Four ways to make your profile better than the rest
In the world of hourly and part-time jobs, you’ll rarely have to write a resume, which is a short and snappy document you create by listing all of your employment experiences, skills and references. Resumes are usually reserved for upper-level jobs and careers, depending on the field and employer.
As a job seeker looking for hourly jobs on SnagAJob.com, you’ll be asked to make a job seeker profile. This is an easy online process in which you answer several questions about your work experience, availability, skills, interests and more. The best thing about having an online profile is that it saves you from having to fill out the same information again and again. Once you have a profile with SnagAJob.com, you can apply to multiple jobs with just a few clicks. Some employers may ask a few additional questions once you’ve applied for a job.
Of course, if you go into a store, you’ll still find the familiar paper application. Here are some tips that apply to resumes, applications and online profiles:
Be complete.
Don’t make employers connect the dots with spotty, partially completed resumes, profiles or applications. It’s an easy way to end up in the “No” pile right away. Set yourself apart from other applicants from the get-go by spending some time writing detailed answers to profile questions.
Do you think a certain job experience might not be relevant to your current job search? Include it anyway. The employers on SnagAJob.com are searching job seekers’ profiles all the time to look for specific skills and experience. Your experience in window display setup or dog grooming might be exactly what they want.
Even if you don’t have anything to include for a given question, write the reason why. For example, if you’re looking for your first job and don’t have any job experience, explain that to the employer. Be sure to include any volunteer experience in place of paid employment.
Be accurate.
Ever been too lazy to go track down information you need to fill out a resume, profile or application, such as the phone number of a previous employer? Ever been tempted to make yourself look a little better on paper by inflating your skills or experiences?
Just remember, hiring managers know all the tricks. Odds are you’ll get busted – and how embarrassed will you be when they find out you were an assistant to the regional manager, not the assistant regional manager? Getting caught in a lie will only hurt your chances of getting hired by that employer down the road.
Being accurate is more than an issue of personal integrity. Make sure your word choice and spelling are accurate too. Don’t trust your computer’s spell checker to determine if you mistakenly used “their” instead of “there.” Read over your work once it’s complete. Read it again. And give it to someone with a good eye for detail. After all, you don’t want potential employers reading about your volunteer work in a “soap kitchen.” That’s just weird.
Be professional (and PG).
Fight the temptation to be clever or funny in your resume or profile. You can let your personality shine when you get to the interview, but you want your first impression to be professional.
Your profile may have everything an employer is looking for, but cutesy, racy or weird email addresses may make the hiring manager hesitate to contact you. If your email address includes the words “vampyre,” “hot,” or “unicorn,” it’s time to sign up for a new one. Seriously.
Stay fresh.
With each passing month, you’re picking up new skills, experiences and interests. Shouldn’t you be trying to impress potential employers with all these new developments? At the very least, make sure you add your new phone number.
Your resume and online profile should always be a work in progress. Ensure your contact info is accurate, add new employment info and skills, and include any applicable outside interests and hobbies. (You probably want to omit your passion for “Guitar Hero.”)
If you want to make a good first impression with employers, all you have to do is follow the common-sense guidelines we’ve laid out above. Good luck in your job search!