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The more details you provide in your Hire Autism profile, the more potential you have to attract interest from autism-friendly employers and access the best opportunities for you. This article will highlight ways to enhance your professional persona, build a strong profile, and increase your visibility to employers.

The Power of Your Profile

When using job search platforms, like LinkedIn, Indeed, and Hire Autism, creating an informative and professional job seeker profile can positively influence your job prospects. These profiles help you make a strong first impression and give employers valuable insight into who you are, the job industry that interests you, and the support you might need to succeed. Sharing this information makes it easier for employers to assess your fit for their open roles, demonstrates how you can benefit their company, and can lead to improved job recommendations from the platforms you use.

Professionalism

When it comes to your job seeker profile, professionalism means presenting yourself as a competent candidate. Highlighting your experience through a polished and error-free profile will help you achieve this image and stand out in a competitive job market. You want to come across as intentional and dedicated to give the best first impression. This not only shows employers that you take the job and interview process seriously but also demonstrates that you take yourself seriously and are willing to do what is necessary to earn the job.

To make the most of your Hire Autism profile, demonstrate professionalism and take initiative to help employers understand who you are. Remember, every detail matters!

To accomplish this, we recommend:

• Choose your words carefully. Use positive, clear, concise, and respectful language throughout your profile. For example, you do not want to speak negatively about your previous employers or divulge personal details about family matters, medical concerns, or job search anxiety. You can remain respectful by avoiding slang words, curse words, and other derogatory terms.
• Double-check your writing to ensure it is free from spelling and grammatical mistakes.
• Focus on showcasing your skills, achievements, and expertise relevant to the type of work you seek. Sharing your experience with employers is the most effective way to demonstrate you have the skills to do the job.
• Provide your current contact information. Check the voicemail of any phone number provided to ensure it is not full and has a polite, courteous greeting. Avoid the use of profanity, sarcasm, and other informal language.

Avoiding the use of unprofessional language and irrelevant information in your job seeker profile will vastly improve your chances of connecting with employers and set you apart from many other candidates.

The Basics: Tell Us About Yourself and Your Interests

It can be overwhelming to know where to begin when building out your Hire Autism profile. A good starting point is to focus on the basics of your personal information. You can do this by going to the About tab in your job seeker profile and reviewing the following areas to ensure they are complete and accurate:

• First name
• Last name
• Email address
• Phone number
• City
• State
• Age range
• Job Type
• Job Industry

Although small, this information is hugely essential for employers. It can help the employer determine whether you are within their location requirements and give them a way to contact you directly. If your profile lacks this essential information, a recruiter or hiring manager will be less inclined to reach out.

An often-overlooked part of professionalism includes the email address you use for work-related business, such as sending job applications and inquiries. Your email address is often shown at the top of your resume and is usually the first way a potential employer contacts you. It can give employers and your professional contacts an impression of your credibility. Since many recruiters review hundreds of applications for each job, addresses that are too personal, like baseballjoe@gmail.com or hotgirl99@yahoo.com, may cause an employer to disregard your entire application from the start.

Tips for creating a professional email address:

• Keep it simple
• Include your name (can include numbers if necessary)
• Use a reputable email provider
• Consider using firstname.lastname@gmail.com as a template 

This information is beneficial not only to employers but also to the Hire Autism program. The Hire Autism program is here to support your job search, and the more relevant information we have about our candidates’ professional goals and desires, the easier it is for our staff to identify future opportunities and resources that may benefit you.

Showcase Your Skills and Qualifications

Once you’ve added the basics to your Hire Autism job seeker profile, consider adding your relevant skills, experience, and certifications to increase the chances of your profile being noticed. You can do this by going to the About tab in your job seeker profile and including information, such as your education, volunteer work, or even a relevant project portfolio.

Additionally, you can upload your resume directly to your profile. You can do this by going to the Resume Manager tab on the left side of your profile. Adding your resume is a quick way to showcase your experience, educational background, and specific interests and goals related to your desired field.

