MCD | Robin's Resumes (r)

LinkedIn Endorsements: High Value in a Job Search

Jan 13 2013

LinkedIn now allows contacts to quickly endorse each other in their areas of expertise. The endorsement is one word and can be selected with the click of a button. Does it have any value? Wouldn’t a recommendation be better?

An endorsement is different than a recommendation.

LinkedIn is used by recruiters to search for candidates for positions via keywords, which in many cases are skills. Just like Applicant Tracking Systems, LinkedIn helps rank candidates based on how many of their skills match the job requirements.

With 175+ million profiles on LinkedIn, recruiters can now rely on endorsements to find folks who have the skills they need and speed up their search. The number of endorsements for each skill might also indicate the strength of the skill. Recruiters do not care if they find every candidate; all they need is a few candidates with exactly the right skills.

Once a profile is found, recommendations become more important. Recommendations are testimonials that validate a person’s skills. Unfortunately, if a person lacks endorsements, that person’s profile may never be found by recruiters and the recommendations might never be read.

As a Master Career Director (MCD) and certified Job and Career Transition Coach (JCTC), I can help you decide which endorsements will bring you the kinds of job offers you want and make sure that your profile, resume, and cover letter will keep recruiters interested. Contact me today.

Do You Need More Than One Resume?

Dec 09 2012

Most people need more than one resume. They may have one main resume, but they need to tailor to every position they apply for, to match the specific requirements in an advertisement or job notice. For example, if you are applying for a job as a retail store manager, you wouldn’t ordinarily mention your sports hobbies. However, if the retail store sells sports equipment, your sports hobbies might be worth adding.

Multiple resumes are also important for individuals who have followed two career paths; for example, an individual has a degree in research science and a degree in business administration and is open to both research and business management positions. In that case, the individual might need three resumes: one strictly for research, one strictly for business management, and one for managing a research laboratory.

However, be careful about going after too many specialties. A job search is shorter and much more effective if you first evaluate what you want to do based on your interests and desires along with your skills, abilities, and experience.

Once you focus your job search, you may find some of your “specialties” are not relevant to the jobs that match your experience, skills, abilities, and what you want.

If you need help targeting your resume, please contact me. I am a Master Career Director (MCD) and certified Job and Career Transition Coach (JCTC). I can help you focus your job search and your resume.