This weekend I attended the annual Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival for the fifth year in a row. 8,000 bacon-loving people bought tickets for the event in less than four minutes. Then descended upon our infamous State Fairgrounds on Saturday morning to celebrate all things bacon. Later on Saturday evening I enjoyed reading all of my friends posts on Facebook - many of whom I didn't even see during my six-hour bacon binge. It was simply a sea of people meandering from booth to booth to try delicious bacon morsels.
I had tried to dress boldly by wearing a bright, light blue t-shirt with a funny design on the front. That way if I was separated from my friends, they would know how to find me. Unfortunately the volunteers for the day were all also wearing bright, light blue shirts. So much for standing out, I guess.......
It did make me think, however, of what candidates attempt to do in their job searches to be noticed. We get everything from crazy resumes to bold predictions in an email title of "BEST CANDIDATE EVER" to unique introductions on Facebook and LinkedIn. Ironically the ones that try too hard usually end up in my deleted folder more quickly than any others. So what gets my attention, or more importantly the attention of a hiring manager at a company you would like to work for in the future? Here are three simple tips to consider:
1) Keep it simple, Stupid. Yes the old K.I.S.S. philosophy. And no, I am not talking about the rock band from the 70's. Create a professional resume that clearly outlines your background, but isn't too flashy with twelve different fonts and accomplishments in bold, italics, and followed by ten exclamation points. If the information is good, it does not require neon lights pointing them out. A trained eye will be drawn right to them without all of the fanfare.
2) Keep it fresh. Although you don't want to get too crazy, having a fun and colorful social media or online presence can be a great way to connect with your audience. Again, just please don't advertise that as your primary method of getting your information out there. Listing hobbies on a resume is somewhat of a thing of the past. But the great news is that you can have that information on your LinkedIn or Facebook page. I love posting stories and pics of me going golfing with my son. Oftentimes I get people asking me how old he is, how long he has been playing, and ironically if he is better than me. Not quite, but it won't be long.......
3) Keep it current. Many people get too caught up about accomplishments from fifteen years ago. While still important at some point in the conversation, it needs to be relevant. I tell people all the time that I had some good success stories from my days as an insurance broker, but that was more than ten years ago. If I approached one of my clients today proclaiming that I could replicate that success in a short period of time, they would likely ask me what I have done recently to prove that. Have I sold a large account? How have I kept up with PPACA and other relevant changes in legislation? If I don't have good answers for that, my past experience won't do me too much good.
What other ways do you think are relevant to "stand out from the crowd" in a job search? I would love to hear any stories or feedback!
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