Category Archives: Interviewing

Job Seeker Resources Everyone Should Have

job seeker resources executive recruiter

Whenever you go on a new adventure, it’s always good to be prepared. New to executive job searching? Or have you grown your career with several jobs? Regardless of your answer; t’s always important to have helpful resources on hand. Signature Source has compiled a list of four resources vital for any job seeker to have in their arsenal.

Resources For Successful Interviewing

Maybe you’re looking for a new role or you’re about to meet the hiring manager for your dream job. Having resources for having a successful interview will provide peace of mind before an interview. If you are re-entering the job searching phase after some time – this is a must to have handy.

Arguably two of the most important aspects of the interview are your resume and your presentation. You resume shows employers your work history in a succinct and organized way; your presentation basically means how you present yourself (clothing, posture, etc.). Once you have your resume and appearance nailed down, you should think about how to prepare for the interview. There are several resources on this, including on the Signature Source website.

Resources For Networking

Networking is beneficial for both employed and unemployed people. You never know what kind of connections you can make and where it can lead in your professional career. Three of the biggest sites to network on professionally are LinkedIn, Facebook, and Meetup. All of them offer groups and events for specific industries so you can meet people that can give you insight in your current or future field.

Resources For Salary Calculation And Cost Of Living

Not many people think about their budgets when it comes to changing careers. Having resources on how to best manage your salary and other life expenses can be essential. Sure, it might be exciting to have a steady incoming flowing in, but if you’re mismanaging your money, then you’ll end up struggling. Check out some cost of living calendars to get a sense of what you need to do to maintain your current standard of living and look at sites like Salary.com and Payscale.com to see what people with your skill set typically earn in your industry. This way, you can make sure you’re making the most of your income and utilizing it in the best possible way depending on where you live.

Resources About Your Industry

Finally, all job seekers and employees should be on the lookout for resources about your specific industry, especially if you have no experience with it before. You might have rose-tinted glasses on when it comes to certain industries (working at a remote tech start-up should be fun, right?), but do some research. Employee review sites like Glassdoor can give you a sense of what the company, work ethic, and benefits are like, and googling the company can bring up any recent articles on search results. There are also likely to be specific groups for your industry that you can join via Slack or by subscribing to certain podcasts. This is an easy way to get a bunch of resources and talk to people who can give you more insight.

Signature Source offers employee resources, but we can also help with resume building and connecting potential employees with their perfect company. Check out our website or contact us here. If you want to see more resources, go here.

Should Your LinkedIn Profile and Resume be the Same?

Before the internet, job seekers would only have a paper resume and cover letter to send to a potential company. It was an easy way to get a sense of someone’s work history at a glance and it provided people a way to highlight their greatest career achievements. Fast forward a few decades and resumes are still a must for any job seeker, but now they can be seen in a variety of formats. One of the most popular ways to share your work history is through the career website LinkedIn. While the website essentially acts as a digital resume, there has been some confusion about sending a LinkedIn profile and sending a resume. So what’s the difference (if there is one)? Should your LinkedIn profile and your resume highlight the same things?

Should Your LinkedIn Profile And Resume Be The Same?

The short answer: NO. According to Erin Kennedy, a professional resume services founder, your LinkedIn profile should be written in a more informal way. Your LinkedIn profile should also be more detailed than a resume. We’ll go into more detail below:

What Should The Content On My LinkedIn Profile Be Like?

Writing in an informal way doesn’t mean you’ll come off as unprofessional. In fact, having an informally written LinkedIn profile can make it stand out and let some of your personality shine through. You don’t want to sound stiff and boring!

In addition, you want to make sure that you’re striking a nice balance between general skills and more focused specialties. With resumes, you need to tailor it to the specific job you’re applying to, but with LinkedIn, it’s important to not get to niche, otherwise you’re missing out on potential opportunities. Some good advice is to include some highlights that will appeal to a wider audience and then some points that show your more detailed interests.

How Detailed Should I Get?

Many career coaches are always saying to keep your resume to one page. “Cut out the irrelevant experiences. Don’t include anything that’s older than 15 years.” While this can be good for resumes, LinkedIn profiles are actually better when they’re more detailed and include a lot about your past work experiences. LinkedIn allows you to really go into details regarding each experience and talk about the job in a way that resumes limit.

