Lately, the job market has been a roller coaster. How do you stand out amongst a sea of candidates interested in the same job as you? The recruiter is the first person to impress when applying for a job. Here are some ways to get noticed by a recruiter in tech, and to get closer to your dream job.

Here are 3 steps to get noticed by a recruiter:

Build a strong social presence and personal brand on LinkedIn.

Your LinkedIn profile is how you present yourself to potential employers. It’s important to make sure your personal brand, or the values that you outwardly represent, are shown on your profile. If you apply to a tech job, the company’s recruiters, hiring managers, and interviewers will often reference your LinkedIn profile, even if you have given them a resume. Here are 4 ways to boost your social presence and personal brand on LinkedIn:

1. Log in every day. On a daily basis, share industry articles with your thoughts and re-share posts from others in your network. This increases the likelihood that someone who’s hiring for your dream tech job will see you! According to LinkedIn, when you participate in groups, share content, and like and comment on content that your network has shared, you increase your visibility and your personal brand on LinkedIn. 

2. Broaden your network. There may be people whom you have worked with in the past or otherwise know who you are, yet haven’t connected to on LinkedIn. Use the People You May Know feature on LinkedIn to review personalized connection recommendations and send connection requests to people you know. Add a personal note to the connection requests you send, to remind them how you know each other. A wider network broadens the content you’ll see on your news feed so you might hear of a new company that’s hiring. Also, with more people in your network, your social presence can get a boost when those people like or comment on things you post. 

3. Request a recommendation. Ask your peers, managers, direct reports, and executive leaders to write a recommendation for your work. You can request these through Linkedin. Give your coworkers specific direction on what you’d like them to write about. For example, you can ask them to reference a project you led, a product you played a part in building, or a training program you built for your team.

4. Write a creative profile headline. Show your creativity, personality, and even your humor. Instead of a headline that states the job title that came on your last offer letter, write a headline that creatively explains your value and passion for your job. “Marketing Magician, boosting the bottom line of small brands” or “Looking to solve new problems on an in-house Legal team”.

Be specific in the jobs you apply for. 

When you approach your job search with specific criteria in mind, a recruiter will notice. Your thoughtfulness and intentionality will help you stand out as a candidate and (bonus!) find a job you will love.

1. Source for a Job. Like a recruiter would search for the perfect candidate for their open job, you should search for the perfect job for you. Think about what drives you and search for a company that fits your criteria first. You can always broaden your search later. Do you like working in a scrappy small company or do you like a large company with more resources? Do you like to work autonomously or collaboratively? What’s most important to you; compensation, work life balance, remote flexibility, or something else? Check out How to Source a Job in the Tech Industry by Molly Rhodes, Manager of Sourcing at NextRoll for more helpful tips.

2. Tailor Your Resume. Invest the time to tailor your resume for each job application. Map your resume and past job experience to the skills that are listed in the job description. This will help the Recruiter reviewing your resume to connect the dots on why you’re great for their role. Here are more tips on how to build a strong resume for a tech job, from Claudia Villanueva, our Manager of Talent Operations and Tech Recruiting at NextRoll.

Sell yourself, and your skills. 

You have to sell yourself and your skills in order to get noticed for your dream job in tech.

1. Look for connections at the company at which you’re applying. Whether it’s sending a LinkedIn Inmail, an email with your resume attached, or sending an individual text message, make sure you tap into your network before all else! LinkedIn will highlight people you know when you apply to a company’s open position through their platform. Reach out to those folks and let them know you’re interested. They might be able to refer you directly to the hiring manager or recruiting team.

2. Send cold outreach. Can’t find anyone in your network that works at the company where you are applying? Do some research to find out who the hiring manager is for the job you want. Send them a message on LinkedIn or take a guess at what their company email address may be, and send them an email. You can even try emailing the recruiting team at that company by guessing what their department email may be. We often get emails to the entire Talent Acquisition team at NextRoll and guess what, we look closely at that candidate! 

Here’s a guide from Indeed about how to cold email about a job. It’s most important that you’re succinct (150 words or less) and make it about what you can offer their company. In your outreach, mention specific things about their company that excite you.

Don’t be afraid to sell yourself! Recruiters want to find strong candidates for their roles and as long as you have the experience, they’ll appreciate your proactive outreach and your excitement to join their company.

Final Thoughts. You’ve received an interview invitation? Congratulations! You’ve completed one of the more difficult parts of your job search - getting noticed. Next, stay focused and prepare for each interview. Bring your best self, stay positive, and you’ll soon find the best job for you.