2. Identify and articulate your strengths
Experience alone is not a brand; the impact of that experience is your personal brand, says Bond. Applicants should do a deep dive into what made them successful at their past positions so they can articulate their value to a new company. “You need to let other people know what you’re good at,” says Stephens.
In many cases, the same skill set can transfer between fields or positions. “We call those durable skills,” says Bond, pushing aside the term, “soft skills.” Whatever you call them, traits like being a good communicator, having sound judgment and using patience are increasingly more important as AI handles more technical and routine tasks, says Robert Hosking, executive director of the administrative and customer support practice at Robert Half, a global staffing agency. Once you have identified your unique strengths, tailor your pitch to the company considering you. “Here’s how this experience relates to what you’re looking for, based on what I bring to the table,” is how Hosking suggests framing it.
3. Focus on achievements and skills, not experience
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Your goal in crafting a personal brand is not to prove longevity but to demonstrate relevance, says Madeline Mann, a former human resources recruiter and author of Reverse the Search: How to Turn Job Seeking Into Job Shopping. As Joe Friday would say: Just the facts. “I think you could possibly avoid using any adjective on your LinkedIn profile at all,” Mann says. Modern résumés should highlight results, not responsibilities, agrees Stephens.
Miller says she uses metrics to quantify her accomplishments whenever possible on her revised résumé. Examples included listing the number of attendees at conferences she planned, ranging from 25 to more than 350. “You have to be detailed,” says Miller.
4. Keep your résumé and pitch short
The career coaches AARP interviewed for this article agree that — if it reaches a human screener — your résumé will initially be reviewed for 2 to 10 seconds. Each word counts, and there’s not much point going past the past 10 to 15 years. “Highlight the achievements and skills that best reflect what you can bring to the role you want now, not a full record of every position you held along the way,” says Berndt.
You can get a little more time in a conversation at a job fair or networking session, but not much. Bond prefers the term “one-minute commercial” over “elevator pitch.” While there’s not much time, job seekers should try to push the conversation forward rather than regale recruiters with past achievements. “Employers want to understand how your experience translates to what you can do next,” Berndt notes.
