How to Make Your Job Seeker Profile Stand Out on AdaMarie
Our mission of closing the gender gap in STEM is only possible if we help get you noticed and hired. 💚
As a woman* in STEM, you know how crucial it is to put your best foot forward when searching for your dream job. Your AdaMarie profile is the first impression you'll make on potential employers, so it's important that you make it count.
Here are our top tips for creating a job seeker profile that will catch an employer's attention.
Write a Powerful Headline
Your headline is the first thing an employer will see on your profile so you want me to make sure that it accurately reflects who you are what you do as specifically and concisely as possible. Technically, you could just write “Developer at XYZ Company,” but what if you’re not currently employed or don’t work at a super well-known company? That won’t provide much value.
The key here is to sell yourself as an expert in your field. What are you all about? What makes you stand out as an individual and potential future employee? Do you have any special certifications you could call out? Are you a part of any clubs, organizations, or non-profits? Written any amazing research on an interesting topic? Worked on any specific projects?
Any of these could be included as the bite-sized nuggets in your headline that will make recruiters want to know more.
Here are a few great examples:
Data Scientist | Published Researcher in AI & Machine Learning | Python & R Enthusiast
Mechanical Engineer | Six Sigma Certified | Innovator in Renewable Energy Solutions
Biomedical Engineer | Expert in Medical Device Development | Published Author in Peer-Reviewed Journals
AI Researcher | PhD in Computer Science | Contributor to OpenAI Projects
Driven UX/UI Designer with hands-on experience from internships and a portfolio of inclusive design projects | Recent Computer Science Graduate
Recent Earth and Planetary Sciences Graduate | Expert in Sedimentary Geobiology | Former Climate Change Intern at FEMA
These headlines highlight specific skills, certifications, affiliations, and achievements that immediately grab an employer’s attention and can help you stand out.
Why Are There Are No Profile Pictures on AdaMarie?
You may have noticed that is no profile photo field on your AdaMarie dashboard or profile page.
Developing the board raised a lot of questions: What search terms do our seekers (and employers) use? How can we make it easier to connect highly qualified candidates to the employers they seek? Should we allow direct messaging?
We felt that one question—and our response to it—deserved special attention: What about profile pictures?
At AdaMarie, we value authenticity, community, and opportunities for our members to express themselves. But we’re also driven by a mission: To eradicate biases in STEM, increase employer access to excellent, historically underrepresented talent, and optimize workplace practices for inclusion. Guided by this mission, we decided that AdaMarie’s seeker profiles will not include photos.
To learn more about the biases profile photos introduce while job searching, please visit the AdaMarie blog to read the post, Why Are There No Job Seeker Profile Pictures on AdaMarie?, written by our in-house Equity Consultant, Sara Sanford.
Upload a Complete and Professional Resumé
Even though you’ll write out your experience in another step of completing your profile, you should still upload your resumé. This makes it easy for recruiters to download and quickly share your information with other hiring managers on your team. (You’ll also notice that applying for jobs on AdaMarie consists of submitting your resume and an optional cover letter - so adding it as a part of your profile now, will save you the time later!)
If you don’t already have a professional resumé, check out our free template to get you started!
If you do already have a professional resumé, make sure to check whether it is ATS-compliant before you upload. (ATS meaning Applicant Tracking System - the platform in which employers track job applications and internal next steps.) With new AI capabilities, employers and recruiters may run your resumé through their ATS first, checking for keywords that match the job description of the position you’re applying for and narrowing down the list of candidates that meet the position’s posted qualifications.
The only catch, these ATS systems don’t love all the super cute formatting options you might see on Canva and may reject you automatically. So make sure to avoid adding images or charts and keep the formatting as simple and clean as possible.
🔥Hot tip: Contrary to popular belief, a PDF is not the most ATS-friendly file type. Unless PDF is specifically listed as a file format they accept, stick to a Word document in .doc or .docx!
Craft a Compelling Summary
These next few sections are all focused on that box that says “Tell us about yourself.”
It’s prime real estate and makes up the most of what will be visible to employers on your AdaMarie profile, so make it count! This is your opportunity to add more depth to what you wrote in your headline. Give recruiters a snapshot of who you are, what your experience looks like (either professionally, educationally, or through volunteer work) and what you bring to the table overall.
Start with a strong statement that conveys your passion for your field and your career goals. Then, elaborate on your unique background, skills, and interests. What makes you stand out? What inspires you about the industry that you’ve chosen to work in? Add more detail to that research you submitted, time you spent volunteering, or certification you got.
Keep your summary concise yet compelling. You want to pique the reader's interest and encourage them to keep reading more about your specific experiences.
Showcase your Experience
The heart of your AdaMarie profile is your work history and skillset. Beneath your summary, include all of your schooling and job experience, and the duties you performed at each. Think of this the meat of your resume, but instead of tailoring it to one specific job description or position, the language is slightly more general and can be applicable to a number of different roles and industries.
Take the time to thoroughly complete this, highlighting your most relevant qualifications and achievements. Don't be shy - this is your chance to truly sell yourself!
When describing your past roles, focus on the key responsibilities and measurable impacts you delivered. Quantify your accomplishments whenever possible to demonstrate your value. And be sure to list out all of your technical skills, from programming languages to scientific equipment.
Remember, you're competing against a pool of candidates, so you'll want your profile to make it clear why you're the best one.
Display your Personality
In that same summary box, include anything unique or interesting (while keeping it mature and professional!) facts about you or cool hobbies that you have. What are you passionate about outside of work or school? Posted online or built a cool social media following around it? Have a side hustle or personal project that you’re proud of? Add your links to those things here too.
Recruiters want to know if you align with their values and the company culture where they work. It’s always good to show a little peek behind what makes you YOU!
Highlight Your Skills
The skills box on your AdaMarie profile is just as important as listing your past experience. Add any and all of your professional and interpersonal skills here. These are great, bit-sized ways for recruiters to learn about you in a nutshell.
What are you qualified in? What technical languages do you speak? What tools do you know how to use?
Also, these days, emotional intelligence and communication are just as important in the workplace as anything else. So be sure to include some skills that will illustrate you know how to work with others.
Hiring managers want to know if you have what they’re looking for, and there’s a good chance this is one of the first places they look or filter their search by.
🔥Hot tip: Moderation is key here. Include what’s relevant, leave the rest. Aim for 10-15 max.
Stay Up-to-Date and Engaged
Once you've built out your profile, don't let it collect dust. Regularly review and update it to ensure it accurately reflects your latest experiences and achievements.
Additionally, make the most of AdaMarie's community features. Engage with job postings, join live events and other activities coming soon, engage with content, and connect with other members.
And don't forget to opt in to hear about relevant job opportunities! Our team is constantly connecting qualified candidates with open roles at top STEM companies.
Make the Most of Your Profile
Once you’ve completed all of the steps above, you’ll have a profile that showcases exactly who you are and what you bring to the table for an employer. No matter where you’re at in your career, be proud of the experience that you have, the work you’ve put into it, and the personal brand that you’ve built for yourself! You don’t need to have a lot of followers on social media to have a really cool, unique brand that represents you.
With a thoughtful, and well-built out profile, you'll position yourself as a standout candidate and increase your chances of landing your dream job. ✨ That’s the number one goal here!
So, what are you waiting for? Your dream job is just a profile away - login and get started today!