Let’s Chat… Candidate Prep!
Welcome back, everyone! If you’re thinking, how is it already Thursday?! So are we. These weeks are flying by and before we all know it, it may very well be a new year as we ring in 2023. With the holidays and year-end approaching rapidly, we know that now is an often natural time to evaluate and assess your contentment at work. If you are itching to test the waters for a new opportunity, we encourage you to start HERE by assessing all of the deliverables you need as an applying candidate.
Let’s Chat… Candidate Deliverables:
- Resume: A tale as old as time… yes you absolutely need a resume in order to apply to a position (and we are sure you knew that!). However, as the times change and platforms to create resumes before ever more accessible, now might be the time to create a few different versions to best cater to differing positions. If you are applying to new and more creative, digitally-focused, or “modern” roles, a pop of color or unconventional layout may make the most sense! Having a variety on hand to choose from when you click apply is the best way to “customize” your application and showcase your dedication to roles.
- Extra tip: Be conscious of fonts, coloration, page frames, or profile pictures as it relates to the industry or role you’re looking at! Different companies and jobs call for different tones and levels of formality.
- Cover Letter: Similar to our advice above, it’s a fantastic idea to accumulate a variety of cover letters detailing different strengths, unique “tidbits” about you, and custom formats that will appeal to the eyes of differing recruiters, roles, responsibilities, or experiences. Make sure to acknowledge specific attributes of positions, companies, and reasonings as to why you’re pursuing a role in the letter to avoid sounding generic or impersonal. And use our generic test: if you take out the name of the company on your cover letter, will it still be relevant to that job? That organization? That role? If the answer is no and your letter can be recycled to any application, it’s time to improve and refresh.
- LinkedIn Profile: As much as it may feel redundant, we HIGHLY encourage you to keep your LinkedIn profile page up to date at all times! We use LinkedIn Recruiter on a daily basis as we seek an endless quantity of candidates for a wide range of roles. While your resume may speak to your experience, keeping yourself current online and especially on LinkedIn is equally crucial to your succeeding in portraying your “best professional self.” LinkedIn is also a fantastic platform to allow you to expand on certain professional or personal attributes that didn’t fit into the single page of your resume.
- Portfolio or Creative Attributes: If you’re applying to a creative role or come from a background where having a portfolio is common to your field, make sure to submit these materials when you apply to positions or create links that make them accessible on resources like a resume! You want to always make sure your hiring manager or recruiter has a full picture of who you are and what you bring to the table… so lay it all on the line!
- Social Platforms: Finally, make sure your social platforms are professionally appropriate and private where you see fit! In today’s environment, it should be expected that your socials contribute to how you are perceived as a candidate, so make sure that they do just that. If you feel more comfortable setting your social profiles to private, we also encourage you to do so.
Searching for a new position? Check out our open jobs list!