Resume profiles: What to know before looking for a job
Can’t seem to land a job even after much persistence? Perhaps it’s your resume profile that could use some work. At CazVid, we want to help you understand what a resume profile consists of, its importance, how to put one together, and what available resources can be used to accompany your resume profile when applying for a job.
What is a resume profile?
A resume profile, also referred to as a professional profile or personal statement, is a brief description of yourself, skill sets, work experience, and goals. Its purpose is to grab the attention of the employer so that they will inquire further into possibly hiring you.
“A resume profile is the synopsis of your own movie: with it, employers decide whether to make popcorn or change the channel” CazVid
The resume profile, whether it be printed or digital, is included in the resume, curriculum vitae, or any other resource that’s used to get off on the right foot in a recruitment, personnel selection, or job application process.
Characteristics of a resume profile
Many believe that a professional profile is just a summary text that is included in the CV, but at CazVid, we hold to a broader definition. For us, the resume profile includes everything that constitutes the occupational identity of an individual to be submitted in a work application for the purpose of winning any vacancy.
In this sense, the characteristics of a resume profile could be summarized accordingly:
- It reveals the most relevant academic data.
- It shows the most relevant companies worked for in the past.
- It communicates personality and human values along with skills and attitudes.
- It groups sets of technical knowledge that one has about a particular job.
- It appears prominently in the first part of the resume.
- It’s usually short: about 100-150 words.
If there’s anything that characterizes a resume profile, it’s that it summarizes three fundamental questions in a few words: who you are, what you’ve done, and what knowledge you have. This includes talents, attitudes, personality, values, experience, and educational background.
Importance of the resume profile when applying for a job
The importance of a profesional profile in getting a job lies in that it directly communicates your identity as a worker, but it also allows recruiters to know your value proposition in just a few words. Now when creating a professional profile, it should be kept in mind that you’re competing against other candidates that are applying for the same position, so standing out with attributes that are directly relevant to the desired job profile is key.
The professional profile is the hook, the first impression, the elevator pitch that gets employers to continue inquiring about your candidacy. Remember that recruiters often have to read through a mountain of resumes, so the resume profile offers them the opportunity to see your application in a summary and decide whether or not to continue exploring. It’s the synopsis of your own movie: with it, employers decide whether to make popcorn or change the channel.
The question now is, what’s the best way to standout in a competitive job market?
Work on your resume profile before looking for work
Before you even start applying for jobs, it’s important to first establish a clear idea of your professional profile as different profiles require a different method of applying for work.
What’s your profile? Do you even know? Many job seekers look for work without first defining their own profile, but if you don’t know, how can the employer know? When companies recruit, they’re looking for candidates that most fit the specifics of their job profile and criteria, not jacks of all trades that can generally do everything. It’s great that you may know how to do everything, but if an employer is looking for an experienced chef who know how to prepare sushi, it’s unlikely that they’ll hire you because you cook well. They specifically need a chef whose profile is focused on making sushi. Make sense?
How to create your own resume profile
As we’ve mentioned before, the professional profile is your identity as a worker. Therefore, you should review in retrospect your past experiences and accumulated knowledge. What areas have you worked in? Has there been a vocation in everything you’ve done up till now? When creating your own professional profile, start by taking into account the following aspects:
The common denominator of your work experience
Through the years, we might find ourselves wearing many different hats such as being a waiter, vendor, cleaner, babysitter, cook, teacher, etc. But if you were to lay out everything you’ve done so far, are you able to find a common thread that connects them all? Although our work experience can be diverse, there’s often an element in which they’re all related. If you’ve had more than one experience in the same industry, what would your job profile be then? For example: cook, bartender, waiter, cashier, manager, and kitchen assistant.
