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27
Sep

Tips On How To Make Your Accounting Resume Stand Out

By RedStarResume No comments yet

How to make your accounting resume stand out from the crowd:

The most common questions I receive from accounting students and graduates are “what do I do if my accounting grades are not fantastic?” and “what can I include in my resume that will make it stand out?” The first thing to remember is that most organisations are looking for students and graduates who are willing to learn, are able to be innovative and who work well in a team environment.

My advice for students that don’t have distinction average marks is to focus on highlighting other areas where you can add value to an organisation. Just like the major accounting firms are instant recognisable brands, as a graduate you need to think of yourself as a brand that you are trying to sell to a hiring manager. Think about what makes you unique and how you can sell yourself to that particular organisation. When a hiring manager reads an accounting resume, he or she presumes that all candidates share relatively the same type of skills. In order to stand out, you need to market yourself effectively.

How To Make Your Accounting Resume Stand Out:
Include Accounting Keywords:

With the demand for accounting internships and graduate jobs so high, graduate hiring managers can often receive upwards of 500 – 1000 resumes. As such, many firms now use software programs as a way of performing “first round interviews”. Using selected accounting keywords will ensure that your resume passes the first stage of selection and will not be deleted before a hiring manager has even had a chance to read your application. The best way to find these keywords is by simply reading the job positions. See what the company is looking for and make sure your resume is full of these keywords!

Provide Specific Accounting Examples:

Hiring managers hate to read clichéd resumes. It’s boring and adds no value to your resume. Use examples as much as possible to highlight your examples and the value-added skills that you can bring to the job.

Target the Position that you are applying for:

As a graduate (or soon to be graduate), everything you include in your resume needs to reinforce the message to the reader that you are the right candidate for the position. Don’t waste time on information that doesn’t reflect your suitability for this particular position. Being a good skier and having an interest in tennis is not relevant to an accounting job. Although you may not have relevant job experience, you can still highlight relevant skills that you have acquired throughout your university career and target these skills toward the role you are applying for.

© RedStarResume Publications – http://www.bestresponseresume.com

Stand Out From The Crowd With A Brand New Professional Resume, Cover Letter and LinkedIn Profile From RedStarResume:

Specializing In Over 35 Industries! – Turn your resume into an achievement based marketing documents in just 48-72 hours

Did you know: The RedStarResume resume layout and design presentation has been highly praised by recruiters, hiring managers and career experts from across globe!

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11
Sep

Finding The Right Recruitment Agent

By RedStarResume No comments yet

Every job market is unique and in order to gain the most out of your job search working alongside a specialised recruiter can be your ticket to success. Just as you may use a mechanic to help you with your car or a plumber to help stop your leaking tap, an expert recruiter can help you find a new job that matches your requirements. Best of all it’s completely free for you to use. Even if they find you a job, you will never have to pay a cent. The employer fits this bill.

In order to find the best recruiters, the first thing you need to do is spend some time researching recruiters in your industry. For example, if you are a senior accountant, you need to align yourself with accounting recruiters who specialise in senior management accounting positions. There is no point in wasting time speaking to accounting recruiters who only specialise in graduate recruitment. To further maximise your research, do some investigating into the recruiter company’s clients. Many times, recruiters will work with the same set of clients. If you wish to work for a large multinational company, you will need to find recruiters who have these contacts. A small boutique recruitment firm is more likely to work with smaller clients as they don’t have the size to be able to recruit for larger organisations.

How can I begin to find a recruiter who can help me?

Creating a LinkedIn profile and networking would be my number one piece of advice to job seekers. Once you have a professional LinkedIn profile that highlights your experience, achievements, skills and expertise, you can begin to network and research recruiters in your field. Typically, most recruitment firms are listed on LinkedIn and you can search within their company profiles to find individual recruiters.

How do I know if a certain recruiter is right for me?

