The job market is ever in flux, with new positions and opportunities arising daily. The chance to profit from this reality is in your hands. What should you do? Make sure your online presence and your profile are up to date and polished to perfection.
An online profile is the first thing a headhunter sees of a candidate – and the impression it leaves matters.
In today’s digital age it’s becoming more and more difficult to advance in your career without an internet presence. Whether you are a senior marketing manager or an expert in international finance, you should place a high value on your presence in professional business networks like Experteer.
Afterall, your profile is your digital business card, and often the ticket for the next career step. Take advantage of these 5 simple tricks to ensure you’re putting your best online profile forward, and getting optimal exposure:
5 tricks to create your best online profile
- Keep your profile up to date – headhunters are looking for active candidates
- Make sure that your profile includes suitable and relevant keywords – an incomplete profile makes it hard to be found
- Use only professional photos – photos taken at the office holiday party don’t count
- Provide relevant references – your mother may love you, but she’s a bad choice for a professional reference
- Spelling mistakes are absolutely taboo – a sure-fire path to disqualification
A current and complete profile is not only important for headhunters, but also important for intelligent job-matching technologies, such as those offered by Experteer. Only the best and most relevant positions will be suggested for you if you ensure that your profile is up to date.
The list of areas of expertise is particularly important – if you list at least 10 skills, your chance of being found by headhunters increases. A helpful tip: Specify different terms for the most relevant keywords, for instance:
- Sales, sales management, account management
- PR, public relations, press and public relations
- Product management, product analysis, product conception
Where do you want to go?
This is the central question you should be asking yourself, and it’s also very important to headhunters. In order to provide you with suitable positions, it’s important to specify your career goals and aspirations.
On Experteer, for example, you can specify your desired content and preferred industries. You can indicate your willingness to travel, and, as an added bonus, you have the opportunity to specify special motivators: How important are certain perks to you? A company car, for instance, or shares in the company? Make sure that headhunters know as much as possible about your goals and what’s important to you. This way they can better tailor their inquiries and help you get to where you want to go.
Well-rounded
In books and films, the one-dimensional characters are always the most boring. Ensure you’re not perceived as such by adding relevant details to your profile. Headhunters want a comprehensive picture of applicants, so make sure to specify the following:
- Which languages you speak and at what level. This is a good indicator of how you might fit at international firms. (Don’t forget your native language.)
- What references you have. You can name up to 5 people headhunters can contact to provide personal/professional references for you.
- Which certificates and supplementary qualifications you’ve obtained. These documents show headhunters where your professional expertise lies.
I know someone who knows someone
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with others.” This proverb speaks to the value of networks. In this digital era making and maintaining contacts and expanding your network is easier and more efficient than ever before; Almost 60% of headhunters now find their candidates on career platforms. The first and most important step: Go where the headhunters and recruiters are.
Not just any online platform, but the best. In a portal such as Experteer, you get targeted and, above all, discreet access to more than 10,000 headhunters worldwide who have passed through a rigorous selection process. Look for specific headhunters in your desired industry and work on your professional network. Your hard work will inevitably lead you to realize your potential.
About the author:
Jörg Peter Urbach is the author, editor and blogger of Sprachleidenschaft. He has been writing for more than 25 years, for print and online. Concepts. Stories. Journal articles. After studying musicology and German language and literature, Jörg Peter worked as an editorial manager in the classical music business. As long-time chief editor of the portal wissen.de, he knows how to inspire readers with clever topics.
If the native Kieler is not writing, he is walking through the Alps. Or listening to the opera. With mindfulness.
