In today’s US job market, networking and personal branding are extremely important, especially for future professionals in localization and website development like us CAWEB students. That is what Aurelia Laff, executive recruiter in the video-game industry, explained to us when we met with her in San Francisco. The question that was raised was: what to do to land a job in the US?
US vs France
Headhunter, intercultural trainer, and president of Unlocked Talent recruiting agency Aurelia Laff specializes in “unlocking talent” and helping people navigate the complexities of the American job search. Originally from France herself, Aurelia is well aware of disparities between French and American recruiting practices, and possesses a wealth of knowledge on how to break into the US job market as a foreigner.
She shared some of this knowledge with us, explaining for instance that American recruiters expect different things from candidates than French recruiters do. In the US, it is important to stand out from the crowd and position yourself as a salesperson. It is always about you and what you bring to the table, which is why building your personal brand is key.
In fact, the US has more of a candidate-driven market; a recruiter often needs to reach out to people who are already employed and who might regularly receive several other job offers from different parties.
Showing up on the recruiter radar
We also learned about how best to market ourselves online and make ourselves easier for recruiters to find, notably the importance of showcasing ourselves and our skills on social media (the power trio: LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter), personal websites, portfolios, blogs, and creating profiles on sites like Monster.com and Indeed.com. Aurelia also gave us some useful insider tips on how exactly recruiters go about seeking out talent online, and how best to optimize our social media pages in order to come up at the top of these searches.
However, in the US, only 20% of job offers are posted online, so, although being present on social media is essential, it is also very important to participate in networking events or even simply practice with people you meet in your everyday life. There is always an opportunity to make connections wherever you go. Always have your business card ready and a good presentation speech up your sleeve.
The Elevator Pitch
Next step: once you’ve found people to talk to, it is important to know how to present yourself effectively. Aurelia explained to us the concept of an elevator pitch: a short presentation of yourself and your “value proposition”. Position yourself as a professional, not as a candidate and spell out the four W’s:
- Who are you?
- What do you do?
- What makes you unique?
- What do you want to do next?
The goal is to start a conversation, make people interested in what you do and show them you can be a perfect fit for their enterprise.
We kept all of this information in mind when connecting with industry experts and professionals during the rest of our stay in San Francisco, and were also able to clearly note the differences between American and French employment practices.
This rare opportunity to pick the brains of a professional recruiter in the American job market will undoubtedly help us to build better online presences and professional networks, both in France and in possible future ventures in the US. Thank you to Aurelia Laff for coaching us in unlocking our talent.