Building up trust and rapport with your recruiter is vital to finding success. Many people send their resume blindly to a recruitment company and wonder why no one calls them back. In order to have the recruiter searching for jobs on your behalf (remember recruiters don’t get paid until they place you) they need to know that you’re serious about the job search. Go and meet your recruiter face to face. Be upfront with your recruiter and tell them the types of roles you require and the companies you wish to work for. If you can provide a recruiter with all the information that they require they will be able to work as best as they can on your behalf.

Final thought:

Finding the right recruiter can certainly help you in your job search. Having someone with inside knowledge will increase your odds of finding a new job. However, just because you have a recruiter working on your behalf don’t think that you can just sit back and relax. Finding the right recruiter is only one aspect of job seeking. In the competitive job environment, you need to be constantly networking to ensure that you are ready when the opportunity presents itself.

© RedStarResume Publications – http://www.bestresponseresume.com

Stand Out From The Crowd With A Brand New Professional Resume, Cover Letter and LinkedIn Profile From RedStarResume:

Specializing In Over 35 Industries! – Turn your resume into an achievement based marketing documents in just 48-72 hours

Did you know: The RedStarResume resume layout and design presentation has been highly praised by recruiters, hiring managers and career experts from across globe!

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10
Aug

Writing a Gold Medal LinkedIn Profile

By RedStarResume No comments yet

Did you know that LinkedIn is now regarded as the world’s largest online professional network with close to 200 million members in over 200 countries? More and more hiring managers, recruiters, employers and head-hunters are using LinkedIn as part of their hiring strategy. With demand for jobs at an all-time high, having a professionally written LinkedIn profile may be the difference in receiving an interview request and ultimately scoring that brand new job. So, how can you use LinkedIn to help promote your skills and experience? Are there any secrets that can be implemented? And what type of privacy can you control to ensure that your current employers don’t think you are looking for a new job while at the same time attracting people to your LinkedIn profile who may be in a position to hire you for their business?

Promote your achievements, expertise and value added skills and experience:

Just like your resume is a marketing document, the aim of your profile is to highlight to the reader all the value added skills that you are able to bring to your next role. Don’t be shy in highlighting your achievements. The more examples you can use to back up your statements the better. If you are in a managerial position let the reader know how many people you manage. If you saved the company money, provide examples of how you cut costs or increased revenue. The only way a reader can fully understand how great you are, is by providing detailed examples of all the great skills you have to offer.

LinkedIn Tips and Secrets: 

When you set up your profile you will notice that there is a section to edit your “Public Profile”. LinkedIn automatically provides you with a public profile that ends with various numbers and letters.  By editing this profile you can remove these random numbers and letters and have a professional looking public profile that you can then include on your resume or within your email signature.

To ensure you get the most out of your LinkedIn profile you need to optimise your profile with strategic keywords targeted towards your industry.  You can include keywords in your profile area as well as throughout your employment section. LinkedIn also provide a “skills and expertise” section which enables you to include up to 50 skills. Utilise this area to include as many targeted keywords and skills as possible.

Lastly ensure that you further complete as many additional sections as possible to enhance your profile. This can involve including information regarding certifications, honours and awards. LinkedIn also offer areas to include languages and even projects that you may wish to highlight. If you have worked for specific charities you can also include this information within your profile

LinkedIn Privacy

If you’re scared that your new profile will attract the prying eyes of your current employer you can set your privacy settings to suit your needs. LinkedIn offer various different types of privacy to ensure that you can promote as much or as little to whoever you wish to see your profile. Your privacy settings can let you control who sees your activity broadcasts and activity feeds. You can also control who can see your connections and select what other people can see when you have viewed their profile. If you are actively looking for a new job I recommend you make your profile as viewable as possible. If you’re currently in a job and being more discreet about your job search you are able to control the amount of information that is visible to the public.

© RedStarResume Publications – http://www.bestresponseresume.com

Stand Out From The Crowd With A Brand New Professional Resume, Cover Letter and LinkedIn Profile From RedStarResume:

Specializing In Over 35 Industries! – Turn your resume into an achievement based marketing documents in just 48-72 hours

Did you know: The RedStarResume resume layout and design presentation has been highly praised by recruiters, hiring managers and career experts from across globe!

