There is an old adage that says, “Think before you speak.”
➔ Unfortunately, there are too many people in the world today who don’t practice that. And we’re all the worse for it. This is especially true if you’re a job seeker.
You could write a book – and several people have – about interviewees who have engaged their mouths before their brains – all to disastrous results. That well is much too deep to dive into here.
But there are many other areas where you can enhance your job search possibilities if you think before you speak… or write.
Your best foot forward shouldn’t be in your mouth
Let’s start with your LinkedIn profile (and through guilt by association, your resume.) In your profile header, many job seekers list their job titles at their previous employer. Most experts claim that it’s much more effective, productive and more likely to produce success if you list something more about yourself and/or your strongest skills. For example, rather than saying “staff accountant,” say something like, “Financial professional with strong analytical skills.”
Likewise, when you’re listing your previous employer, some job seekers succinctly state: “ABC Manufacturing Company” and leave it at that. Depending on the company, how confident are you that the person reviewing your resume or LinkedIn page is familiar with “ABC” and will know what they do?
If your previous employer was IBM, General Electric or Coca-Cola, you really don’t need to go any further. But for “ABC Manufacturing Company” you might need to elaborate. “ABC Manufacturing Company – a Midwest-based maker of digital widgets and widget systems.” If it’s beneficial or pertinent, you might want to allude to the size of the company. “ABC Manufacturing Company – a $500 million dollar producer of parts for the automotive aftermarket.”
In this instance, just a little bit more information might move you (or your resume) to the “keepers” stack – for further consideration and possible interview… as opposed to “file 13.”