CVs and LinkedIn profiles are awash with bland copy, leaving me wanting to scream “boring!” once I’ve read themAs a career coach, I work all over the world. One thing that I’ve noticed consistently, no matter where I am, is that people tend to be hopeless at selling themselves. Somebody else? Fine! Themselves? Mental block!
CVs and LinkedIn profiles are awash with bland copy, leaving me wanting to scream “boring!” once I’ve read them.
Below is a letter on what a recruiter would love to tell you, but can’t!
Dear Job Seeker,
Listen up! Nobody is telling you the truth!
When recruiters read your CVs, most of the time they will think that they’re not up to scratch, but they don’t tell you; basically, they hope that you realise yourself and sort it out! They’re busy and they don’t work for you – it’s that simple.
If you aren’t getting the results that you want, then something is amiss, and it’s probably something to do with what you’re presenting to them. My job is to get people hired, and I’m here to help…
- The Recruiter works for the company hiring them, not YOU.
- A Recruiter has to pitch you to companies
So make yourself saleable! Your Jobseeker Toolkit should have a CV, LinkedIn profile and even your email signature, complete with a call to action, such as direction to your LinkedIn profile.
If you’re taking the DIY approach to your job search, it’s time to get savvy and not leave room for worrying about why you’ve heard nothing back; it’s not a worthwhile contingency!
So you need to change your vanilla CV/LinkedIn profile before you reach that stagnant point and work out what the company wants, and figure out your unique selling point (USP). Trust me, being a whizz at Microsoft Word isn’t it!
Seeing a CV or LinkedIn profile that has the wow factor is rare, and recruiters have the tedious task of looking at these all day; don’t let yours be one that gets overlooked!
Recognise the rubbish and switch it up!
- If your CV or LinkedIn profile starts with something like: “I have worked in finance for 10 years and I can do x, y & z” – scrap it. It’s boring and overdone.
- Always think ‘why?’ – why should a company hire you? They have problems – you need to show how you can solve them.
- Say goodbye to the selfie! Never have one on your LinkedIn profile (see below) and never leave it incomplete, see the “before” and “after” and yes this is the same guy!
- Check your background – Google yourself and make sure they can’t find anything that you wouldn’t want them to see! You will be checked out!
LinkedIn Profile: Before & After
By Susan Burke. Susan takes her award winning global careers coach status, and uses it to help you own the game that you most want to win! Her slogan ‘Get noticed, get hired’ is not a one size fits all approach – it works for everybody. Innovative and inspiring online courses, as well as 121 coaching from Sue herself are designed to motivate anybody who wants to boost their career, make their current job redundant-proof and build their own personal brand. Sue encourages you to break the rules of traditional job hunting in order to get the salary that you deserve!
You can connect with Sue via LinkedIn here.
When Sue isn’t upping the ante on the job search front, she can usually be found going for a run or enjoying a chocolate bar or two!
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