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23
Jul

The Advantages And Benefits of Creating A LinkedIn Profile

By RedStarResume No comments yet

No matter if you’re a current student or graduate or a high flying executive, a professionally written LinkedIn profile can help open up doors to opportunities and networks. Before LinkedIn existed, it was virtually impossible to connect directly with potential hiring managers, bosses or even other individuals who share similar job titles to your own.  With LinkedIn, not only can you create an online marketing profile but with a click of a button you can begin networking.

Creating a positive first impression:

When a hiring manager or recruiter first reads your LinkedIn profile, they will typically make their opinion of you within the first 20 seconds. A professionally written and completed profile that includes up-to-date information about your skills and experience will automatically get the reader’s attention. Including key achievements, examples of projects and value added skills towards the top of your profile will further maintain the reader’s attention and create that positive first impression. Don’t forget to include a picture. This will help to humanise your profile and put a face behind the name. Remember that your picture is a representation of you. If you are applying for a corporate position, a picture of you at 3 o clock in the morning holding a beer will not portray that professional corporate image.

Be Found:

Different companies are now using social networking such as LinkedIn when it comes to hiring or headhunting new talent. A good example is seen within the ultra-competitive credit card industry, where companies who often try to poach talented staff from their competition and the easiest place to find these people are via LinkedIn. Even if you’re not actively seeking a new job, just by having an account could change your career!

Network:

The benefits of LinkedIn are almost endless with no downside to having a LinkedIn profile. Get involved in forums, join groups and meet like-minded individuals like yourself. Best of all LinkedIn is totally free.  Job seeking is a tough business and applying for online jobs each and every day is a job in itself! From a job seeker’s perspective, LinkedIn is another tool that you can use to help get ahead when searching for a new job.

Don’t forget one important aspect. While the advantages and benefits of having a LinkedIn profile can help open up doors to opportunities that may never have existed previously, having an incomplete or unprofessional LinkedIn profile can actually have a detrimental effect and portray a negative impression of being lazy or having a lack of attention to detail. If you choose to create a LinkedIn profile (which I suggest) prepare it properly and utilise everything that LinkedIn has to offer.

© RedStarResume Publications – http://www.bestresponseresume.com

RedStarResume are the Resume Writing Experts. Specializing In Over 35 Industries! – Turn your resume into an achievement based marketing documents in just 48-72 hours

Stand Out From The Crowd With A Brand New Professional Resume, Cover Letter and LinkedIn Profile From RedStarResume

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16
Jul

Is Your Professional Resume an Olympic Gold Medal

By RedStarResume No comments yet

With the Olympic Games fast approaching, athletes from across the world will all be vying to be the very best in their chosen sport and take home a gold medal. In events such as swimming and athletics it is usually only seconds that separate first and last and with competition so strong, a tiny mistake can often be the difference between winning gold or missing out on a medal.

Just as an athlete will have to prepare and train in order to win gold, a job seeker needs to ensure that their resume is worthy of winning a gold medal! Although competition for a job may not be as fierce as competition for a gold medal, the same rules apply. A simple spelling mistake could lead to your resume being deleted and you missing out on your dream job.

Preparation is key for any athlete and the same applies for any job seeker. Going online and using an out dated resume template which you complete in 10 minutes will not stand you out from your job seeking competitors. Before you even begin writing your resume, you need to have an understanding of the type of positions you are going to be applying for, and the type of skills and experience that will be required for that particular position. With this understanding, you will be in a far greater position to target your resume towards the types of jobs you are applying for.

Market your Skills on Page 1 of the Resume:

Reports suggest that hiring managers spend between 10-20 seconds when first reading through your resume. In this short time you need to grab the reader’s attention. Introducing a qualifications profile or career summary is a great way to show off your skills to the reader within the first 2-3 lines of the resume. Rather than opening your resume with an objective statement (telling the reader what you want out of the job) -introduce a qualifications profile where you tell the reader the value-added skills that you can offer the business. From a hiring managers perspective which resume would you rather read?

