Job seekers frequently go into the process with assumptions about how to present themselves and what employers want to hear. All too often, preconceived notions need to be challenged in order for a job search to be successful. Here are three things you should clearly understand and act upon to make yourself an attractive candidate:
1. Your résumé isn’t your professional autobiography. Often, job seekers try to include everything they have ever done on a résumé. “After all, you never know what will attract someone’s attention,” the reasoning goes.
Think differently! Consider your résumé a marketing document that presents your most attractive features to the people who are most in need of the value you can provide. Think of your job hunt as a process in which you are selling your skills, experience and capacity to potential employers. Don’t tell them everything you can think of about yourself and make them figure out if and how you might be a fit for their needs.
Clear away the clutter of information, and keep your overall message focused. The old adage of “less is more” turns out to be a more fruitful way of presenting yourself. Figure out what key things you have accomplished that relate to the job you want to do, and focus on them. Tailor your résumé to each position you seek.
When you include too much information, you make it harder for the reader to understand the most salient portions of your background, which are more than likely to have occurred in the last decade and relate to current technologies and ways in which work is currently done. For example, if you are mid-career or an older job seeker, chances are what you did in 1987 is probably irrelevant to a hiring manager in 2014. It is totally reasonable to not include positions that ended more than 12 to 15 years ago. Instead, simply include a line at the bottom of your Professional Experience section that states: “Details about prior experience are available upon request.”
You shouldn’t necessarily list everything you did or do at recent positions, either. Instead, your résumé should highlight the areas in your background that most closely reflect the Requirements and Experience sections of the job posts to which you’re responding.
2. Your LinkedIn profile shouldn’t just be an online version of your résumé . When you simply cut and paste your résumé into your online profile, you demonstrate a lack of knowledge about how social media works. You also forfeit an opportunity to take advantage of LinkedIn’s features.
You should make every effort to complete all the sections of your online profile and include rich information, such as PowerPoint presentations, portfolios of your work, skills, languages and more. And while you should never put your picture into your résumé, you should always put a clear, professional-looking headshot of yourself in your LinkedIn profile.
In your Summary section, drop stilted language that refers to yourself in the third person. Instead, take pains to be social and use the first person: “I have experience in the areas of A, B and C.”
3. Your interview isn’t just about answering questions. Of course, you need to be prepared to answer everything from the standard strengths and weakness and salary questions to more thoughtful behavior-based questions that begin, “tell me about a time when …”
But you should turn the interview from a grilling into a conversation by asking questions along the way. For example, after you finish answering a question, you can ask: “Is this the information you are looking for?” That’s a way to make sure you are on topic and have hit the target.
At the end of your answer to a behavioral question, you might turn the question around and pose it to your interviewer. Here’s how: Suppose you are asked, “tell me about a time when you disagreed strongly with your boss.” As you finish your answer, instead of pausing to wait for another question, instead ask: “In your company’s culture, how are these kinds of situations best handled?” This way, you can come back and modify your answer or reaffirm how your own style mirrors the company and thereby put that question to rest.
When you take the time to step back and think about the process, you can understand how to best relate your experience and value to potential employers. Your communications will come across with greater self-assurance and clarity. And you will stand out in a refreshing way from your competition.
Happy hunting!
Arnie Fertig, MPA, is passionate about helping his Jobhuntercoach clients advance their careers by transforming frantic “I’ll apply to anything” searches into focused hunts for “great fit” opportunities. He brings to each client the extensive knowledge he gained when working in HR staffing and managing his boutique recruiting firm.
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3 Job Search Myths — Busted originally appeared on usnews.com