Cont’d.
Professional Profile Designer Contributor/Owner
March 2020
Now that you have completed the first 3 steps, it is time to start applying. Here are some things to consider and ideas for how to present your Professional Profile to the work world. If you completed the first three steps you should feel confident about presenting your Professional Profile to the Jobs market. With a clean and concise resume’ and a confident attitude you will be ready for job interviews.
Your Achievement driven resume’
Let’s talk about your classroom experiences and learning paths. Your Continued Education course or CEs as they are short called, even some practical field trips where hands on training occur can be described as and considered experience. Some fields require internships and deliver this “achievement” when you have completed all in-class requirements. The dental field is one such example of a course regimen that requires an intern or externship for graduation. This is a resume’ booster or feature of your accomplishment history and is an item that should be noted as one of your “achievements.” Remember we want to see an achievement described resume’ along with a history of your experience and workplaces. Recommendations are also a great way to add to your reference sheet within your resume’ body and can be bulleted to your reference sheet also. Your G.P.A. is also an achievement so it will be noted in the education section of your professional profile. A resume’ is designed to brag and this is the first step in boasting about your accomplishments. Your CV or cover letter will be a more specific and wordier version of your resume’. Now you may begin posting your resume’ to career sites, mailing hard copies (not as popular these days) and emailing your profile package to potential employers. Be sure to personalize each CV to the Hiring Managers.
Posting your resume’ and cover letters to career sites
I have had the experience of loading my amazing resume’ to a career site and finding that the presentation or format has been scrambled! Frustrating, yes but there are ways to repair that. Be sure to read the document requirements for uploading your resume’. Most sites now accept most forms of document format but there are still a few that require specific formats. I have found in some instances that the best format is a PDF. However, there are sites that want you to fill in a box for each component of your resume’. Sigh, ok, do it or have a professional handle that for you, Candidate One offers this service. Follow this up with an email of your resume’ package to the Hiring Manager or Human Resources, HR department. You can also use the “backdoor” approach by going directly to the companies’ website and seeking their HR department to email or contact them directly. Get ready to receive calls for interviews. Avoid allowing calls from unknown numbers go to voicemail. Answer them with a professional tone and a smile on your face and get your interviews scheduled that day. Often a missed call is a missed opportunity!
Now the Interview!
Be prepared! Preparation, time management and short reviews before arriving for your interview will help to reduce the nervousness many applicants experience prior to an interview. Those jitters can be the cause of lost opportunity. Take a few minutes prior to your interviews to center yourself, calm your mind and remind yourself of your goal. Use these achievements to bolster your conversation with the interviewer. Pay close attention to pauses in the conversation. These quiet moments may be an opportunity for you to inject some of your accomplishments in your field of work. Make sure you are ready to ask a few questions about the job you are interviewing and the company itself. Research the company before the interview. Having information about the company will show your interest and respect for the companies’ reasons for success. Know exactly what the company manufactures, engineers and distributes. Know when they were established and what type of technology, they work with to so you may interject with intelligent comments and will be able to ask pertinent questions. For example, “why do you think you will be a good fit for this company” or “why should we hire you.” After the interview and within 1-2 days, it is appropriate to send a thank you card in the mail or an email. This will keep your interview and profile fresh in the interviewer’s mind and may prompt them to review your presentation. It shows a level of class and follow through.
So, one down and more to go. Do not get discouraged, remember to exude confidence, show follow-up and desire to be that company’s number one candidate while gathering as many offers and opportunities as possible. It is important to remember that you are interviewing the company as well and that the employment opportunity must be a fit for both of you.