Want your online profile to get noticed? Posting a status message is one of the best ways to signal that you’re active – whether you’re a job seeker actively considering new opportunities or a recruiter actively pursuing new candidates. But since your status message should be updated fairly frequently, it can be difficult to come up with something new to say. And in the face of saying something that turns off a reader, some have decided that no update is better than a silly one. But when it comes to getting noticed, nothing is something – it can make you appear lazy, or that you don’t care about the first impression your profile is making.
Whether you’re a recruiter or job seeker, here are some sample status messages to help you shine.
1. Ripped from the Headlines/Upcoming Events
Do you know the news? Use your status message to relay current events, industry trends, and more. Links are great, but be wary – do you really want to send someone AWAY from your profile? It might be better to simply use a sentence or two to start a conversation.
Example: “What did you think of CitizenFour’s Oscar win last night? It seems Hollywood has a different perspective on Edward Snowden.”
In addition to current events, a status message is a great place to let candidates or recruiters know where you’ll be, whether it’s a local book club or an industry event or trade show.
Example: “I’m looking forward to the March 10 Un-Career Fair hosted by ClearanceJobs.com – at the last event I met several great candidates, and I even went on to hire one!”
2. Target Your Audience
Conventional wisdom may be that a status message should be broad – broad enough to engage any potential recruiter or job seeker. But just like a Jack of all trades becomes master of none, a status message meant for anyone in the security-clearance community is not likely to appeal to anyone. If you’re only looking for a certain type of position or candidate, make sure that’s clear in your status updates. Also keep in mind that on an exclusive, niche site like ClearanceJobs.com, your status messages are even more targeted. Recruiter profiles are only viewed by job seekers, not other recruiters. And job seeker profiles are only viewed by recruiters, not just any job seeker.
Example: “Currently staffing for 14 engineering positions in Reston, Va. TS/SCI clearances required. If the job I posted looks like a great fit, I’d love to hear from you!”
Example: “Most of my recent experience is in intelligence analysis, but I keep seeing positions for irregular warfare analyst that seem like they’d be a great fit with my special forces background.”
3. Ask a question/play the page search game
Your status message isn’t a conversation hub, per-se, but if the goal of any page is to convert a looker into a connection, sometimes it pays to ask a question. On either end of the job search spectrum, it can be hard to know how to make a ‘cold’ introduction. A question in your status message warms the way for someone to reach out and contact you. One unique way I’ve recently seen recruiters do this is by using their cover photo to prompt discussion. The bonus of this is that it encourages someone to not just scan your profile, but spend some time there.
Example: “Does anyone recognize the building in my cover photo? Bonus points if you’ve ever been there! I saw it on a recent vacation and it was even more beautiful in-person!”
4. Job search tips/application tips
Everyone wants advice and feedback. If you’re a recruiter one of the best gifts you can likely give candidates is a bit of knowledge and insight into your hiring preferences. If you’re a job seeker, save a recruiter time by indicating your personality and preferences in your status message.
Example: “I love to see a great skills summary at the beginning of a resume – particularly one that includes certifications and clearance details!”
Example: “I just got back from vacation in Cabo and it was AMAZING! The most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen. Now I’m back at the office more recharged and motivated. Work-life balance is so important!”
5. Humor/inspirational quotes
When in doubt, humor and inspirational quotes can be a great way to provide fodder for status messages. Rather than being impersonal, they reveal a lot about your personality. Having scanned a few online profiles in my day, I can certainly ascertain something of an individual’s personality based on whether or not they quote the Dalai Lama or Will Rogers. And since a status message is an opportunity for you to show personality, don’t be afraid to portray humor, as well. Just remember to give credit where it’s due. If you’re going to include a quote as a status message, make sure you use attribution.
Example: “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” – Theodore Roosevelt.
Final note: The purpose of a status message on an online profile is to reveal your personality. Striking the right blend of personality and professional will look a little different for everyone, so don’t be afraid to change it up a bit. The main thing is to post something!
