Benefits to creating a standout profile for job applications

for BLENDtw

Are you looking for a way to make your job applications more personable? Adding a personal profile to your resume is a great way for a hirer to notice your unique personality. From emphasizing the importance of your experiences to utilizing your profile to connect with others, here are some reasons why maintaining a professional, personal profile will help grant you with your future career.

Making New and Maintaining Past Connections

Creating a personal profile on professional social networking sites like LinkedIn will help you make new connections with people who work in your desired field. It will also help you maintain the professional connections that you already have. 

“The centerpiece of LinkedIn is showing former colleagues what someone is up to at a current job and in their life,” Anthony Miragliotta, a senior political science major at Ramapo College of New Jersey said. “That way, when someone does accomplish something special, it will be huge for employers to look at when they apply for a job in the future.”

This past election season, Miragliotta was the regional field director for former U.S. Senate candidate Rik Mehta’s campaign. The professional relationships he made through this as well as other internships and experiences he has held is why Miragliotta keeps his personal profile active and flourishing with updates.

“LinkedIn is a great way to stay in touch with [former colleagues] and know how they are doing professionally,” he said.

On professional social websites, it is also easy to find people around the world that are top employers for your desired career. The networking feature on these sites helps you connect with those whose work you admire, expanding your personal profile’s outreach. 

Once connected to the top workers in your future industry, utilize them to the fullest extent! Introduce yourself through the messaging feature, and ask them questions about their own experiences. This will only enhance your knowledge of various job titles and possibilities, and you never know where a connection may lead to.

Connections are the most important aspect of professional networking sites because of the incredible opportunities they may possess, so having a personalized profile that really highlights your capabilities and skills will humanize the relationships you make.

Finding Personalized Opportunities

Not only can you find new people in your field on professional profile building websites, but you can also find job opportunities. Over the past two decades, online job searching has doubled, which means that more companies are resorting to white-collar websites to collect applications for open positions. 

“I just began an internship with Off The Lane, a non-profit that helps entertainment people transition into the industry and meet their goals, and I actually found my internship on LinkedIn,” Jenna Craig, a junior journalism and theater major at Ramapo College of New Jersey said. “I would have never found them otherwise had I not searched for virtual internships on LinkedIn almost every day.”

Craig makes sure to keep her personal profile active and updated, and she finds as many opportunities as she can to build her network and resume.

“When I was looking at different companies for internships, I checked for Ramapo alumni or mutual connections I could reach out to,” she said. “I also attended a few LinkedIn Live events about utilizing your profile, and my career advisor helped me with that as well.”

93% of job recruiters use LinkedIn to research and recruit potential candidates, so this is why it’s especially important to utilize your updated personal profile by applying for jobs through the platform. That is showing employers that you are aware of their tactics, proving to them that you are an exceptional candidate for the position.

Proving Your Persona

While a personal profile should be polished, it should also reflect your distinctive personality and what makes you a noteworthy candidate for a future employer. 

Websites like LinkedIn are ideal because you are given room to express yourself as you professionally grow. 

“I'm still working on producing more content and sharing my thoughts, but I appreciate that that's even an option on the platform,” Craig said. “It gives you more room to show your personality that you can't otherwise show on a resume.”

Resumes should remain concise, but with a personal profile, you are able to highlight everything that you want whoever is viewing your profile to know. Adding details about past work experiences, linking your personal blog and highlighting your resume and certifications on your personal profile are all great examples of how you can build your individual brand.

Miragliotta runs his own blog on publishing platform Medium, where he writes about United States politics. Because of his major, linking his blog on his personal profile is appropriate, but he remains hesitant on emphasizing his political opinions on his professional account due to the risk.

He gives this advice: “Always be careful what articles to post on LinkedIn because a potential employer may take an article the wrong way,” he said. “It could harm the chances of getting the dream job a person wants.”

A personal profile should not be extremely personal for these reasons. However, shining a spotlight on your personality just through language on your page description and consistent status updates will help you move further along in your professional journey.

Apply These Tips When You Apply

Creating a personal profile will only benefit your job application. It will also help you find new connections and new opportunities along the way. 

“I think [professional] profiles can surely help your application stand out,” Craig said. “It shows that you're willing to take initiative towards your goals and put yourself out there.”

Spending as much time managing your personal profile as you do applying to new opportunities will help your applications be memorable and comprehensive. Whether you’re using LinkedIn or managing your own portfolio under a personal domain, this extra element will only improve your chances of getting the job that you deserve.