Want to Get Noticed?

Whether you include keywords in your resume, tap into your network, or dress for success, the goal of these actions is to get noticed. Here are some tips when you’re looking for your next success. 

Tell Your Story. It’s true our resumes are scanned for keywords, that's the reality we live in. So by all means, think through the words you use to describe your career achievements... but what if you could do something else? Instead of the traditional bullets after each position, what if you told a success story that highlighted your results? Some talent uses a one paged snapshot of their career headings as their resume. At the bottom is their personal link to their LinkedIn profile, where detailed explanations of each position are housed. 

Win Others Over. Current data suggests that the majority of jobs are secured because someone you know referred or recommended you. Since we still operate by word-of-mouth, it’s still critical to meet new people face-to-face and get them to like you. Have the courage to be visible by adding into your schedule time for you to meet with people you don’t know, or join organizations and boards. Learn people’s first names and use them whenever you see them. Do you know the name of your security guard or night custodian at work? How about the person who makes your lunch every day? Make this a daily practice – not just when you need something – get to know the people around you. Be authentic.     

Dress for Success. Our visual sense registers in the brain first before the others. We assume we know someone in the first milliseconds of an encounter. I remember what I was wearing when I had someone say to me, “Dress for the job you want.” I felt good. I was wearing black slacks and a black shirt, a long red knit cardigan, and sassy black heels. “I am,” I thought to myself, “It’s just not for the job you think.” When you’re dressing for success, dress for your success. Your sense of style communicates right away your level of confidence, creativity, and candor. 

--Laura Newberry-Yokley, Holistic Leadership Coach