Ask CareerCoach Kristi

Ask CareerCoach Kristi 

Career Advice from someone who used to hire people for a living!

From time to time, I get the random career question, either emailed to me or asked during a conversation. Here are a few of my favorites: 

Dear Kristi, 

Q: Why is having a Linked In profile so important? 

A: I have heard this question at least a zillion times in the past two years, I thought I would address it here. Linked In is a professional website (with over 70 MILLION users) where individuals can “connect” with each other through various degrees. It is a “space” where you can post your resume, bio, videos, blogs, portfolios, and MORE. You can get recommended by people who supervised you, and who you supervised. You can join groups, ask questions, answer questions, announce events, find events, meet new people on line, and meet them offline too. You can get leads, referrals, clients and search for jobs. You can search companies, people who work at those companies and how you are connected to them. You can get “connected” to people who you want to meet; and use “intro” or “in-mail” to reach targeted individuals. The larger your “connections” the greater access you have to your connections contacts; and you can pay for upgraded services that will boost your visibility to hiring managers and recruiters. 

But the most compelling reason I have heard came from a recruiter that works for a REALLY big firm. He told me that he quit looking at resumes – digitally or on paper – 3 years ago. He said “if they [candidates] are not on Linked In, then they don't exist.” 

Make sure you “exist” in the eyes of recruiters and hiring managers. Create and maintain a robust Linked In profile – spend the time up front to do it right. It is the difference between being visible or invisible.

Q: Why did you take my “objective”, “references upon request” and street address off my resume? 

A: Let's start with why I removed the objective. For one, it's not really necessary anymore. Most “objectives” tend to be generic statements such as “contribute to your company while learning and growing in my career.” Yikes...who cares? The resume is a marketing document – don't forget that – and you are the product. The hiring authority is trying to fill a position, and their needs trump yours. The real estate on a resume is limited, and you should use that space to create a “Profile” or “Summary of Qualifications” - which is 4-6 sentences highlighting relevant career accomplishments that align with their needs. 

I left “references upon request” off your resume because it is outdated, and of course, assumed. Why would you need to state the obvious? 

I only use your city location in the “directory” for safety reasons. I am not sure where your resume will end up - and neither are you really, once you hit “send” - so for that reason alone, I leave your actual street address off. In a world that is rife with Internet identity left, and where the combination of a name, employment history and an address would be like a thieve's pot o' gold, I leave it to you to decide when to list your home address. 

I hope these are helpful. Please comment if your experience differs, and send your career question to me here.

About the Author: Kristi Enigl is a Career & Job Search Consultant who brings over 20 years of Hiring, HR Management and Executive Recruiting across a broad spectrum of industries to her professional practice. She helps professionals identify, create, and market their personal brand so they reach their career goals – FAST. She is a public speaker who regularly participates in career workshops and roundtables. For more information about Kristi, please visit her website at http://www.kristienigl.com or www.linkedin.com/in/kristienigl.

UPCOMING SPEAKING EVENT: Join me October 13, 2010 at Working World Career Fair. I will be presenting: Hard Target Job Searching - 5 Strategies to Get the Job! It's FREE. Click here for info.