His Linkedin profile makes me weak in the knees.
His online portfolio has me taking cold showers.
Why? Because he REALLY gets it -- he tells me everything I need to know about him. He is saving in-house and external recruiters probably 2 hours of up-front time that might otherwise be wasted going back and forth with questions about his skills.
Right away, we know EXACTLY what he does, how well he does it, where he's done it and how much of it he's done. Moreover, by noting what's not listed, we can determine the things that he likely DOESN'T do that much of, again saving us time.
So, does Jasen just want to save me valuable time? We do have a good rapport, so I can tell myself that's his aim, however, there's definitely a better reason for it and it's the reason I write this post. He's opening up more of the world to himself. He's getting valuable keywords out there and coming up in more searches. By doing so, he appears more professional and buttoned-up. This in turn ups his stock.
I mention him here with his permission -- I told him my goal is to get more people to follow suit. Everyone from Project Managers to Account Services to IAs to Creatives: give us the juicy details upfront and you'll reap the rewards.
Here are his summary and specialties sections from Linkedin:
Summary
Award-winning leader with 12 years of interactive, marketing, and branding experience. Proven ability to supervise teams and develop design talent in others. Passion for innovative strategy, design, and technology.
Specialties
creative leadership, web design, web sites, intranets, interaction design, usability, branding, business strategy, ecommerce, financial services, pharmaceutical, photoshop, typography, color theory, HTML, CSS, photography, successful new business pitches, inspiration
Notice the way he specifies his % of involvement in various capacities AND how he gives credit to the other contributors. Providing the level AND kind of involvement you had on specific projects when you have a breadth of skills, goes a long way in establishing credibilty and setting expectations.
If you're looking for work - or just like to keep yourself current like Jasen - please take some time to enhance your profiles and portfolios. And make sure they all link to one another. Do it not for the sake of us recruiters, but for you.
Jasen, congrats on being this "teacher's pet", and thank you for letting me use you as an example! Keep on truckin'.
Posts
Hi Joselle.
ReplyDeleteYour past advice is fantastic, and makes a lot of sense. So it's encouraging to know that you approve of my portfolio.
I'd like to share some perspective about my site, which is aimed at three audiences. The recruiter, the creative director, and colleagues.
As such, there's five main objectives:
1) The take-away. I'm trying to manage that first impression, because over time that impression turns into a vague memory of "oh yeah, that guy". It's a small, competitive industry. I might not be right for the current job, but I hope you'll remember me for the next one.
2) Easy-to-use. You're busy. You only have 5 minutes. But I have a story to tell and want you to learn as much about me as possible.
3) Transparency. You need to make an informed decision, so I'm not going to hide anything. I want a perfect match too, because interviewing for jobs takes time and effort.
4) Credibility. Answer the common question of "What did he really do?", but in a way that presents me as more than a Senior Art Director. I'm ready for the next level of responsibility and want you to see I have the experience to back it up.
5) Love. Give credit to the team. These projects are group efforts!