Your work profile goes beyond formal studies
There are numerous individuals who may study within one particular field, but are great in other areas. Someone who has studied teaching chemistry for example, could have developed skills in quantum gastronomy along the way. Someone can be a computer systems engineer, but can repair mobile phones without having studied for it. That is to say, the knowledge obtained informally adds value to your job profile and must be taken into account.
Each professional profile for a type of work
If your profile consists mainly of experiences, knowledge and training as a barber, the most logical thing is to look for a job as a barber, not as an interior designer. This is important to understand: you have to adapt the entire battery of resources for the type of vacancy in which you’re applying. If there’s hundreds of job openings in fields that don’t relate to your profile, don’t insist, they won’t take you into account.
Adapt your profile to the specific company
Companies appreciate it when their employees show interest in what they do. Ideally, if you’re interested in working for someone, take some time to research the organization a bit, and put into your profile the reasons why you want to work for them and not for others. Taking this step can have a positive affect in communicating your loyalty and future commitment to the company.
Be honest
Lying in your resume profile may give you the benefit of short term results in possibly being hired, but once you’re put to the test and are unable to meet the standard you’ve set, it will become obvious that you lied. Not only is this not good, it’s embarrassing. Instead of generating expectations you can’t meet, it’s best to show a strong learning capacity for the things that you’re not competent in. Companies will see that you’re willing to learn.
Talk about who you are in your profile as a worker
Experience and knowledge can only get you so far, but what really matters to most employers is who you are as a person. Are you able to work in a team? Are you proactive or reactive? How do you respond to criticism? What are your passions? Do you have a vocation for anything? Keep it concise, but include some of this information in your resume profile.
Accompany your resume profile with other resources
In a world where speed, automation and optimization of processes is the norm, the written resume alone isn’t enough to create a competitive resume profile. In order to truly contend with all the other applicants, it’s important to provide recruiters with a variety of available resources in presenting your professional profile.
Aside from just standing out from the crowd of job seekers, companies are also making it a priority to not waste time and resources in the hiring process. Because of this, they gravitate more towards potential candidates that provide a clear resume profile that utilizes other resources beyond just that of a written resume.
So don’t settle for a bare bones profile. Accompany it with other tools and resources to gain the advantage over the competition. CazVid can help you achieve that. Let’s see:
How to make a competitive professional profile?
Competing in the job market doesn’t have to be a frustrating activity. You just have to take into account the following resources to bolster your professional profile. Include the following with your application:
Properly structured resume: Include your past job history, academic training, informal knowledge, experience, skills, and your personal values. Make it concise, well organized, and no more than two pages in length. Don’t forget to include a friendly photo that shows the best of you.
Video resume or video job presentation: It’s no secret that video is killing books for the simple reason that it’s an easier and faster way to consume information. This powerful resource cannot be missing from your work profile as it saves employers both time and money while providing them with a clear presentation of who you are.
Cover letter: Take advantage of this document to personalize your application further. With it, you can include the reasons as to why you want to work at that specific company. It is an excellent opportunity to speak in a more personal tone about your motivations, vocation, learning interests, and talents.
Portfolio: If you are a creative, a portfolio is a must. Even for some jobs that have nothing to do with visual arts, the portfolio is also a good option. Do you reupholster furniture or assemble flower arrangements? Here’s where you can share photos of projects you’ve done.
Professional Profile Examples and Templates
If writing a resume profile gives you a headache, you should know that there are countless sites on the internet that offer resume profile examples, word templates, and models to follow according to your specific field of work. At CazVid we won’t redound on this, but we’ll still recommend some excellent resource in finding editable examples of professional profiles to search for jobs. In addition, the sites listed below offer information related to the creation of profiles, tricks and recommendations:
In this article, we have covered what a resume profile is, its importance, characteristics, and how to effectively put one together.
At CazVid, we really care about helping you navigate through the current job market with relevant information that can be useful. We are an innovative job bank that differentiates ourselves as a job search and application platform exclusively through curricular videos and videographic personal presentations, all without intermediaries and difficult processes.