Highlight your Achievements:

Your resume is your marketing document. Don’t be afraid to highlight your achievements, awards, skills and expertise. If you are a manager include how many people you manage. If you received a promotion or award, point these out in the resume. The more quantitative examples you can provide the greater. Remember that your resume may be competing against hundreds of other resumes. Although you may be the most qualified or the most talented, if you are unable to portray your achievements throughout your resume than you greatly reduce your chances of being selected for the interview stage.

Just as an athlete needs everything to go right on their day in order to win gold, a job seeker is the same. There is not one most important aspect that makes a professional resume but a lot of smaller details that goes into preparing a gold medal winning resume. Marketing your skills and highlighting your achievements will give you a strong advantage over your competition and help you stand out from the crowd.

© RedStarResume Publications – http://www.bestresponseresume.com

RedStarResume are the Resume Writing Experts. Specializing In Over 35 Industries! – Turn your resume into an achievement based marketing documents in just 48-72 hours

Stand Out From The Crowd With A Brand New Professional Resume, Cover Letter and LinkedIn Profile From RedStarResume

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11
Jul

Resume Writing Tips To Stand Out From The Competition

By RedStarResume No comments yet

If you are a current job seeker you no doubt have one more thing to stress about – writing the perfect resume. The resume is often regarded as one of the most difficult documents to develop. An effectively written resume will get the reader’s attention within the first 20 seconds. However, with such demand for jobs, 20 seconds is often too long to make an impact. You need to ensure that your resume makes an immediate and positive first impression.

It is an undisputed fact that if a hiring manager has two resumes sitting on the table, they are instinctively going to be drawn to the resume that is professionally presented and formatted in the correct way. No matter what the resume has to say, the first impression is already made. If both candidates share similar skills, education and experience, just take a guess at which resume the hiring manager is going to choose.

When you sit down to write your resume, remember one thing. Your resume is a marketing document. This document is all you have to prove to the hiring manager that you are the right person for the job.  Present a professional picture and make sure that you stand out above your competition.

10 Tips to Writing the Perfect Resume

Create a Qualifications Profile:

A great way to begin the resume is by creating a 2-3 sentence qualifications profile. Rather than an objective statement (telling the reader what type of job you want), focus on creating a powerful profile that highlights your value-added skills and qualifications. A hiring manager is interested in the skills and qualifications you are able to bring to this particular role, as opposed to being told about the type of job you want.

Include Keywords:

With the demand for jobs so competitive, hiring managers and recruiters can often receive upwards of 500 – 1000 resumes for one particular position. As such, many firms now use software programs as a way of performing “first round interviews”. Using selected keywords will ensure that your resume passes the first stage of selection and will not be deleted before a hiring manager has even had a chance to read your application. The best way to find these keywords is by simply reading the job positions. See what the company is looking for and make sure your resume is full of these keywords!

Provide Specific Quantitative Examples:

Hiring managers hate to read clichéd resumes. It’s boring and adds no value to your resume. Use quantitative examples as much as possible to highlight your experience and the value-added skills that you can bring to the job.

Target the Position that you are applying for:

As a job seeker, everything you include in your resume needs to reinforce the message to the reader that you are the right candidate for the position. Don’t waste time on information that doesn’t reflect your suitability for this particular position. Being a good skier and having an interest in tennis will probably not be relevant to the job that you are applying for. Focus your resume on the value added skills and experience that you have to offer. If the job requires management experience than provide these specific examples. Your resume is your marketing document so ensure that your document is marketed correctly.

Highlighting Achievements/Accomplishments:

Does your resume show off all the wonderful skills and talents that you have to offer? If you were the hiring manager would you want to employ yourself? If the answer is no, it’s time to have a serious think about rewriting your resume. If you wouldn’t hire yourself then why would a hiring manager hire you? Turn your resume from a boring resume into an achievement based resume focusing on highlighting achievement based examples. From a hiring manager’s perspective, would you rather read “strong communication skills” or read this statement backed up by an example. “Strong communication skills capable of projecting a strong, credible, articulate and engaging personal presence with experience in producing and creating PowerPoint presentations”

Error Free:

When you open your resume do you see the red or green lines underneath words or sentences? This is such a major turnoff to a hiring manager and will create an immediate unprofessional first impression. The easiest way to avoid this from occurring is convert your word document into a PDF. Not only will it enhance your professionalism but will also ensure that those ugly looking lines don’t occur!