Some best practices for highlighting your strengths in your resume include:

• Continue showcasing your professionalism – Use clear and concise language
• Be honest about your work history and experience
• Emphasize the soft and hard skills that are relevant for the jobs you are seeking
• Use strong action verbs
• Use metrics and quantitative data when possible
• Proofread to ensure you have no grammatical or spelling mishaps – Use Grammarly, Spellcheck, and other proofreading tools

It is essential to represent your professional persona throughout your resume. For further guidance on building a strong resume, check out our Guide to Resume Writing.

Going Beyond the Basics

You have added the basics to your profile. Way to go! Now it’s time to expand and delve deeper. The more employers can learn about you, the more your profile will work to your advantage.

Add information to the remaining sections under your About tab, such as:

• A LinkedIn URL
• Transportation capabilities
• Willingness to relocate
• Job considerations/accommodations

By sharing these additional details, you can share valuable information with employers on how they can best interact with you should they wish to reach out. This can also help you advocate for your needs. Remember to keep the language clear and respectful throughout all sections of your profile, resume, and any other job search materials.

Add a Profile Picture

Adding a professional headshot to your Hire Autism profile can build credibility with employers and make your profile more personable. Research has found that having a profile picture makes your profile 14 times more likely to be viewed by others.

Some general guidelines for creating a professional photo include:

• Be the sole person in the picture. Professional headshots are typically tightly cropped photos of the face, from the shoulders up.
• Make sure your face takes up 60% of the frame. Utilize cropping tools if needed.
• Pick a recent photo that looks like you today.
• Smiling or speaking in your photos makes you appear more open and approachable.
• Use natural lighting and avoid busy or distracting backgrounds.
• Ask someone else to take the picture—no selfies! They can provide valuable feedback, such as advising you to tilt your head slightly or adjust your posture.
• Check the size requirement and use a high-resolution image. The maximum size for your Hire Autism profile photograph is 953.7 MB.

Taking the time to capture a professional headshot can help your profile stand out and make a positive first impression. If you do not have a professional headshot to add to your profile, it’s often better to leave the picture out entirely.

Make Your Profile Public

When your Hire Autism account is created, your profile is automatically set to private. This means the information in your profile is not immediately visible to our autism-friendly employers who want to connect with you. After you build out your profile, consider making it public. By electing to make your profile public, your Hire Autism profile and contact information will appear in searches conducted by our employer partners, and they will be able to contact you directly through our platform. While this can seem intimidating, showcasing your professionalism and skills through your profile can open many doors with minimal effort.

It is important to note that if you decide to make your profile public, age-related information will not be available to employers, and your account will not be searchable by platforms external to Hire Autism.

Ultimately, the decision is yours, but making your profile public is highly encouraged and could lead to more opportunities and better employment outcomes.

To control the visibility of your Hire Autism profile, go to the Privacy tab. From there, you can choose whether you want your profile to be private or public.

Keep Your Profile Up-To-Date

Once you review and update your Hire Autism account or other professional profiles, you may be tempted never to revisit your profile. However, checking back in regularly and keeping your profile current can be beneficial for your job search.

Life is dynamic, and you could find yourself involved in new volunteering opportunities or work-related projects that may be very relevant to the employers you seek to attract. Some facts about yourself, such as your location, mode of transport, or address, may become outdated, and this obsolete information could prevent you from being matched with employers or job opportunities. When you have significant changes in your life, develop new skills and tackle new experiences, revisit your professional accounts to ensure they represent your current professional image. Employers seek candidates who actively participate in their job search, and having a current profile can show them you are determined and driven.

In closing, completing your Hire Autism profile and keeping it up-to-date is very important in the job search process. It can provide employers with valuable information and help them assess whether you would be a good candidate for a position. Taking steps such as adding a professional profile picture, creating a professional email, and sharing your relevant education and experience can greatly increase your odds.

Resources:

• How to Write a Professional Profile (With Examples)
• Crafting a Professional Image: The Importance of Your Email Address
• 20 Ways to Showcase your Experience on Your Resume
• Guide to Professionalism in the Workplace
• 10 Tips for Taking a Professional LinkedIn Profile Photo