First impressions count. 4 steps to making a better one.

“I google the shit out of them.”

A recruiter recently told me when I asked her about her decision process in candidate sourcing. Roughly translated her response meant that she goes hunting for a candidate’s story. This means she is looking – online – not in a pdf – for the real scoop.

Which means she is looking – online – not in a pdf – for the real scoop.

It used to be that your resume and cover letter were your storytelling tool. That if you put enough time and energy into getting those perfect, you’d make a great first impression and have a good shot at getting your foot in the door.

But potential employers don’t rely on your resume to learn about your story anymore. And actually, in a lot of cases, your resume is simply a formality. (For instance, I received my last job offer before I technically applied or shared my resume with the recruiter.)

First impressions still matter though, ALOT. This means it's time to stop relying on your resume and cover letter to express who you are and why a potential employer should be so lucky to add you to their ranks.

So, do you know what story you are communicating? (i.e. What does a Google search say about who you are?) If not, its time to figure it out and own the message you are sharing with the world.

Ready to get started? Take these steps to tell your story and make a great first impression.

1. Google yourself.

This should go without saying, but you need to have a very clear picture of what shows up when someone searches for you online.

2. Clean it up.

With so many sites requiring a user profile these days, its easy to forget memberships you’ve signed up for. It’s important to make sure that everything that shows up in your feed, supports the story you are trying to tell. If it doesn’t, cancel the membership or make it private. And yes, recruiters will look at your YouTube channel, Vine feed and Instagram photos.

3. Write a killer story.

It is 100% up to you to communicate why you are an awesome candidate. This means you need to know and capture your unique qualities, strengths, and experiences. Some people call this an elevator pitch, but I’ve found that most elevator pitches are too dry. So I’d rather you think about it like this, how can you tell your story in a way that makes someone think – I need to meet this person.

4. Make it easy for them.

Recruiters are busy. I regularly hear them talk about having upwards of 30 open searches open at a given time, which means you need to cut through the noise. While you might not want a search to return pictures from your bachelorette party, you do want it to return something. This means that at a minimum, you need to have a complete LinkedIn profile or a personal website in team culture first impression. Optimze Corps can help.