Attract Recruiters' Attention with Seven Personal Branding Trends - Slide 7

Do you appear unemployed?

In a July 2011 study, CareerBuilder learned that employers prefer hiring people that already have jobs over those who have been laid off. If you’re unemployed, this must seem depressing. But it need not be. What it means is that instead of being unemployed, you need to remain active — even if you’re no longer at the company you were working for. Taking on a volunteer activity, putting your own shingle out or getting involved in a project you are passionate about are valuable ways of remaining a compelling candidate. If it looks like your full-time job is looking for work, you’ll be less attractive to recruiters and hiring managers.

What does this mean for you?

Don’t consider yourself unemployed. Be prepared to consult or volunteer if you find your name on the layoff list. In the future, you’ll probably move from being employed by companies to self-employment and back. Get in this mindset now to ensure you remain an attractive passive candidate. And be visible where hiring managers will find you. Use the right keywords in everything you post on the Web. Contribute thought-leadership content to job function or industry portals. Keep your LinkedIn profile up-to-date and compelling (this is the number one site hiring managers check according to a SHRM study).