A Stellar Resume and the "ATS"
The ATS or “Applicant Tracking System'' rose to prominence after 2008 coinciding with the mass adoption of the internet and has become a vital instrument in recruiters’ and companies’ hiring processes. The software is used by 99% of fortune 500 companies and growing rapidly. The ATS is supposed to filter out all the unqualified applicants for a job and make the hiring manager’s life easier.
There are three things that one can do to update their resume to make it more ATS friendly. The first step would be to tailor each resume to the specific job one is applying for, including making sure one is qualified for the role. The second example would be to format the resume in an ATS and recruiter-friendly format. ATS is programmed to prefer a chronological format, just as recruiters prefer to read a resume like a story. Lastly, and perhaps the most significant improvement to creating an ATS-friendly resume, is to include the right keywords to fit the job description.
The Importance of LinkedIn
I was, admittedly, behind the eight ball when it came to building and perfecting my LinkedIn presence.
During my LinkedIn creation, the three main things I did included choosing the correct profile picture, crafting a strong “about me” section, and working to increase quality connections. I learned from this class to choose a professional picture that clearly showcases my face and personality. This is vital in helping both potential connections and recruiters put a name to the face and resume they view.
Perhaps the most important and, consequently, challenging aspect of this LinkedIn profile is the summary or “about me” section. The summary section is supposed to showcase your personality, values, work experience, and the impact one has had throughout one’s life or career
Another important LinkedIn tool to utilize is the Alumni tool. The Alumni tool allows students to connect with Alumni of their respective universities. This is valuable as they will already share a common bond that links these people together.
Excelling in an Informational Interview
Informational interviews are one of the best ways to network and potentially break into the professional world.
An informational interview is a better, less-stressful meeting between two people; one who is working in a specific career path or industry and the other person being one looking to learn more about the industry or career field. Informational interviews are chock-full of potential as they offer more value to those interviewing. Informational interviews also allows the person to share stories about themselves to get their personality to shine through and let influential people get to know them.
Some of the benefits of an informational interview are that they less stressful, give you an inside perspective into a particular job or industry, help you build confidence for future traditional job interviews, and perhaps the most important benefit of an informational interview is to expand your professional network.
How to Ace a Job Interview
Interviews are one of the most important parts of the job-search process.
Acing a job interview is all in the preparation. First in the preparation is determining a “brand statement,” in which one can succinctly and persuasively determine and show their value and what they offer to their potential employer.
Perhaps the most important part of preparing to answer interview questions is conducting in-depth research beforehand. This research is not limited to just the company one is interviewing for but the marketplace as a whole.
Additionally, one should go into the interview with answers and ideas about what the company can do to improve and how they, once hired, will positively impact the company.
Lastly, there is great importance in making a good impression. This includes researching the specific industry to find out what professionals in that industry wear, and then for the interview, one should dress like that but go one step above. This enables the managing director to imagine a person interviewing already in their workplace and helps a person to “look the part.”
Tackling Networking
Networking is one of the fundamental building blocks to a successful professional career.
I am a people person and extrovert. I love meeting new friends, discovering what they’re passionate about, and creating new connections. Networking for me is all about parlaying my connections into exciting new opportunities.
One way to do this is through the elevator pitch. The elevator pitch is an essential aspect of networking. An elevator pitch “is a succinct and persuasive sales pitch” to engage the other person in a conversation.
There are also countless benefits to expanding a personal and professional network. Building a robust network can lead to amazing opportunities that I would never have experienced otherwise.
Final Thoughts
I am eternally grateful for Fairfield University's Master of Management program. This Professional Development course has forced me to continuously improve in all aspects of my professional life. From updating my resume, learning about an "Applicant Tracking System," meeting countless industry professionals I plan to keep in my network, to finally building a strong LinkedIn profile, this course has helped me in ways I could not even imagine a mere month ago. What has brought me the most satisfaction is that I am noe not aimlessly drifting through life post-college but rather improving and honing my skills to become a valuable member of the workforce.
Credits:
Created with images by fotofabrika - "Notebook and laptop on old wooden desk" • Michail Petrov - "Text Invest in Yourself typed on retro typewriter" • kathayut - "resume on table Office Business" • Artur - "Writing note showing Coming Soon. Business concept for something is going to happen in really short time of period Male wear formal suit presenting presentation smart device" • diproduction - "Two friends are having a conversation at table of the cafe outdoors. A man dressed in a jacket wearing eyeglasses is talking to his friend sitting in front of him" • Prostock-studio - "Cheerful african-american applicant talking at job interview" • Pixel-Shot - "Human resources commission interviewing woman in office" • Africa Studio - "Young woman waiting for job interview" • photobyphotoboy - "Human resource manager Is explaining the job to the job seeker before filling out a resume on the application form to consider accepting for employment in the company." • vegefox.com - "organization network team concept networking."