Why It Is Important to Have Branded, Coordinated Job Search Materials

Why It Is Important to Have Branded, Coordinated Job Search Materials Are Branded and Coordinated Job Search Documents Really That Important? Do you want your resume, cover letter, and biography to look disheveled or professional and well-prepared? These documents are a reflection of you as a candidateâ€"and as such, how you present yourself is important to how you’re perceived as a potential employee. Therefore, having documents that don’t match in style, format, design, or branding can really portray you as unorganized, not very detail-oriented, and lackluster. However, an expertly designed, coordinated, and presented set of job search documents communicates your professionalism and creates a positive first impression. Here’s what you should consider when putting together your job search materials. Everything Should Coordinate If you’re submitting a resume and cover letter, make sure the design, font, formatting, and headers match exactly. Then there will be no question that the documents go together and that you’re presenting a well-planned-out set of career documents. Additional Materials Should Match After the interview, when you send out your thank-you letter, make sure the header, format, font, and style all match the resume and cover letter that you submitted. Additionally, should you submit any other career documents such as a career biography or reference sheet, make sure these coordinate with your other career documents as well. Branding Is Not Just for Your Resume Yes, you should have a branding statement at the top of your resumeâ€"and yes, your entire resume should be branded. However, don’t just stop at your resume. Use this opportunity to reinforce your brand in the mind of the employer by ensuring that your cover letter, thank-you letter, biography, LinkedIn profile, reference sheet, and any and all other job search materials you submit are all branded as well. This helps to cement in the mind of the employer your personal brand, your unique promise of value, and why they should be hiring YOU. Sure, all this “matchy-matchy” stuff may seem arbitrary, but I assure you that nothing in your job search or the development of your resume and job search materials is random. There should be a reason and a strategy behind everything from the font and resume design you choose to how you brand yourself on your resume and cover letter.