Job Seeker Over 40? How to Stand Out from the Crowd
I’ve had several friends, north of 40 let’s say, who are currently job searching. They have relayed to me how tough it is out there. It feels especially difficult for those of us who have actually held a floppy disk in our hands or used a rotary phone.
The other day I saw a job posting on LinkedIn that had been up for 24 hours. Over 1,200 people had already applied. What?? How can you possibly get any visibility in that sea of resumes?? If you have been submitting resumes and not getting interviews, or worse hearing nothing at all, continuing on this path for the next six months might not be the best way to set yourself apart and land a great job.
The problem is the single dimension straight jacket we are forced into by the tools out there. LinkedIn only allows you one flavor; you can optimize a resume for a specific role, but you can only create one LinkedIn profile. Resumes themselves have to be optimized for the automated gatekeeper, aka the Applicant Tracking System.
So where do you add the color? The humor and lessons and learnings that have come with your experience? There’s got to be a forum to share your unique perspective and expertise; the full multi-dimensionality of who you are and what you can offer.
The easiest thing to do is to reserve a url under your name, like JohnSmith.com. Then start telling your stories. Write them up into short blogs that will give a flavor of who you are and why you are uniquely qualified for the positions you are seeking. The most important point here is - don’t be boring. Upwork is overflowing with ghostwriters who will create your stories and write blogs on your behalf, but always ask for samples of their work before hiring one.
You can then go to the next step and start optimizing your blog to gain traction. This way not only recruiters for full time roles can check out your bona fides, but consulting opportunities can find you as well. My posts on LinkedIn resulted in a $20,000 consulting gig. You never know what can happen if you start putting your stuff out into the universe.
The point is – just get started. Here is a one step process to get you on the map:
Set up a free, one-page website with Carrd. Write up a brief bio of yourself and post a photo so that people can get to know you a little bit. Then add your url to your resume and any job applications – try it here https://try.carrd.co/ks51h4vf.
That’s it. You can stop here. If you prefer not to do it on your own, we can work together to make it happen. We’ll reserve a url for you under your name, outline your areas of expertise, you’ll tell me your stories or send them to me via email, I’ll write them up, and then we’ll post them to your website or blog. You can point to your url on your resume, post the blogs on LinkedIn and Twitter, and use them however you like. I’m offering an introductory rate of website/blog set up + three blogs for $99 (url and hosting billed separately) if you sign up by April 1st.
Once you have your blog set up, you can add your stories and insights any time you like. You’ll be able to add the color and background, amplify your skills and showcase why you are uniquely qualified to succeed.
By setting up your own personal blog, you’ll avoid being just another resume.
And you’ll be well on your way to setting yourself apart from the sea of other candidates.
Set up your free blog and see what a difference it makes.
See you next week.