Ask yourself if you feel 50 years old or 50 years young. Take the test to see what others will likely think. If you don’t take care of your personal brand, others will do it for you.
- I still use the loxinfo.co.th email domain (or aol.com).
- I don’t have a LinkedIn profile.
- I still use a CV of 6 pages (not a Resume of 2 pages).
- My CV is written with Times New Roman font (not Calibri).
- My telephone number in my Resume and on the LinkedIn is my residence number (not my mobile phone).
- I have never used Zoom or Microsoft Teams for video calls.
One of my all-time favourite business book authors is Tom Peters. One of his most popular books was In Search of Excellence. And perhaps his most popular quote was: “Perception is Reality”.
So true that is. It means that what others think about you is more important than how you see yourself.
It was only today I told someone, that you could be the next Einstein, but if your resume and LinkedIn profiles are not full of keywords, you will forever remain in the big hole of resumes that are never seen.
To avoid being seen as an old 50+ year candidate, follow these guidelines:
Gmail or Outlook email?
Gmail and Outlook are the two heavyweights of the email world. Worldwide, Gmail has 1.5 billion users and Outlook has 400 million users. The next most popular email service, Yahoo Mail has over 200 million users. Drop loxinfo and aol please.
LinkedIn users worldwide?
LinkedIn has 675 million users. We know, total members are not the same as active ones. Of those using the platform monthly, up to 40% are accessing it on a daily basis. That’s over 100 million professionals you could be targeting every single day.
Don’t wait any longer; get your personal LinkedIn profile this coming weekend.
Most popular font for your Resume?
Even though Times New Roman remains one of the most-used resume fonts, it’s the font people love to hate because it’s not a creative font.
A better choice these days is the font Calibri when you write your CV or Resume.
Calibri has even replaced Times New Roman as the default Microsoft Word font. It’s an excellent option for a safe, universally readable sans-serif font and should be your “font of choice”.
Mobile telephone and email in your Resume
Believe it or not, I still see resumes without an email address and a residence telephone number. Hellooo, it’s 2020 and it is essential that you have your name, email and mobile telephone on your resume’s page 1.
Simply write abc@gmail.com and 08 1234 5678. No need for the words Email and Mobile.
Video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars
Unless you’ve been living under a rock the last six months, you’d know that the world has moved to video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars. Even with an easing of the current COVID restrictions, video conferencing is definitely here to stay.
It’s important that you have learned how to set it up, how to comfortably connect in an instant, and how you look your best. USA Today has these tips:
- Appearance: Think strategically about your clothing. Wearing a really busy plaid or patterned outfit will make the viewers’ eyes go numb. A plain, solid color will help bring out the best you.
- Eye Level: Don’t have the webcam looking up at you, because that will turn you into “Look up my nostrils dude.” Let’s put it this way. The camera under the face is the oldest unflattering look in the books.
- Lighting: Have a steady lamp, directly by your face, for even, steady lighting. No sidelight or backlight, please. A tripod spotlight is only 500 baht in MBK.
- Background: You want people focusing on your face, not on what’s behind you. Many are using virtual backgrounds – but note that you need good lighting to make it look good.