Clean Font:

Make the reader’s life as easy as possible by using an easy to read and professional looking font. Wired looking font not only looks ugly but will detract from the professionalism of your document.

Be Concise and Succinct:

Use bullet points to emphasise your skills and experience. Long drawn out sentences are boring to read and when a hiring manager is staring at a table full of resumes, they do not want to read long winded sentences. Ensure that you are able to catch the reader’s attention immediately and portray the professional image that is required.

Power Words:

A great way to make your resume stand out is by including action words throughout your resume. A clichéd resume is boring to read and can lead to the reader losing interest in your application. Strong action words will further highlight your skills and expertise.

Demonstrate Flexibility, Adaptability and Innovation:

In my experience employers want to hire individuals who can demonstrate flexibility, adaptability and innovation as well as a passion for wanting to gain further knowledge and experience. Remember that an employer wants to know that you are going to bring value to the organisation. Your job duties will change constantly and you need to be able to demonstrate that you are a forward-thinking self-starter with vision and desire to implement innovative solutions to any problem that may arise.

Final Thought …

Job seeking is a cut throat business and in order to succeed your resume needs to be 100% right, and it needs to be presented and formatted professionally and correctly. When you apply for a particular job you only have one chance to succeed. Make sure that you give yourself every opportunity to get that new job!

 

© RedStarResume Publications – http://www.bestresponseresume.com

RedStarResume are the Resume Writing Experts. Specializing In Over 35 Industries! – Turn your resume into an achievement based marketing documents in just 48-72 hours

Stand Out From The Crowd With A Brand New Professional Resume, Cover Letter and LinkedIn Profile From RedStarResume

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03
Jul

Preparation is Key to Job Searching

By RedStarResume No comments yet

Job seeking can often be a lonely and frustrating business, but if you organise yourself properly, define what your preferences are and what goals you would like to achieve, then, it can make the job searching process more enjoyable.

Whether you’re looking for a job or a change of career, the approach should be similar and there are certain things that should be in place before you start on your path to finding suitable employment. Too often people jump straight into sending out their resume for every job under the sun. This approach is not just wrong but can be a total waste of time. Preparation is key to job seeking and those that prepare properly ultimately come out ahead.

Job Preparation and Research:

Before you even begin to start thinking about applying for jobs, ensure that your professional resume is up to date and that your cover letter is targeted towards the jobs and industry you are applying for. Focus your resume on highlighting achievements and the value added skills that you can bring to the organisation. Remember that demand for jobs is ultra-competitive and when potential hiring managers may receive in excess of 500 resumes for one position, your resume needs to be perfect in order to stand out from the crowd.

Once your resume and cover letter are ready to go, you need to decide exactly what type of work you want to do and where your skills are best suited. This will make the job search process more straightforward.

Focus your job search:

There are many different tactics you can implement to search for jobs. Don’t get stuck into only applying for online jobs because they are easy to apply for. Create profiles on different networking sites such as LinkedIn. A LinkedIn profile is a fantastic way to attract recruiters and potential head hunters. You can also use networking sites to find job vacancies, network with hiring managers and meet other job seekers who are in the same shoes as you.

Remain Positive and Focused:

Job seeking is not easy and can often take a long period of time. Rather than sitting at home waiting for the phone to ring, utilise this time to learn a new skill. (Have you ever wanted to learn a new language?) Perform community service or even just try to improve your health. The more you focus on the negative the more depressed and stressed you will become. Set out a certain amount of time every day to job search and spend the other time in the day doing something else.

Having a common sense approach to your job searching will make it easier in finding suitable employment.

Adopting a flexible approach, a willingness for work and a good attitude will give you more leverage and help in your quest of finding the ideal job.

