How to take control of your job search, your professional image and make meaningful connections to lead you to success. By Peter Hawkins

Hi Job Seeker, Newcomer, and New Grad:

I originally posted all of these tips throughout February 2020 as a way to show you that you can make a fresh start anytime and you have much more control over your job search than you think. You can take action and make changes right now! Every tip that follows is more important than ever. Do something for yourself. Take action today! 

All those resolutions, goals and plans you had for the New Year have already collapsed. Forget about them. The past is past. We are all still trapped inside but time is flying by and YOU are stuck!

Here are 13 actionable tips for professionalizing yourself, identifying opportunities and networking effectively. What are YOU going to do? Time for a Fresh Start.

Fresh Start Tip #1:

In your job search there are so many variables that sometimes it seems like there is no way to solve the mystery of landing a job. So, focus on the things you can control. As an employer I am always amazed at what job seekers don’t do. During this period of lock-downs and zoom meetings you can control everything about your professional presentation from your LinkedIn profile, to your zoom meeting background, to your business attire. Make sure potential employers always see a professional version of you!

Your LinkedIn background image should reflect your goals and help sell you when you aren’t around to do the talking. It is 20% of your profile. No sunsets, quotes or nature shots. Your portrait image should be an interior cell shot of you dressed professionally, well-groomed, with a big welcoming smile. Don’t spend any money on it. Your contact information should contain a professional looking email and a telephone number so employers can contact you. Omit your birthday so fraudsters can’t cheat you. Your tagline is both actual and aspirational. It should be 220 characters of searchable keywords that represent what you are and what you want. If you have yet to do any of these things, make sure you do them all today!

Fresh Start Tip #2:

LinkedIn is our professional platform. If you want to be taken seriously you must have a profile. After completing your background image, portrait, tagline (or headline), and contact information, it’s time for the ‘About’ essay. Struggling with your tagline? Your essay helps clarify what you are and what you want. By the way, did you know the tagline is now 220 characters and not 120?

The ‘About’ essay is full of contradictions. It must be concise, but not clinical; professional yet personal; catchy but not glib. Long enough to provide detail about you, but short enough that a busy potential employer will notice the key words. The basic essay should answer who you are (professionally). What have you accomplished? What do you want?

Paragraph 1 begins with a short (max 10 word) description of what you are. Paragraph 2 is your work experience and accomplishments. Paragraph 3 describes your goals. Then add a list of key skills, like tech languages or negotiating, in point form. Spell check it. Use all 2000 characters. Longer essays ensure readers click 'more', meaning your profile has interest, which improves your chances of moving up the LinkedIn algorithm.

Fresh Start Tip #3:

It may seem surprising that work experience feels less important than photos, essays and contact information, but the truth is your employment history is just as important as it always has been when assessing your ability to do a job. For better or worse, everything else matters too! List work experience in reverse chronological order with 20 words minimum about each role. Show increases in responsibility, new skills and relevant (transferrable) skills for the roles you are considering. Your current job should be in the present tense. All past roles in the past tense. Put activities in order of importance and explain companies that potential employers may not know. If you worked for a globally recognized brand, be sure to share it. It will act like an endorsement. Have gaps for immigration or having a family? Just leave the gaps. Both are completely acceptable. Had a lot of jobs? Consider grouping them and addressing the issue in the ‘About’ essay. Survival jobs show you are willing to work BUT describe those in the ‘About’ essay too. Working in Fast Food or Security can give you transferrable skills, but they won’t jump start your career in your chosen field. Pay attention to fonts, spelling, grammar and accuracy.

Fresh Start Tip #4:

The final part of professionalizing your profile is checking all the little details. Don’t attach your resume. You will be tweaking it for various applications (btw never let your resume contradict your LinkedIn profile). Attaching images of certificates and awards is fine. Attaching links to other site media is not. Don’t steer potential employers AWAY from your profile. In the languages section, only list languages that you can actually work in. Do not put french when your vocabulary only revolves around the Habs. Pay attention to your volunteer roles. If you have a leadership role, include it in your ‘About’ essay. Pay attention to your interests. Make sure they reflect your goals. Review, points #1#2, and #3. Complete your profile to the best of your ability. Eliminate any potential obstacles.

Fresh Start Tip #5:

Online Networking Strategies seem like a big mystery. We are living under frustrating conditions, but this is an excellent time to use NEW job search strategy techniques. In online networking, YOU, the candidate, control so much of the communication. You don't have to go through gatekeepers. You can reach out directly to your intended contact. Here are the key things you control. You control how you look by ensuring your LinkedIn profile, your resume, and your online presence are 100% professional. You control what your communications look like. You control your job search. Now what? Where to start? Identify 3 companies you want to work for. Really research them. Does the job you want exist there? Then identify their competitors. The same positions exist in both. Research your target companies in the news, on their sites and on LinkedIn. Be methodical. Make this list today! 

Fresh Start Tip #6:

Taking right up where Tip #5 left off... Use LinkedIn to narrow your target to the person you want to reach. Search each company under People and see who works there. Find the decision-maker you need and then ‘Follow’ them. Read their profiles, compare their experience and education to yours. What are the similarities? What transferrable skills match yours? Now take action: Read their posts and comment on them. Make sure your comments are always positive. You want to show that you have read their posts and you appreciate them. Do not complain. If they respond, then you are making a Real Connection. If you comment on three posts, you are making a professional Connection. Once they answer you OR you have commented three times THEN you can make a Connect request.

