Branding Yourself for Your Next Professional Opportunity

Marilyn Bury Rice, DirectorKioshana LaCount Burrell, Assistant Director

Ankit Shah, Career Consultant

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Alumni Career Management• Programs/Resources

▫ Web resources, job board, webinars, coach’s corner (podcast & blog), programs, career fairs, individual career advising (in-person and remotely).

• Career Changes:▫ Launching ▫ Transition▫ Underemployment ▫ Unemployment▫ Encore Career

• A Lifelong Process:▫ Assessment▫ Exploration/Research▫ Personal Branding▫ Networking/Job Search▫ Professional Development

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AGENDA• Then and now – how has the process evolved?• Marketing materials for your search• Networking• LinkedIn & AlumniFire• The ATS explained• Tracking your progress• Differentiate yourself- final tips

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Then and Now: How has the job search process changed?

Now

• Everything is online, nothing in person

• Applicant tracking systems – the “resume robots”

• Resume differentiation –tailored to each job

• Networking - LinkedIn - AlumniFire

Then

• One resume, many jobs

• Paper applications, in person at the place of business

• Cold-calling

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Effective Marketing Materials

Resume• Always begin with a “professional summary” highlighting your top skills and offerings

• Highlight keywords – speak the employer’s language

• Think ACHIEVEMENTS, not DUTIES

• Provide between 3 to 5 measurable achievements

Cover Letter• Short and sweet – 150-350 words is best

• Summarize relevant examples, and showcase your willingness to learn

• Personalize to each position – incorporate key words

• Make it about the employer’s needs, not your desires

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Networking: Identifying Your Insiders

• Spend 15-20 minutes per day interactingwith connections online

• Invite potential allies to coffee chats wherepossible to conduct informationalinterviews

• No pressure! Though you should betransparent about your job search, it isbest not to ask for a job outright ininformational meetings

• Instead, ask for advice or introductions todecision makers

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•Allows you to connect to diverse professionals

•Builds your professional brand & virtual presence

•93% of recruiters are using LinkedIn to find their future employees

• LinkedIn website: www.linkedin.com

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Lhota Office of Alumni Career Managementgo.osu.edu/AlumniCareerManagement

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Lhota Office of Alumni Career Managementgo.osu.edu/AlumniCareerManagement

•Establish your professional profile

•Build and maintain your professional network

•Find and reconnect with colleagues and classmates

•Learn about other companies, and get industry insights

•Find other professionals in the same industry using groups

•Tap into the knowledge of your network

•Discover new career opportunities by searching for jobs

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Lhota Office of Alumni Career Managementgo.osu.edu/AlumniCareerManagement

•Start with basics

•Add a professional photo

•Headline matters!

•Professional experience

•Education

•Add additional information

•Skills/Endorsements

•Recommendations

•Start building your network!

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In this section, you can see whoour community moderators are.Feel free to message the CareerManagement staff if you needassistance using this site.

This section shows what eachBuckeye is “offering” – offers arealum’s way of supporting theprofessional development of othersby assisting their fellow Buckeyesin some small way.

This is the control menu – from here, you cannavigate wherever you would like to on the site,including to the job postings, community events,and member search.

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Search for members with similar interests or in your local area here.

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In this section, you’ll see what a person offers – in order to request their assistance with one of these offers, simply click on the category you are interested in, and you will be taken to a message page.

Here you can see what an alum is looking for from the platform – look for opportunities to offer up your help and expertise as well, in order to get the best response from other members.

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• Used by most major companies today

• Require an understanding of what the employer is looking for SPECIFICALLY

• Can kick your resume out of consideration before a person ever reads it

Free Tool: JobScan.co

Applicant Tracking Systems –The “Resume Robots”

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Application tracking

Things to include:Employer name

City/state

Company contact information

URL (link) to Application page

Date applied

Materials requested

Materials sent

Follow up sent

Response

Lhota Office of Alumni Career Managementhttp://go.osu.edu/alumnicareermanagement

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1) Target your job search2) Create personal marketing tools3) Conquer the job application interview

process4) Get new work experience and skills5) Meet people who know people6) Connect with recruiters7) Take time for yourself

Lhota Office of Alumni Career Managementhttp://go.osu.edu/alumnicareermanagement

How To Differentiate Yourself

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Lhota Office of Alumni Career Managementhttp://go.osu.edu/alumnicareermanagement

Contact Us:

Marilyn Bury Rice, Director, Office of Alumni Career ManagementAnkit Shah, Career Consultant

Bill & Susan Lhota Office of Alumni Career ManagementRice.344@osu.edu

Shah.1349@osu.edu(614)292-3314