KEY POINTS:
- Regularly refresh your professional brand (LinkedIn, resume, online presence) to stay competitive.
- Focus on updating key areas like achievements and skills to highlight your current value.
- Maintain a clean public social media presence, as it’s a possible key factor for hiring managers screening candidates.
As spring breathes new life into the world around us, it’s the perfect time to dust off and refresh your professional brand. Just as we clear out winter’s accumulated clutter from our homes, job seekers must identify and sweep away the hidden debris that quietly hinder career opportunities. In today’s hyper-competitive job market, your professional brand speaks volumes before you ever enter an interview room.
Much like overlooked dust in forgotten corners, overlooked resume details, outdated profiles, and careless social media activity can instantly disqualify even the most promising candidates. Recognizing these personal brand pitfalls is why a thorough spring cleaning is critical for cultivating career growth.
WHEN and HOW should you refresh your profile?
If you’re currently employed, aim to update your professional profile at least twice a year. For active job seekers, refresh your profile as soon as you gain new skills, certifications, or experiences to ensure everything reflects your most current value. Here are some areas you can look into cleaning up:
LinkedIn Deep Clean: Job seekers with a comprehensive LinkedIn profile have a 71% higher chance of getting a job interview.
- Update your profile photo to a current, professional image that authentically represents you.
- Prune unnecessary content from your experience sections, focusing on achievements rather than responsibilities.
- Reorganize your skills list to prioritize the most relevant technical competencies for your target roles.
- Request specific recommendations from colleagues who can speak to your most marketable skills.
- Reach out strategically to reconnect with valuable contacts by sharing relevant insights or congratulating achievements.
Resume Revitalization: A strong resume helps engineers stand out from other candidates, so it’s important to keep it updated and industry-relevant.
- Trim out outdated or irrelevant experiences that no longer contribute to your career narrative.
- Transform job descriptions from lists of responsibilities into measurable achievements with metrics.
- Update your technical skills section to feature current, in-demand technologies relevant to your target roles.
- Modernize your resume format to align with contemporary design standards in your industry. Make sure each section is adaptable for quick tailoring.
- For more tips on how to make your resume stand out, check out this ARTICLE.
Digital Footprint Audit:
- Professional Website:
- One of the main benefits of using a website portfolio is that you can update your content even after you’ve sent it to employers. Update your website portfolio to include your best work samples and those that are the most relevant to the job you’re applying for.
- Most sites offer free access with a subdomain, but a paid plan allows a custom URL for better branding. Include your portfolio link on your resume, LinkedIn, and email signature to ensure easy access for employers. Here are some sites that you can use:
- Squarespace: sleek, user-friendly website builder perfect for resumes and portfolios.
- Github: ideal for developers that leans more into coding projects.
- Google Sites: free and simple tool to create clean professional pages.
- Adobe Portfolio: tailored for creatives and useful for engineers to present project visuals.
- Figma: mainly a design collaboration tool, but can be used to create and share interactive portfolios.
- Social Media:
- 97% of HR and staffing professionals use LinkedIn in their recruiting efforts.
- Make sure your public social media presence does not show anything incriminating since 71% of hiring managers feel that social media can effectively screen unqualified candidate.
Your refreshed professional profile creates the foundation for new opportunities. If you need help spring cleaning your profile or if you want to put your refreshed profile in good use, reach out to the technical recruiters at Solopoint Solutions.