Did you know there is some special Q just for career success?
Keep reading to learn about building your very own Brand Q. If you’re looking for a new job the questions everyone asks are… How do I get past the job ATS? and… Is the “system” rigged against me?
What’s going on?
Is an ATS (applicant tracking system) screening you out by mistake, or is it really a job lottery, and you’re getting lost in a very high volume of applications, or does the hiring company have bias against you? professionalism.
Yes - all of these challenges are very real and reduce your chances of getting an interview.
It’s hard for a lot of jobseekers, not just you.
What if I think I’m too old?
What about gaps on my resume?
What if I’m new to the workforce, without a lot of experience?
You need Brand Q
Applying to more jobs randomly, using tools to fake or exaggerate your resume, or auto-applying to jobs with a “spray and pray” strategy, doesn’t work. There is a lot you can do, but it is not randomly applying to more and more jobs.
The solution is to build up your personal Brand Q.
Get past relying on the ATS to pick you out from the crowd.
Influence how you are perceived by recruiters and hiring managers.
Make yourself likeable: show that you care enough.
Make yourself qualified: show that you’re good enough.
How do I get past the job ATS?
and… Is the “system” rigged against me?
Your Brand Q.
-NETWORK Q
-MARKETING Q
-SOCIAL Q
Here are the 3 things to work on to increase your Brand Q:
1. NETWORK Q
Your NETWORK Q helps important people decide to help you or not
80% of new hires aren’t coming through job board applications.
Think referrals.
Think asking for an introduction.
To get the referral, do this one activity… Direct Networking.
Find and learn (that means research) about the Influencers and thought leaders in your business segment on LinkedIn.
These are people who are active on LinkedIn, posting regularly about your business segment, and getting comments from other industry people, on their posts.
Comment on their LinkedIn posts. Share their posts.
Repeat with more and more of the same, daily.
Send active industry people connection requests with a custom, short personal message. Will your message communicate you’re an industry person, or annoying, or even worse, a hustler?
You want to build trust by sharing about yourself, and then at the right time, ASK for a very specific referral or introduction to someone they know or work with etc.
2. MARKETING Q
Your MARKETING Q makes you stand out from others, suggests you are the best, and you should be on the top of the pile of applicants.
You absolutely need to create a custom resume and short cover note, that is ready to go BEFORE you reach out directly to a hiring professional, or through a referral.
Your resume is your brand Q advertising.
You can’t rely on a generic resume that hasn’t been updated, and communicates “everything I have ever done”. Your resume is about “What I Can Do For You”.
There are many resources to fix up your resume including this…
https://geescore.com/zenpeak-pages/
3. SOCIAL Q - Your SOCIAL Q tells the world about you.
Your social profiles and social network activity, create an open book on who you are.
Your photos and your social posts - Would a future boss be worried about you as a candidate because of something they see? Probably not, but don’t rely on your right to privacy. Assume they can see what photos you post.
Any concerns?
Are you showcasing your contributions to good causes, and community?
Do you seem like someone who cares about their work, and themselves?
Are you overly critical and complaining?
Are any of your posts or photos a bit “out there” in terms of seeking attention or sexual? Clean it up.
Good luck on building your Brand Q!
Written by Frank Abrams
Frank is a serial entrepreneur, most recently working in AI based, data driven decision technologies for HR (front-end jobseeker scoring), and retail (in-store digital marketing at the point of decision).