Guest Post: What employers want from Online Resumes?

The way business is turning to everything electronic it’s time you learned how to market yourself online when looking for your next job. Employers often look to their internal databases before even advertising a job to the public to see what kind of resumes they’ve already gotten in the past. Then they’ll look to external databases to scan the web for posted resumes. With this monumental shift in the way companies are hiring, it’s time to make sure you don’t get lost in the shuffle. Consider these tips for making your online resume stand out from the rest:

1. Keywords are crucial. When you look something up in a search engine you’re most likely going to type in a keyword to make your search easier. Hiring managers employ the same tactic when using Monster to scan for resumes. Consider the industry you’re in and come up with a list of words that are unique to it. Take the list and integrate the words into your resume.
   
2. Stay up to date. Besides searching resumes through a keyword search, employers will only pay attention to newly posted or modified resumes. If you feel that you’re not getting any bites on your resume, then go into whatever database you’re using and update your information. Employers won’t waste their time with old resumes.
   
3. Exposure is crucial. Employers must pay to use employment websites to advertise jobs and to search for resumes. Accordingly, they will only subscribe to a couple. Make sure that you post your resume on as many professional employment websites as possible to reach a greater cross section of potential employers.
   
4. Be tenacious. Searching for jobs can be tedious and exhausting. If you dedicate just one day to making your resume look great and searching extensively for jobs then you’re just scratching the surface. These employment websites constantly update their information. Don’t miss out on any opportunity just because you feel like you’ve done all you could at the very outset.
   
5. First impressions only happen once. This is your chance to impress a potential employer so don’t blow it. Just as you would pay meticulous attention to your appearance in a live interview, apply the same principles to your resume. WackyGuy@CoolGuy.com may be funny to your friends, but supply a professional email address on your resume. Eliminate any grammatical or spelling errors on your resume as well. The worst thing you can do is let a silly mistake cost you the chance at your dream job.

Heather Johnson works with JobProfiles.org and is a regular commentator on the subject of how to become a pharmacist. She welcomes your feedback and potential job inquiries at heatherjohnson2323@gmail.com.