A personal branding specialist and career coach from the Midwest urged BYU-Hawaii students on September 26 to "power up" their job searches by creating "résumés that rock" and following other effective strategies.
Wendy J. Terwelp, CCMC, JCTC, CEIP, of Opportunity Knocks™ in Mequon, Wisconsin, asked the students in the McKay Auditorium, "How many of you would like to get the money you are worth?" She said some of her "clients typically increase their salary and benefits 25% or more" by following five résumé strategies:
- Put contact information right at the top: Terwelp said many people forget to do this. "Time and time again we get résumés with no contact information. You also want to put your email address and cell phone number on there."
- Clearly define a specific career focus. "They won't hire you if you don't have something specific. This is really important," she said, pointing out a recent survey showed recruiters only look at a résumé for 30-60 seconds. "The number one thing they look at is what you want. If you're still not clear, visit the Career Center."
- Include a professionally branded profile to "highlight who you are and the skills and abilities you have that focus on your career. This helps you capture a recruiter's attention." For example, she said foreign languages are "highly marketable" and "leadership skills are also important." Others include pertinent classes taken and computer skills."If you're having a hard time finding what might be a marketable skill, ask five friends what your strengths are. Ask how those strengths might be relevant, then include those in your profile."
- Use action-oriented verbs that target your career objectives. "You've got to capture the reader's attention," Terwelp said, suggesting the students use words such as "developed, directed, achieved, coordinated. ‘Responsible for' is out."
- List achievements. "Recruiters are wondering, why should I hire or even talk to this person. Achievements are what's going to help you get in the door," she said, noting these include "anything you've done outside and above your normal job duties," such as helping others with their computers, charitable work and fundraising. "A lot of times people feel they don't have any special achievements, but everyone does," she continued using examples of Church missionary work or internships "whether you were paid or not. Studying abroad counts as valuable experience. That is very marketable. Part-time jobs could also be relevant."
Next Terwelp discussed several ways to tap into the "hidden job market [where] a company wants a great employee, but they're not advertising. These jobs are out there, but how do you get them?"
- Network: "Networking is the only way people find out about unadvertised jobs," she said, adding a recent survey showed 5% found positions through advertisements, and 48% landed jobs through referrals or networking this way. "This is 10 times more effective than what we call the 'spray and pray' method." She also said 23% of applicants found jobs through alumni, professional associations, employment agencies and temporary placement firms. Others found jobs through "cold calling" companies when no job was advertised.
- Follow up on your résumé. "Stats show one in 300 people follow up on their résumé. The person who follows up gets an interview. If you follow up, you brand yourself as a professional," Terwelp continued. She recommended doing this within three-to-five days "to let them know you're still interested in the position. After, it's okay to follow up once a week. I usually recommend at least two-to-three follow-ups, and if you're not getting any hits, it's time to move on."
- Research the company and send a direct mail to the decision makers, not human resources.
- Use recruiters. Even though they're usually looking for people with three-to-eight years of experience, "they might help you find a temp job."
- Apply directly to a company website, not a job board: "Thirty percent of companies hire from their own website versus using one of the larger HR websites," Terwelp said, also recommending sending a "double hit" to the decision maker in that company. She does not recommend "résumé blasters. Recruiters and employers tell me they hate this. They feel like they're spam [and] often times ... end up in a spam filter."
Terwelp also likes professional-appearing web portfolios or blogs to "target desired employers. This is a great way to use your personal brand: It gets companies to come to you."At the end, when Terwelp asked the students how many learned some new strategies, almost all raised their hands.