Fresh Start Tip #7:

The LinkedIn 'connect request' is both easy and complicated. It seems as easy as clicking a button but that is not making a connection. If you've been sending connect requests without any real thought, then whether they accept or not, you haven't made a connection. You aren’t making a network. You are just making a list. Your connect request is like ringing a doorbell. Be sure you know who and why you are contacting. Then follow three rules of good manners: greet them, compliment and ask for advice. Do not ask for a job, send a resume, or worse, ask for a reference. Only ask for advice. Everyone already knows you are looking for a job. People laugh when I suggest this basic structure and, there are those natural communicators who write lovely and compelling notes that get immediate responses. But for the rest of us, a clear structure really helps. You’ve already been following and thoughtfully commenting, so this is not a cold call. And when you do get a response, don't leave them hanging. You contacted them. You wanted to connect to them. You must follow up.

Fresh Start Tip #8:

My resume never landed me a job. My networking and strategic connections did. I only needed the resume “for the file.” However, as an employer about a third of my hires are based on resumes. Why? Because our ideal candidates are in the early stages of building their networks. What do we want in a resume? A standard format (to beat the computerized ATS culling programs) showing the name, contact information, a one or two-line profile that relates to the position being advertised, a half dozen key words or transferable skills, post-secondary education, and work experience. Watch out when formatting, information in the header can be lost. We don't want typos or grammatical mistakes, hobbies, references, weird layouts or fonts, or personal information. Your resume is your chance to boil everything down to your studies, your experience, and what you can bring to my company. Just because you don't meet all the criteria doesn't mean you shouldn't apply. Mention transferable skills on the top half of the first page of your resume. And apply. Remember applications are only part of the picture

Fresh Start Tip # 9:

To be honest I never really figured out the cover letter. It always seemed to be a rehash of the resume and, since every candidate was using the same template, the cover letter never added anything special. However, if your target company is expecting a cover letter, this is an opportunity for you to stand out and show your skills. Demonstrate your ability to communicate professionally, sell yourself, organize your thoughts and truly illustrate your attention to detail. Keep it simple and relevant. Use their correct address and contact name, and your correct contact information and name. Simple misspellings happen here all the time. Reference the advertisement, job title or job description. Show that you know something about this role. Describe your relevant (transferable) skills and always make sure that every communication has the three C’s of competence, confidence, and courtesy. You don’t need to have everything they are asking for, BUT you do need to have everything needed to do the job. When in doubt, apply anyway. Don’t be an obstacle in your own job search.

Fresh Start Tip #10:

Time for a rant! How you search for a job shows how you are going to do the job. When someone reaches out to me for help, advice, or leads, I am really stunned by how many times they have not read my posts. I am literally telling you how to prepare yourself and your profile, how to contact people and how to research. Specifically, how to research me or any potential employer. Not realizing that there are procedures that yield better results is one thing, but not following instructions is just silly. Cold calling does not mean reaching out to someone when you are totally unprepared. If you do, then you’re just demonstrating unprofessionalism. Before you send any connect requests read the posts, know why you are reaching out (and “I want you in my network” is NOT a reason). And then follow the pattern I discuss in tips #6 and #7: follow, comment thoughtfully, greet, compliment, and ask for advice. Remember those decision makers you are targeting in tip #6. Revisit them and really research them, this time. And clean up your own profiles to the best of your ability before you contact me! Good luck.

Fresh Start Tip #11:

Ghost busting is for the movies. You focus on YOU! We have all heard about potential employers who ghost and never get back to you. I am not going to excuse them. But understanding the process (and the risks) can help you manage your expectations. Do not create obstacles where there are none. Potential employers always get many more applications than they have positions available. So looking for reasons to eliminate a candidate is just part of the process. Try to avoid all the little reasons that your application might be eliminated. Submit your application in the way they ask for it, with the appropriate format, using the correct process and the right time frame. Follow instructions. Potential employers are looking for reasons to say no. But also keep in mind, Canadian employers never say no. They post warnings that “only those being considered will be contacted". Understand the culture and don’t take it personally. Since, you can’t control their process, focus on your own. Keep your LinkedIn profile up to date and professional. Tweak it and keep watching for typos. Tailor your resume but don’t contradict your LinkedIn profile. AND don’t stop applying for jobs and building your network until you actually accept a job offer.

Fresh Start Tip #12:

So, you landed an interview. How did that happen? It happened because you created a professional image by completing your LinkedIn profile, you made connections to the right people, and you applied for a job for which you were qualified. Your profile, resume and network worked. Now what? Set the stage. Research the company. Prepare your two-line answers to the typical predictable interview questions (Tell us about a time you were confronted with a challenge, etc.). Prepare your unpredictable and invaluable questions for the interviewer (Why should I expect on the first day? What are the most important qualities you are seeking? What do you like about the company?). Eliminate the noise and the obstacles. Focus on what you bring to the organization. You are interviewing them too!

Fresh Start Tip # Lucky 13!

So why don't you do it? Why don’t you get a job? Why don't you make your LinkedIn profile reflect the professional candidate you are? Why don’t you target the people and companies you want? Why don’t take you take advantage of online networking? Why don’t you prep for interviews so you can nail them? Why don’t you land that job? To me the answer is complicated and simple. The system is full of invisible obstacles and all those who offer you advice only address part of the problem. What's missing is that human push.

My Fresh Start Tips are a plan to address the obstacles (including the ones you have created). Employers do not owe you a job. They have work and they need people to do it. It is up to you to show that you can do the job and not be a hassle. I am not saying the system is good. But I am saying that there is a path through the system to get a job and that path has a road map. The missing link is a mentor. Someone who can candidly advise, cajole, nurture, admonish, stop you from making a mistake and encourage to take action. Mentors will not do it for you but they will help you do it for yourself. They are the key to your network. Good luck!

(Watch for my upcoming: 101 Soft Skill Secrets: Why you didn’t get the job and what you can do about it!)