Photo by Souvik Banerjee on Unsplash
As recruiters, we tend to use many tech tools to scout for the best talent. These tools allow us to match search queries against candidate data to help us quickly narrow the global pool to a small group of potentially qualified individuals. We are experts at search but we have no control over what someone might choose to share about their professional experience.
This is where you come in!
It is your job to decide what information to share. The more information you share the easier it will be for us to present you with relevant opportunities. For example, if you are familiar with LinkedIn, remember to always describe either briefly or completely what you do, and make sure you list all your skills, strengths, qualifications, and certifications. Please do not overlook your skill set as this can make a big difference when a recruiter is looking for potential candidates.
Also, share the skills you have developed over time but may not be using them currently. Just because you are not using a skill now doesn’t mean it’s not valuable. Remember, a skill is something you are good at doing -- this can be a natural talent or something you learned. Share all of your skills and we will be able to present you with more opportunities.
To help you, consider making a list of your skills, strengths, qualifications, and certifications:
Think about your current and past positions… What skills did each position require?
Write down a list of your strengths and consider what other people have identified as your strengths.
Identify your qualifications such as degrees, languages, years of experience (both total and specific to functions such as management).
Don’t forget your certifications and licenses even if they are not active or up to date!
After you have created your lists, choose how to share this data. Formatting is critical to making information easy to find and making it relevant. Bullet points are easy to scan on a resume and LinkedIn has done a good job of creating space for sharing your skills, strengths, qualifications, and certifications.
Finally, please recognize that there is nothing wrong with saying to a recruiter, “At the moment, I am not interested in this opportunity, thank you”. But imagine the risk of never seeing the job of your dreams because you didn’t share enough information with us to find you!
As H. Jackson Brown, Jr. said, “Nothing is more expensive than a missed opportunity.”
Written by: Sandy Rivera, Recruiting Coordinator at Hunter Crown, LLC
Looking for your next great opportunity?
Have hiring and/or recruiting needs?