– You can opt for creating a professional Facebook page
instead of using your personal profile:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/

– Claim a personalized URL for your profile or page at:
http://www.facebook.com/username/



• Connect with relevant contacts
– Add people you know to your networks on online profile
sites

– Use address book importers to easily find everyone who is
already on the site & invite others who are not yet



• Include relevant keywords & links

– In your Twitter bio, mention your field/industry, interests,
skills and other relevant keywords
– Include a link to your professional portfolio, website, CV or
LinkedIn profile




– In your LinkedIn profile, include keywords in your summary
and specialties section
• Employers and recruiters search keywords on LinkedIn to
find ideal candidates for positions




– List your previous work experience on your profile to
connect your account with the organization(s)
– Link to your professional Twitter account on LinkedIn




– You have the option to include 3 additional links to your
LinkedIn profile
– Pick the type from the dropdown menu or choose “Other”
– By choosing “Other” you can name each link yourself




– Don’t forget to fill in your interests, groups/associations &
honors/awards as well!




– Your LinkedIn headline defaults to your last position title

– Consider broadening it to convey your expertise by
including relevant keywords to your field & concentration



• Use a professional headshot on your profiles &
résumé site

– Not having a photo on sites like Twitter may make others
question whether you’re a “real” person
– A professional headshot is preferable for online profiles
– Avoid anything that may be considered inappropriate, such
as excessive cleavage or visible alcoholic beverages



• Change your privacy settings on personal
accounts
– For Facebook: Account > Privacy Settings
– Choose “Custom” or “Friends Only” to ensure non-friends
cannot view religious views, wall posts, etc.



• Change your privacy settings on personal
accounts
– Photo albums privacy settings are within each album



• Join professional groups

– Search for relevant groups on LinkedIn to coincide with
your industry and interests

– Sign up for e-mail notifications when new discussions are
posted – and join in or start your own when possible



• Join professional groups

– LinkedIn groups recently added a “Jobs” tab with jobs
relevant to keywords set by the group manager or from the
group itself



• Follow organizations of interest

Keep up with companies and
professional associations
through Twitter, Facebook &
LinkedIn



• Share & create relevant content
– Increase your visibility by updating your status on your
online profiles regularly

– Share content related to your field or interests

– Create your own content by keeping a professional blog or
tumblr



• Share your expertise in your field
– Check out LinkedIn Answers
http://www.linkedin.com/answers

– Look for questions you can provide answers to



• Request recommendations
– Connect with former co-workers, supervisors and
colleagues

– Send recommendation requests to display on your profile


Summary

• Creating a positive online presence is a
proactive and tech-savvy way to connect with
potential employers
• Just taking a few minutes to improve your
profiles and online résumé can drastically
improve your visibility online
• Many employers are now checking job
candidate’s online images before hiring – make
yours an impressive one by being active &
involved on each site


Thank you!

Join us for our next job seeker webinar on:
March 22, 2011: Things Recruiters & Hiring
Managers Won’t Tell You

Contact Heather at heather@comerecommended.com

Still Job Searching? Tips for Updating Your Online Resume & Profiles

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