As putting yourself out there for-hire continues to evolve, LinkedIn and/or GitHub profiles become a must.

If you want to be identified as a potential hire, job seekers need more than an excellent resume. While helping both employees and employers find the best fit, I’ve noticed an increase in ‘supplements’ to the standard resume as well as proof-of-work requests from the employer side.

Here are just a few simple ways to start thinking about your employment story and make a plan to modernize your resume, connecting what’s on paper to what’s online.

Talk the Talk

• Your resume doesn’t hold value if you can’t explain what happened on your project and why you did certain things.
• Did you teach or mentor others?
• What are the details of the process that only you know?
• During an interview, be ready to talk about how the projects you’ve referenced in your resume impacted users and the business.

Show & Tell

• Your resume should include the market/industry, technologies used, and a very brief scope of a successful project.
• The more factor: Provide a link to a case study or blog highlighting your efforts.
• Increased ROI / Saved Money – How did you do it?
• Can you include metrics and references to the credibility of this claim?
• Can you speak to other cost saving ideas?
• The more factor: Write a LinkedIn post to show your expertise and use the link in your resume.

Management & Leadership

• Leadership skills are great! But what do the people you manage think? Consider requesting a recommendation on LinkedIn from team members – you can give them too!
• When searching for a management or leadership role, be prepared to talk to recruiters and potential employers about:
  • How you challenge and motivate others?
  • How your team is different than other teams doing the same work and why that would benefit their business.

See the common thread? The ‘HOW’ and ‘WHY’ are crucial to showing skills and value. To best illustrate your full resume story, don’t be afraid to link to the work you’ve done within your resume to really show off the ‘WHAT.’

Remember: recruiters and potential employers will look to the internet to discover more about you, your network and your value – keep your online presence updated just as you do your resume.

Authored by Scott Schaffer, offering updated thoughts and considerations in reflection of original post, Word Roulette: How + Why > What, found here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/word-roulette-how-why-what-scott-schaffer?trk=mp-reader-card