Who are you?
This is not a philosophical question that requires you to look to the ceiling, ponder and then come up with some deep philosophical response…
I mean what value do you bring to the table in the business arena?
Your Profile
If you’re in business (even if as an employee) you need to put together a great profile of yourself.
So your profile simply tells us:
– What you’re doing now
– What makes you awesome at what you’re dong
– Some background about what you have done- only achievements relevant to your business (please leave out details such as you being a prefect in high school- quite frankly no one cares )
– Why we should hire you for a project/job
It’s important your profile does not exceed a page.
A great pic of you or a picture of your work as part of your heading is a great way to instantly elevate yourself from the rest.
Your CV/Resumé (The following order is merely a guideline)
– After providing your personal details, give a summarised version of your CV starting with your current employment/projects, then work history then relevant qualifications
– Provide current activities first i.e. where you’re currently working… Even if you’re not working ensure that you’re always (always) doing something in the interim. Never (ever) put UNEMPLOYED on a CV. Show that you’re a proactive person who’ll add value to potential employers.
– It’s important you see your CV as a marketing tool to get you the job/business you want. As such BOLDLY highlight your achievement. Provide figures to indicate the success you’ve achieved in your current job. DO NOT BE AFRAID TO SELL YOURSELF.
– Provide work history including all you were responsible for and accomplished in every role you occupied.
– Provide educational and other forms of qualifications you’ve received thus far beginning with your most recent qualification first.
– Provide contactable references
– Please leave your personal life out of your CV. Unless otherwise indicated your future employer is not concerned with whether you were cricket captain in college or whether you love jogging and walking your dog on the weekend- they don’t care whether you’re a Monopoly fan or “just LOVE” watching Greys’ Anatomy… They don’t care!
All they want to know is how you will add value to their operations so your goal is to show them that through your CV.
Only mention social or other activities that may be relevant to the job/business you’re proposing to acquire.
Your Cover Letter
This is where you should really spend some time.
Never send out general emails or applications to potential client or employers.
Work on your cover letter.
The cover letter is best positioned as the body of the email you send to your potential employer/client. Your profile and CV are attachments to that body of text.
The structure of your cover letter (guidelines):
– Dear … (make the effort to know who you’re sending the email to. Use their surname (make sure you spell it correctly and refer to them as Mr or Ms)
– Briefly outline your current employment and your role there
– Highlight what makes you great at what you’re currently doing
– Tell the addressee why you’re approaching them for employment. Make sure that all your reasons are positive reasons i.e. growth in your career, value you envision adding to their operations. Never say things like you’re looking for higher pay, you’re not happy with where you are or you have limited opportunity where you’re working now… all this makes you sound like a moaner no one wants to work with.
So show your potential employer/client why they should want to work with you. Market yourself as an innovative individual who has much to offer them and they will just love LOVE having you!
– End with something along the lines of: Looking forward to hearing from you to further discuss my proposal to join your team.
– Please remember that, unless otherwise indicated, the subject in your Email should read: Proposal to work with… (mention specific project/department/company you’re applying to). Most good companies are inundated with hundreds, even thousands, of job applications every day. An email that’s headed: Job Application… will most likely be deleted without even being opened. Your subject line must be attractive, creative and stand out.
Online Presence
There’s no excuse to not have an online presence.
Build a professional profile on platforms such as LinkedIn.
Be savvy about who you connect with and make an effort to really network with people and not just add numbers to your social media platforms.
TOP TIP: When looking for work target companies you would like to work for. Find out who the relevant person (of influence and power) is that you need to speak to (it’s rarely ever someone in HR). Remember that for the most part HR does not make the decision of who gets hired- the boss does. So that’s who you need to be talking to.
Some companies might not even be looking to hire but if you have something fantastic to offer them the chances are they will rope you in to work with them.
Think out the box when you’re looking for work.
Be innovative. Bring something to the table that will make a positive difference to your potential client/employer’s bottom line.
When it comes down to it companies want to know how you will make or save them money. It pretty much boils down to that.
So what a company really wants to know about you is: Who are you? And how will bringing you on board make/save us money?
Keep that in mind.
Happy Hunting and Getting.