Another benefit to LinkedIn is that you can also include attachments. Think about projects that you were proud of or some documents from your portfolio. While it has no place in your resume, it will definitely make your LinkedIn profile stand out. Having a media rich LinkedIn profile can help recruiters get a sense of you and your skill set.

We hope that you found this post helpful. If you have other questions about your career, building a resume, or finding a job, check out Signature Source. We’re your premiere partner for recruiting in the global mobility industry so that both employers and professionals feel fulfilled and valued in their work.

Seeking a challenging position with a future-oriented company offering opportunities for growth and advancement.

But your new career objective might be:

Dynamic public speaker/presenter with advanced technical knowledge, seeking to leverage these strengths as an award-winning computer instructor into an entry-level software sales position.

Examples from Monster

Highlight the results and outcomes of your achievements

It’s important to list what your projects and jobs were, but were you actually successful at them? It’s nice to know that you maintained workstations and specific systems, but listing specifics will really make you stand out. Maybe you could talk about how you improved system efficiency by 90% or that you brought 50% more workstations to your company. Use action verbs and numbers, percentages, etc., to provide solid proof.

Add some style to your resume

This doesn’t mean using bold colors and wonky fonts; rather, you should use one of the many templates that are available to you. This will format your resume in a nice way and usually includes underlining, italics, useful icons, etc.

Pro Tip: proofread, proofread, proofread

Remember that your resume should be flawless. Make sure your proofread it so you can catch any grammar, punctuation, or word errors. Ask for feedback on your resume and have several different people look it over.

LinkedIn is essentially a digital resume, so a lot of the above steps are still relevant but with a few tweaks.

Make sure your Headline and About sections are updated

These sections are the most important since they’re the first things that people will read. Be sure to utilize all the space and use relevant keywords as this is what people will be searching for.

Be sure to add media

One of the great things about having a digital resume is that you can add hard proof of projects you’ve worked on. Upload videos, presentations, PDFs that showcase the work you’ve done.

Keep your Experience section up-to-date

Make sure this section reflects your most recent career changes and work. Add start and end dates, and add descriptions.

Send requests to connect with people in your career field

Connect with other people in your company as well as people that are in the same groups as you are. If you notice that there’s a group that seems relevant to your field, join it! Follow companies or organizations that you like and see if you’re able to make connections that way. Comment on their posts and engage with the community, which shows that you’re an active member and are passionate about xyz.

If you liked this blog post, Signature Source also offers services to help you with your resume. Check out our website or email us at contactus@signature-source.com

How To Ace Your Video Interview

It’s no surprise that COVID-19 has affected all aspects of our lives. In an article from The New York Times, it’s noted that nearly 14 million people are receiving unemployment benefits, meaning that a large percentage of people are probably looking for a job.

Given that most companies probably will not be doing in-person interviews, the rise of the video interview has gained traction. While most people have had experience with video calls thanks to Zoom, Skype, Microsoft Teams and Google Hangouts, participating in a video interview is a different kind of experience.

Read on for some tips on how to ace your next video interview:

Setting and Location Matter

When you’re setting up for your video interview, you should think about the location. If you’re going to be in your room, make sure you clean up and don’t have anything that could potentially be embarrassing in view. Try to avoid rooms that have a lot of glass and do not sit facing a window as this can cause echoing.

If you are going to be in a shared area, it would be helpful to let others in your household know that you will be in a video interview and shouldn’t be bothered. In addition, any pets that may act as a distraction should be put in another room or blocked off area. Better yet, if you have a clothes closet that you can sit in, it will act as a natural soundproof space.

Be Mindful of Your Camera

Camera placement is something that should also be considered very carefully. You want the lens of your camera to be at eye level for the best and most flattering angle.

The camera should also be about four to six feet away and should capture your shoulders and head only. Your background should be a plain, solid color (no crazy patterns). Some companies might ask you to use one of their branded backgrounds for the interview, so if that is the case, go ahead and use that.

Dress the Part

No matter which company you are interviewing for, always dress professionally. Employers will want to see how you will dress for the position you are applying for. Your video appearance will portray how you feel about their company and new position.

You might be running errands in your sweats, but for a job interview, you want to impress your interviewer. This shows that you respect the company and the interviewer, who is taking time out of their busy day to talk to you.

Be Engaged and Focused

Even though the interview is being conducted over video, act as though you are sitting across from the person in real life. Make sure you are making eye contact (by looking directly at the camera lens) and smiling. A helpful tip is to put sticky notes on either side of your camera lens, so you know where to look when talking and listening.