On July 24, Aquillius hosted a Lunch & Learn with Danielle Brown from Charles River. Jennifer Hanson and Sydney Shields from Proven Recruiting also provided expert advice on optimizing resumes and LinkedIn profiles. Hanson and Shields are job recruiters for the life sciences industry and know a thing or two when it comes to job searching, how to write a professional resume, how to optimize your LinkedIn for job searching, and how to prepare for an interview. Here’s a comprehensive guide on how to leverage these insights to enhance your job search and professional presence.

‍

Why Your Resume and LinkedIn Profile Matter

1. Resume Optimization: Stand Out in 10 Seconds

• Keywords are Key: Recruiters spend just 10 seconds reviewing a resume. Use targeted keywords relevant to the job and industry you’re applying for to make your resume stand out.

• Resume Structure: Start with a general outline to organize your thoughts. Create a master resume containing ALL your achievements and then tailor it to fit specific job applications. Remember, you can have multiple resumes! Each one can be relevant to different positions. This applies to cover letters as well, make sure each one is personalized to the job you are applying to. Also, keep your resume concise—typically 1-2 pages. Resume length is based on professional experience, so for starting students, keep it short. It is a very limited space regardless, so use it wisely and efficiently.

• Formatting Tips: Maintain a clean, professional layout with consistent fonts and spacing. Grammar matters and reflects attention to detail! Avoid using the first person, and ensure your tenses are consistent.

2. LinkedIn Profile: Your Digital Professional Brand

• Profile Enhancement: Regularly update your LinkedIn profile (every 6-12 months) with relevant accomplishments. Ensure your profile photo is professional and visible to all viewers.

• Active Engagement: Engage with industry-relevant content by sharing articles, commenting, and writing your own posts. Increased activity boosts your visibility in LinkedIn searches. Engaging with content you’re interested in is the perfect way to share some of your personality while interacting with like-minded individuals, which makes for potential connections and future leads.

• Consistency with Resume: Ensure that your LinkedIn profile complements your resume. Everything on your resume should also be reflected on your LinkedIn profile.

Proven Tips for Crafting an Effective Resume

Do's:

• Quantify Achievements: “Responsible for” does not equal accomplishment. Use specific metrics to showcase your impact (e.g., “Increased sales over six months by 25%”). When describing your achievements, use this order: what, where/when, and how (much). Most importantly, make sure to highlight one of the following things when listing your accomplishments: how did you make money, save money, or save time.

• Highlight Technical Skills: Include a dedicated section for technical skills and ensure these are demonstrated and explained in your work experience.

• Maintain Consistency: Use a consistent format and avoid unnecessary personal details, such as hobbies and interests. These details can be mentioned in your interview if they come up naturally, but you want to keep your resume as relevant to the job description as possible.

Don’ts:

• Avoid Photos: Save personal photos for LinkedIn. Focus on professional content in your resume.

• Skip Lengthy Objectives: Objective statements are not necessary. If you wish to include one though, a concise summary is fine but avoid long or elaborate objective statements. 2-3 lines should be the maximum.  

• Watch for Tense Inconsistencies: Ensure all verb tenses are consistent and avoid abbreviations that could confuse readers.

‍

Mastering LinkedIn for Career Success

1. Build a Strong Profile:

• Professional Headshot: Choose a high-quality photo that reflects your professional persona. Don’t be afraid to show your personality in your profile photo, just make sure it’s something you wouldn’t mind your future boss or co-workers seeing.

• Complete Profile: Ensure your LinkedIn profile includes all relevant details from your resume. Job titles are inconsistent between companies, so use the industry-standard job title for clarity on what your role was.

2. Networking and Engagement:

• Regular Activity: Engage with content, share updates, and write articles related to your industry to boost your profile’s visibility. If you need help on what topics to post about, you can research what topics are trending in your industry by looking at recent symposiums or conferences to see what information people are curious about. Leverage this to create relevant, trending articles.

• Request Recommendations: Proactively seek recommendations and endorsements from colleagues and supervisors to enhance your profile’s credibility.

3. Privacy and Digital Presence:

• Manage Privacy Settings: Regularly review and adjust your privacy settings across social media platforms to protect your personal information.

• Monitor Your Digital Footprint: Google yourself regularly to ensure your online presence supports your professional image. Adjust privacy settings, when necessary, on all your social media profiles. It would be disheartening to lose career opportunities due to your digital footprint undermining your professional persona. When in doubt, privacy is golden.

‍

Strategic Job Search Techniques

1. Targeted Job Applications:

• Apply Strategically: Focus on positions that closely match your skills and experience. Avoid applying to jobs where you’re not a strong fit.

• Track Your Applications: Use an Excel sheet or job search tool to track your applications, responses, and progress. Set realistic goals for job applications and follow-up. Don’t try to set goals that are out of your control, like getting 10 interviews in the next month. Instead, set a goal such as identifying 10 companies that you’re interested in and apply for open job positions that you’re a good fit for.

2. Networking and Referrals:

• Build Your Network-Online and Offline: Attend relevant industry events and leverage your professional connections for referrals. To skip the line, identify decision makers. This means following people on LinkedIn that post a lot. Engage and interact with these people so that when you do apply for a position in their company, it will be a warmer approach as you’ve been interacting with them for a while and you’re a familiar name and face.  

• Work with Recruiters: Find and collaborate with reputable recruiters. Maintain regular contact and build relationships within your industry. To find these recruiters, look at job postings on LinkedIn, google top industry recruiters in your area, or just ask around to see if someone in your network has any references!

3. Preparing References:

• Select and Ask: Choose peers, mentors, or supervisors who can provide strong references. Ask them in advance and provide a pre-written recommendation if possible.

By implementing these strategies, you’ll enhance your resume and LinkedIn profile, making you a more attractive candidate to potential employers. For the complete talk by Proven Recruiting, watch the full session on our YouTube, along with Danielle Brown's talk about the importance of CROs.

Video

‍

‍