 

© RedStarResume Publications – http://www.bestresponseresume.com

Stand Out From The Crowd With A Brand New Professional Resume, Cover Letter and LinkedIn Profile From RedStarResume:

Specializing In Over 35 Industries! – Turn your resume into an achievement based marketing documents in just 48-72 hours

Did you know?

The RedStarResume resume layout and design presentation has been highly praised by recruiters, hiring managers and career experts from across globe!

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26
Jun

Find Success with a Keyword Rich LinkedIn Profile

By RedStarResume No comments yet

It goes without saying that networking is an effective way to build your business, or to get yourself seen when looking for a new career. Back in the day, that meant pressing the flesh and exchanging business cards, but the internet era has made that something of a thing of the past. Social networking is now the way that most people connect online, but it’s hard to think of Facebook or Twitter as places where you could advance your career. That is why LinkedIn has become the social networking site for those that are serious about building their business and making connections.

The first time people arrive at the site, the most common question that they ask is, “how do I use LinkedIn?” The answer really depends on what you want to get out of the site. This may be anything from getting your resume out to potential employers, to simply connecting with other people that share your profession. The best way to jump right in and get started is by filling out your LinkedIn profile and utilizing all the different sections to ensure that you promote yourself in the best way.

Your LinkedIn profile will actually look somewhat like a resume by the time you are finished with it, and it’s the information contained within that will help people find you. Try to keep that information as up to date as possible, just in case you are looking for work and an employer decides to come calling. Keeping your profile up to date will help you look a little more attractive than others in your industry who don’t.  Remember that as this is a business network for professionals, your profile should reflect that, so try to keep your LinkedIn writing as professional as possible.

A great way to connect with people and start networking is to join groups. Based on the information that you provide in your profile, LinkedIn will suggest a number of groups that you may be interested in. You will find that most will be based around your profession, but some will also match categories that you have listed as skills and interests. This is a great way to meet like-minded people and to get your network up and running quickly.

Groups are a fantastic way to keep up with everything that is happening within your industry, as well as a way to help others who have questions about the profession. If you are using LinkedIn to find employment, then you may be able to find out which companies are hiring, which in turn could save you a ton of time in your job search process. There are many different ways to use LinkedIn, and the layout is so familiar to other social networks, you will quickly be able to get the hang of how to navigate and will start reaping the benefits quickly.

Final Reminder: Don’t forget to use strategic keywords throughout your LinkedIn profile. The more keywords you can incorporate into your profile the greater the chance that your profile will be found by potential recruiters and hiring managers. Give yourself the greatest opportunity of finding success with a keyword rich LinkedIn profile.

© RedStarResume Publications – http://www.bestresponseresume.com

Stand Out From The Crowd With A Brand New Professional Resume, Cover Letter and LinkedIn Profile From RedStarResume:

Specializing In Over 35 Industries! – Turn your resume into an achievement based marketing documents in just 48-72 hours

Did you know?

The RedStarResume resume layout and design presentation has been highly praised by recruiters, hiring managers and career experts from across globe!

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28
Apr

LinkedIn Profile Writing

By RedStarResume No comments yet

LinkedIn was created with the sole objective of promoting talents, skills, and products to millions of people around the globe. When you sign up for a LinkedIn profile, you become an exclusive part of a community that includes companies, recruiters, vendors, customers, and competitors. What makes LinkedIn unique and attractive to people is the fact that it fulfills their professional objectives, unlike other social networking sites where entertainment is the key focus. Here are some of those unique benefits that make LinkedIn worth every effort.

Gain Visibility for Unique Professional & Business Opportunities:

LinkedIn offers a search engine. When recruiters or companies are searching for specific talent to fill their vacant positions or when people are searching for specific products and services, LinkedIn search engine permits your profile to be populated. You can gain and enhance your profile’s visibility, making it readily accessible to the targeted audiences by optimizing it with appropriate usage of keywords. It is recommended that you examine the keywords before constructing your profile.

