With the emergence of the gig economy over the last few years, short-term jobs or “gigs” have become a way of life for a lot of job seekers. When the job market is highly competitive and there are tons of candidates applying for the same jobs, it becomes harder and harder for job seekers to land one quickly. The importance of effective and strategic resume writing is paramount to get job seekers in front of hiring managers for job interviews. But how has the gig economy impacted the quality of resume writing? I get asked this question all the time by my clients. If you have done gigs as a career or in between jobs, you might be concerned that you will be viewed as a job-hopper on your resume or LinkedIn profile. There are strategic ways to navigate the gig economy on a resume and LinkedIn Profile while turning this into a positive for you. Here’s some tips to help you shine on your resume and LinkedIn Profile without looking like a job-hopper in the gig economy.
The Glass is Always Half Full
If you apply this mentality to your resume writing and LinkedIn Profile writing, that is half the battle. When you think about the gig economy, view it as a positive thing. Back in the day, you were considered a quality employee if you stayed with the same company for decades. That was the criteria for excellence. Now, it is not uncommon for job seekers to change companies every 2-3 years. This could be for a myriad of reasons like mergers, acquisitions, downsizing, or outplacement. It also occurs because job seekers want to leverage their expertise and expand their skill set in more challenging positions, which is such a positive thing. That is why there are so many applicants for every job. Now, factor in the economy and job market. With all of those elements combining to make the perfect storm on the job search front, the result is the gig economy. Job seekers are looking to take advantage of short-term gigs so they can broaden their horizons while still remaining in the job market. The positive outcome is that job seekers end up strengthening their resumes and LinkedIn Profiles in the process. If presented correctly on a resume or LinkedIn Profile, hiring managers will actually place a high value on someone that can jump right into a new company or a new job and hit the ground running.
Play Up Your Strengths and Diversity of Skills
Another positive outcome of the gig economy is how it can help to strengthen resumes and LinkedIn Profiles for job seekers. The gig economy has enabled job seekers to travel outside of their comfort zones and learn whole new skill sets. Most times, the gigs have a predetermined length for the engagement. Job seekers know up front how long they will be committed to the gigs, which helps with career planning and their job search. While they are in between jobs, this short-term stint will actually enable them to keep their skills current. Gigs also allow job seekers the opportunity to perform deep-dives into new areas on a short-term basis to learn new skills and to see if these new areas might be something they want to pursue full time. This is resume writing and LinkedIn algorithm gold! These new skills and new strengths can seamlessly be added to resumes for maximum keyword optimization and personal branding success as well as added to LinkedIn Profiles for optimum results with job leads sourced from LinkedIn. This will make job seekers so much more marketable while reducing the time it takes them to land a new job.
While gigs on a short-term basis used to be taboo, that is just not the case anymore. The gig economy has presented so many opportunities to job seekers in the form of taking on new challenges professionally as well as learning new and unique skills that set them apart from other job seekers. The concept of job-hopping is such a thing of the past thanks to the gig economy. It has shed new light on the value of versatility in an employee. It gives companies confidence to hire someone that has gigs on their resume and LinkedIn Profile because it provides a level of assurance to companies. From a competitive standpoint, another job seeker may not bring this versatility and adaptability to the table. If a job seeker successfully thrives while performing gigs, it lets companies know that this job seeker can just as easily on-board into their company relatively seamlessly. This is vital to companies because they are committed to business continuity even during times of talent transition and off-boarding. So next time you are between jobs or looking for a new challenge, consider giving the gig economy a try. It will have positive and lasting impacts on your resume and LinkedIn Profile while setting you apart as the person they want to hire!