Take a look at yourself. No, not in a mirror. Examine how you present yourself to future employers. Review what you send them, look at your resume and your cover letter. Does it need a refresh? Do an internet search to discover what an employer could find about you before you talk with them. Clean up your social media presence and review your privacy settings. You want to make sure you’re sending the right message.
More times than we can count our recruiters receive resumes that have incomplete information. Some only list a first name, sometimes a first name and last initial, or just a middle name. We’ve seen some resumes that even just have a nickname. Some lack dates of employment or even contact information.
When a recruiter or hiring manager notices things are missing from your resume they start to ask themselves, what are you hiding? Are you hiding your name to hope they don’t find out something in your past? Are you hiding dates because you’ve been let go from previous positions in a short amount of time? Or did you simply leave those items off because they might not be necessary or important? They are all important! Don’t give the recruiter or hiring manager a reason to discard your resume. Make sure to include your full name and dates, even just the years are fine, of previous employment.
Spell check your resume. Nothing is more of a turn off than receiving a resume with spelling mistakes. Spell checker is your friend. Hiring managers are given the impression that you are disorganized and lack attention to detail when they read a resume with spelling and grammar mistakes . A resume with so many mistakes will make employers think this is how you do your work… with a lot of mistakes.
Google yourself and find out what an employer can find out about you before you interview. Be prepared to answer any questions about your past. Review your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc. and check your privacy settings. There are too many stories of employees losing their jobs, even before they start, because of what their employers can see. Maybe it’s time to get rid of those distasteful pictures you posted last weekend. Check your tweets. How much did you complain about your job? Or did you tweet something that may be against the company culture and beliefs? This type of behavior is not something a future employer wants to see. Keep your email address professional as well. BigPimpin69@email.com is not a good first impression.
Believe it or not, employers do their research before bringing you in for an interview. Do your own research ahead of time, so you can know what you may have to answer to. Your resume should have complete information, is organized and error free. Clean up your social media. What can be seen online is how you represent yourself to someone who doesn’t know you.
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