Build Professional & Business Relationships:

The chief objective of marketing platforms like LinkedIn is to make connections. Through such podiums you gain the opportunity to meet the right companies or individuals that aptly fit with your set of business or professional requirements. Connecting with significant people in your industry strengthens your credibility and consolidates the position of your business.

Furthermore, recommendations play a vital role in improving your profile and its visibility. The more recommendations you’re able to gather, the more appealing and credible your profile appears. It works like an endorsement for your skills, products, services or company and increases your trustworthiness. Recruiters or customers always prefer candidates, services or products that have been approved by others. So, always request your clients or colleagues to leave reviews on your profile.

Identify Business and Job Trends:

LinkedIn tools are highly effective in identifying new business trends and job opportunities in your industry. By knowing the current trends you will be able to formulate appropriate strategies that will carve your path to success. Job seekers and businesses that remain abreast with emerging trends stay coordinated with the professional and business requirements.

Generate Job and Business Opportunities:

Marketing is a method designed to promote and sell skills, products and services, and the LinkedIn interface as a marketing tool just does that. By creating an impressive LinkedIn profile you effortlessly launch your skills and services into the market. However, leaving it unattended for months at a stretch will lead you to nowhere. In order to derive the optimum levels of benefits from this incredible marketing platform, you need to explore what it has to offer you – things like search tools, forums and direct ads.

If other social networking sites are able to facilitate emerging professionals and businesses to a large extent, then LinkedIn ought to be ahead in the competition as it is specially oriented to marketing professional skills and business products/services. The core advantage is that you build up a relevant network of professionals without wasting your precious time.

© RedStarResume Publications – http://www.bestresponseresume.com

#1 for LinkedIn Profile Writing, Resume Writing and Career Services

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07
Dec

Do I Really Need A LinkedIn Profile?

By RedStarResume No comments yet

With so many social networking sites now available and new sites being developed on a daily basis, it is often hard to know which networking sites are worthwhile especially in helping to find a new job.

We have all heard of Facebook and Twitter (If you haven’t where have you been hiding!).. however when it comes to job networking in my opinion every person, no matter if your actively seeking a new job or not, needs to have an updated LinkedIn profile.

Job hunting has changed so much over the past 5-10 years and social networking websites such as LinkedIn has enabled job seekers to reach out directly to networks which previously were never an option. Even if you are currently not seeking new roles, having an updated LinkedIn account certainly cannot hurt. I have never heard of a person who missed out on a job for having a LinkedIn account (How many people may have missed out on being headhunted for not having an active account?)

I recently worked with a young skilled migrant who was in the process of moving from Ireland to Australia. This individual had been granted a skilled migrant visa and was now in the process of trying to find employment before arriving in Australia. Not knowing where to begin or how to start, we began by transferring his resume into a  brand new LinkedIn profile highlighting areas such as his expertise, specialities, skills, awards, publications, education and past work history (all areas that are available to fill in on a LinkedIn profile). We optimised his LinkedIn public profile and reached out to his existing contacts asking for recommendations to add further credibility to his online profile. Last but not least we added an up-to-date professional picture (not a picture taken at 3am on a Saturday night) and uploaded this picture onto his profile. When potential hiring managers read through your profile they want to know that there is a face behind the name and adding a picture to your profile humanises the profile.

Now that his account had been optimised, he was now ready to network and reach out to new contacts through all the different professional groups that LinkedIn has to offer. This job seeking candidate now had a huge advantage of being able to approach people in his network and potentially open new doors that were previously closed. Rather than applying blind to a company and hoping for the best, he was able to strategically build relationships and at the same time giving himself the greatest opportunity of being identified by recruiters through his new optimised profile.

Remember one thing. The more relevant contacts you can build to your network the more exposure you will have to meet potential recruiters, head-hunters and employers. In the twenty first century, where social networking is booming, the LinkedIn platform can allow you to enhance your unique personal brand, connect with hiring authorities and connect with other job seekers who are in the exact same situation as yourself.

Networking is key!

© RedStarResume Publications – www.redstarresume.com

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