To stand out, skills are not enough – you have to know how to arouse the recruiter’s interest by highlighting your personality. How do you achieve this in a résumé, on social media? Tips.
Targeting the required personal qualities
Showcasing your personality is a good way of enhancing your candidacy and eliciting a call from the recruiter. Before you start, first determine the qualities required for the position you are interested in. Émilie Gallo, a recruitment consultant with the Web Tink agency, is definite. “Depending on the type of position to be filled, certain personal qualities are of interest to us more than others.”
For example, a position as a coordinator or project manager requires a good sense of organization, excellent communication skills, systematic thinking and a good ability to lead a group. In addition, as soon as a position involves presentation to customers, the quality of language and speech clarity are essential.
Illustrating your personality with examples
According to the consultant, the résumé can illustrate some character traits, such as determination, initiative or generosity. If you have held positions against all odds, mention it. Describe your key initiatives. Explain your social involvement if you think it is useful. Finally, show your presentation and communication skills in a clear, concise and well presented résumé.
YouTube videos can also convey your confidence and enthusiasm. “Be careful, however, that this tool doesn’t harm you,” warns Ms. Gallo. “Prepare your video with care and present it to several people before putting it online.” You can use effects (splitting the screen into four, for example) to show that you have imagination and creativity.
Emphasizing your interests and strengths
Social media is a way to tell a bit more about the person you are. Recruiters often take a tour of them to learn about aptitudes that are hard to detect in a résumé. “When I am looking for a community manager, I check the candidate’s response time on social media to have an idea of their responsiveness, the tone of the messages to see if they match the company’s image and culture, and the uniformity of the content,” explains Ms. Gallo.
Social media also reflect your tastes and interests. They can sometimes inform the recruiter about a personality trait, such as curiosity or a team spirit. There needs to be, however, a great homogeneity in your posts so that this trait easily emerges from your profile. Remember that the recruiter is in a hurry and has little time to devote to his research.
What is certain is that whatever the characteristics that you want to put forward, they must reflect your true personality. Be yourself, otherwise you risk, at best, not joining the team, and at worst, quickly passing for an imposter.