Are your Linkedin profile and resume SEO friendly?

Resume and Profile Search Engine Optimization
Job boards and social media have totally changed the game for job seekers and recruiters.   Understanding search engine optimization (SEO) can give you the upper hand when developing your on-line profile and resume.

There are over 175 million users on Linkedin. More than 5 million are Canadian.  Hundreds of job candidates may apply for the job that you want and so you need to get out of the clutter.  Here are a few tips that will help you to stand out from the crowd and increase your chances of being found.

Tip #1 - Key Words

Most employers use search engines and indexed database technology to find matching words and phrases contained within a resume or online profile.  It is very important that your resume and Linkedin profile contain the words and phrases that employers will most likely use in their search and filtering process.  Try using several different ways to describe your skills, knowledge, experience and job titles. For example, when using acronyms, you should also use the full words. When writing your job title, try to use descriptive words in your job description that might match similar titles used within other companies. When describing your industry, use a variety of common terms that have similar meanings.

For example, a human resources professional in the placement industry may use all these terms and phrases. (HR, H.R. Human Resources, Staffing, Recruit, Recruitment, Recruiter, Placement, Executive Search, Employment, Temporary Help, Temp Help, etc.)

You never know what terms, phrases, acronyms or words that a recruiter will enter when conducting a search.  If you can not use the words with a meaningful and properly structured sentence then just create a section at the bottom of your profile called "Key Words" and list your words separated by a comma. This is a very acceptable and understood on-line protocol.

Tip #2 - .doc File Format

Employers use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to store and sort the resumes and the applications they receive. Most ATS are capable of handling Microsoft word .doc or .docx file formats but many have difficulty handling resumes in other formats such as PDF, wpd, html and other standards. These other  formats may have their advantages but not when attaching your resume to an on-line application form. If the words and phrases within your resume cannot be extracted by the ATS then you run the risk that your application will never be seen by a real person. Always submit your resume in the world's most common format.

Tip #3 - People Contact Trumps All

The unspoken problem with on-line systems and social media is that they make it easy to avoid real human interaction. In the end, people hire people.  The entire purpose of on-line applications, digital resumes or social networks is to efficiently figure out who you need to talk to.  Your resume or profile is just a means to an end.  Stay focused on the end goal by figuring out who the HR or hiring manager is and send them a personal note pointing out that you have applied on-line. Include a professional letter that contains information that will motivate them to bypass the computer sorting process and go directly to your application. Try to make contact in person, over the phone or by email. Go for the close or "Call to Action".  Your email or voice message should always propose dates and times for a telephone conversation or meeting.  Always repeat and provide easily accessible contact information. If a decision maker has to go back to open your profile, read your resume or take any extra step to call you then you may have squandered an opportunity to connect in person.

We frequently hear people talk about how lucky or unlucky they are in their job search. Luck has nothing to do with it. "The smarter you work, the luckier you'll get" and  "It's not what you know, its who you know. "

Linkedin Resume Builder

Over 22,000 LinkedIn users have signed up for the new "Resume Builder" application since it was introduced in December 2010. Resume Builder is a new feature created by LinkedIn employee Yevgeniy Brikmanthat through a monthly employee competition called Hackadays.

In my test of the application, I was able to develop a reasonably professional looking resume in less than 5 minutes by allowing it to use my existing LinkedIn profile.

I admit that my existing Linkedin profile is designed to attract attention through key word searches rather than with a resume in mind. I've been in the same job with the same company for 28 years and don't really expect to need a resume any day soon but with another 4 minutes of work on my profile content, I would have a resume that rocks!

If you are a job seeker and need professional looking CV, never mind those complicated Microsoft templates with restrictive frames and hidden formatting; check out LinkedIn Resume Builder. If the content on your profile is good enough for public viewing on the social network then it should be good enough for a resume.

There are eleven formats to choose from. Resumes can be exported and printed in PDF format. Also, each resume gets a custom link that you can share with others via email, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

Another great innovation for job seekers and recruiters from our friends at Linkedin.

Check it out http://resume.linkedinlabs.com/

Steve Jones
Wiki - "Curriculum vitae is a latin expression which can be loosely translated as [the] course of [my] life."

Covering Letters

In a recent application for employment, the following covering letter caught my attention. It turned out to be a slightly modified copy of a previously written piece of internet folklore.

According to about.com the satirical hoax has been circulating since 1990 as an asnswer on a college application to NYU. It was originally written by a high school student named Hugh Gallagher, who entered it in the humor category of the Scholastic Writing Awards and won first prize. It was subsequently published in Literary Calvalcade, a magazine of contemporary student writing, and reprinted in Harper's and The Guardian before taking off as one of the most forwarded "viral" emails of the decade."

I am a dynamic figure, often seen scaling walls and crushing ice. I have been known to remodel train stations on my lunch breaks, making them more efficient in the area of heat retention. I translate ethnic slurs for Cuban refugees, I write award-winning operas, I manage time efficiently.

Occasionally, I tread water for three days in a row. I woo women with my sensuous and godlike trombone playing, I can pilot bicycles up severe inclines with unflagging speed, and I cook Thirty-Minute Brownies in twenty minutes. I am an expert in stucco, a veteran in love, and an outlaw in Peru.

Using only a hoe and a large glass of water, I once single-handedly defended a small village in the Amazon Basin from a horde of ferocious army ants. I play bluegrass cello, I was scouted by the Mets, I am the subject of numerous documentaries. When I'm bored, I build large suspension bridges in my yard. I enjoy urban hang gliding. On Wednesdays, after school, I repair electrical appliances free of charge.

I am an abstract artist, a concrete analyst, and a ruthless bookie. Critics worldwide swoon over my original line of corduroy evening wear. I don't perspire. I am a private citizen, yet I receive fan mail. I have been caller number nine and have won the weekend passes. Last summer I toured New Jersey with a traveling centrifugal-force demonstration. I bat 400.

My deft floral arrangements have earned me fame in international botany circles. Children trust me. I can hurl tennis rackets at small moving objects with deadly accuracy. I once read Paradise Lost, Moby Dick, and David Copperfield in one day and still had time to refurbish an entire dining room that evening. I know the exact location of every food item in the supermarket. I have performed several covert operations with the CIA.

I sleep once a week; when I do sleep, I sleep in a chair. While on vacation in Canada, I successfully negotiated with a group of terrorists who had seized a small bakery. I balance, I weave, I dodge, I frolic, and my bills are all paid.

On weekends, to let off steam, I participate in full-contact origami. Years ago I discovered the meaning of life but forgot to write it down. I have made extraordinary four course meals using only a mouli and a toaster oven. I breed prize-winning clams. I have won bullfights in San Juan, cliff-diving competitions in Sri Lanka, and spelling bees at the Kremlin.

I have played Hamlet, I have performed open-heart surgery, and I have spoken with Elvis.

But I have not yet had an interview with you.

This particular applicant did not get the job he was applying for but he reminded me that a good covering letter really matters! Here is a little tip.

When you are applying for a job through an internet application or job board, the system may limit the number documents you can attach. Always attach your resume. Since covering letters really matter, customize your covering letter for every job and then copy and paste the entire letter into the comments box of the application form.