If you are a prospective graduate and interviewing for permanent positions, you’ve probably already experienced the impact of digital tools being used in the interviewing process. Whether it is a “one-way video” screening interview, an online portal to apply for a position by uploading a resume, or an online platform that is used to look for and apply for positions, technology is quickly being adopted to make the interview process easier for all parties to the process.
The impact this has on you as a job hunter is that simply relying on the ability to upload your resume is not enough. Some of these platforms such as Handshake, a leading early career platform used by universities and recruiters to connect prospects with positions, will ask you to complete a profile. You may feel that this isn’t necessary because you are uploading your resume that you have already labored over for hours. However, many recruiters, faced with hundreds, or even thousands, of applicants, can make initial screening decisions based on their review of the profile and may never “click” into the resume. Not paying proper attention to these profiling tools may result in your resume never being seen.
We strongly recommend leveraging these online profiles and making sure that you provide all the information requested in the profile even if it means duplicating what is in your resume. For younger applicants, don’t be intimidated because you have fewer jobs. Your volunteer work, internships, and major projects can be incorporated into these platforms.
This recommendation extends to leveraging professional platforms, such as LinkedIn. If you use LinkedIn’s EasyApply to apply for positions having a complete LinkedIn profile is important. A complete profile will be beneficial to you because there are recruiters who use LinkedIn to identify potential candidates. Your LinkedIn profile has an “About” statement that allows you to share your values and career goals and provides the space to explain how what you have done relates. LinkedIn also allows you to add in your major projects, upload examples of your work (presentations, videos, other files), and collect recommendations from professors, managers, and colleagues. You should connect to relevant industry groups and follow businesses of interest to you. Sharing information and articles will give you a complete profile. Make sure that you upload an appropriate headshot. Remember, this is an opportunity for someone to get to know who you are.
The bottom line is that your digital presence is important for your career, and you should take it seriously. Whether it is a platform such as Handshake or the old standard, LinkedIn, you should take advantage of the opportunity to “curate” your image and manage what your potential hiring manager will see about you. (Of course, this assumes your other social media profiles have no major issues.)
At Command the Interview, our expertise is in helping young graduates and early career candidates compete to win the positions they desire. We offer custom programs for institutions of higher learning intended to prepare graduates to represent themselves and their schools in the strongest way possible and win the position. If you need help with these challenges either as an individual seeking a position or as an organization looking to increase graduate placement percentages, reach out to us at Kerrie@CommandtheInterview.com.