4 Ways to Dominate the Job Search With Branded Content
Today’s job market is different from what it was a year ago – or even six months ago. Job seekers must now take an intelligent, strategic approach to stand out from the competition. The traditional method of job searching (a ‘one and done’ process of applying with a custom cover letter and resume and hoping for the best!) is NO LONGER enough. But, the right content can – and often, it’s enough to get you 70 percent of the way to an offer letter.
Here are some steps I prioritize for my clients, supporting their efforts in building a strong voice, value, and brand online – making it a lot easier for them to connect to the jobs they want, the pay they deserve, and the job offers they need!
Why is personal branding important for job seekers?
First, what is personal branding?
Personal branding is the process of creating an identifiable image of yourself – and how you want to be perceived as an individual or business.
As a job seeker, this couldn’t be MORE important.
Through a solid personal brand, you get to influence how you want others to perceive, remember, and feel about you. So, whether they have just skimmed through your LinkedIn profile, watched a short on your YouTube channel, glanced through your online portfolio, or had a quick discovery call to learn more about you, all of the power is in your hands whether you stand out or not.
Think of personal branding as the ultimate first impression.
Personal branding allows you to define and promote your unique value as a job seeker to stand out from the competition and create a powerful presence in a crowded job market.
Through personal branding, job seekers can differentiate themselves by developing and promoting a unique and compelling value proposition that resonates with employers and recruitment professionals. This involves crafting an effective digital presence highlighting their strengths, achievements, and qualifications.
Why is creating content so crucial for building a solid personal brand?
By creating content, job seekers can showcase their expertise and skills, allowing employers and recruiters to understand the value they bring to the table. Content also helps job seekers establish themselves as industry experts and authorities in their niche by offering unique insights, experiences, takeaways, and knowledge that can differentiate them from other candidates.
Establishing yourself as an ideal job candidate involves more than just a resume. Your resume lists your years of experience and highlights your qualifications.
The traditional method of job searching (a ‘one and done’ process of applying with a custom cover letter and resume and hoping for the best!) is NO LONGER enough. Recruiters look at a million resumes just like yours. Resumes don’t resonate.
But, the right content can – and often, it’s enough to get you 70 percent of the way to an offer letter.
Content – when optimized, targeted, and on-point, engages hiring managers from the get-go. It meets them where they are. By creating content that demonstrates your unique skills, perspectives, expertise, and lessons learned, you’re already promoting confidence in them that you’re a solid fit for that role.
Talk about a smarter, not harder, approach to finding your next job!
So, how is this done exactly?
What kind of content do you create?
Creating content that resonates with employers and recruiters requires understanding what employers seek when they read resumes, job postings, and other forms of professional communication. Employers are looking for clear, concise language that clearly outlines a candidate’s qualifications, experience, and skills, as well as content that demonstrates your knowledge in your industry or role.
There are many ways to stand out from the competition and promote your genius.
Here are a few:
Crafting a clear and compelling LinkedIn profile
Job seekers should create a concise description of the type of role they are seeking and ensure it is easily digestible and includes keywords to help make it stand out in search results. I am passionate about teaching step-by-step LinkedIn optimization techniques to my clients – because it genuinely holds the power to move the needle.
Once your LinkedIn profile is optimized, you should start getting noticed by recruiters right away. Some typical outcomes include doubling traffic, invites to pre-screen calls, direct message uptick from recruiters, unsolicited messages from hiring managers, inviting you to an initial interview, or possibly asking to see samples of your work.
This is all AMAZING proof of the power content has to engage the right people without you having to do a thing.
Here are a few key areas to focus on as you start optimizing your LinkedIn profile:
- Intro section, including ‘open to work’ and ‘services provided.’
- Your headline (it’s the first thing recruiters see, so it needs to be clear, intentional, and on-point).
- Your About section (you have 2,000 characters to work with, so make it count with some backstory, elaborating on your skill set and passions);
- Work experience (make sure every job specifies your core focus areas)
- Testimonials (a powerful strategy to market yourself is through others’ experience with you)
Highlighting unique qualifications and experiences
Job seekers should emphasize their distinct qualifications and experiences, such as any unique talents or skills they possess that make them a better fit than other applicants or any certifications or awards they have received related to the job.
Capture essential information from job descriptions.
Reverse engineer your approach by understanding what skills, competencies, and experience those hiring managers are looking for first. Then, create content that merges those ‘must haves’ (mentioned in the description of the jobs you’re interested in) with your expertise, experiences, and skill sets. Not only is this a super powerful way to get noticed (you’re speaking their language!), but you’ll also demonstrate an above-average understanding of those positions – elevating your ability to get noticed before your competition.
Highlight testimonials you’ve received from previous employers, colleagues, or clients.
This allows employers to gain more insight into one’s character, strengths, work ethic, expertise, and talent. Don’t underestimate the power of social proof. Letting others speak about you will allow you to market yourself powerfully.
Show your talent with an online portfolio. Showcasing your work samples in various roles held throughout your career path is putting your money where your mouth is. This showcases one’s problem-solving abilities, technical skills, strategic thinking capabilities, etc., while providing potential employers additional insight into their qualifications outside of what is listed on their CV/resume or other application materials submitted beforehand.
6 Utilizing social media platforms such as LinkedIn or Twitter to share relevant industry news articles or updates on professional events attended that demonstrate one’s interest in staying current with changes in the field(s) they are interested in pursuing further professionally as well as any activities undertaken that showcase leadership skills such as managing volunteer initiatives within non-profit organizations or speaking engagements at conferences/workshops related to their area(s) of interest/expertise etc.