Power Up Your Personal Brand To Land Your Dream Job

Reposted from careerrealism.com

What do Sir Richard Branson and Lady Gaga have in common? The power of an instantly recognizable personal brand. And whether you are aware of it or not, you already have a personal brand. Your personal brand is both what you are known for and the experience people have of you. You might be known for your integrity. People might experience and talk about your outstanding customer service, all of this forms your personal brand.

Your challenge is knowing what your brand is and bringing ‘brand you’ alive in your next job interview. The good news is, unlike Sir Richard Branson and Lady Gaga, you do not need a marketing juggernaut to do this. The simplest, yet most powerful way to articulate your personal brand is through storytelling. Storytelling is a powerful way to communicate your personal brand because stories paint a picture, capture the imagination, and tap into appropriate emotion. Stories help your audience connect with you and your message and can influence action, in this instance landing your dream job.

The stories you share that show you are a team player, have initiative, will both help you stand out from the competition and nail that next interview.

What is an example of a great personal brand story? Even after his passing, Steve Jobs continues to inspire and engage us through the stories around his personal brand. In Walter Isaacson’s best-selling biography about Steve Jobs, there is a story that Jobs used to explain his perfectionist streak:

As a young boy, Jobs had helped his father build a fence around their backyard, and he was told they had to use just as much care on the back of the fence as on the front.

“Nobody will ever know,” young Steve said. His father replied, “But you will know.” A true craftsman uses a good piece of wood even for the back of a cabinet against the wall, his father explained, and they should do the same for the back of the fence. It was the mark of an artist to have such a passion for perfection.

Isaacson explains that Jobs applied this lesson to each and every computer machine, much to the frustration of Apple engineers who were asked to make the chips line up neatly inside a tightly sealed box. “Nobody is going to see the PC board,” one of them protested. Jobs reacted as his father had:

“I want it to be as beautiful as possible, even if it’s inside the box. A great carpenter isn’t going to use lousy wood for the back of a cabinet, even though nobody’s going to see it.”

Brand Steve Jobs stands for perfectionism in all our minds.

So, where do you start when finding stories that capture your brand? These tips will help you get started.

The first is being purposeful with your personal brand stories. Share the stories that meet the criteria the job requires. There is no point sharing a story on how you bent the rules to deliver great outcome if the job requires a stickler for rules. Pan through all your experiences both work and non-work related to find the stories that meet your purpose.

The second is use stories to support your hard data. If you have a figure like ‘I improved delivery times by 15%’, then support this with a story that shows how it impacted an individual customer. Always use both hard data and stories. The two together create a compelling case for employing you over your competitors.

And third all your stories must be authentically true. This is a “VIP,” a very important point.  In your personal life and in traditional storytelling it might be OK to make up or embellish stories but in business we cannot stress enough that your stories must be authentic.  It is simply not worth the backlash on your reputation or credibility in making up or spinning stories.

Finding and sharing purposeful authentic stories, in your next interview that articulate your personal brand, will help you instantly connect with the interviewer and be memorable for all the right reasons. Power up your personal brand using storytelling in your next job interview and you could land the job of your dreams.

Social Do's And Don'ts For Job Hunters

Reposted from informationweek.com

More and more companies are using social media to find and vet job candidates, and more and more often, social media is giving these companies reasons to not hire a candidate.

A survey conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of CareerBuilder found that two in five companies are using social networking sites to research job candidates, up 37% from last year. Of these companies, 43% have found information on social media that has made them decide to not hire a candidate. On the flip side, 19% of survey respondents said they have found information on candidates' social networking profiles that caused the hiring scales to tip in their favor.   The CareerBuilder study was conducted earlier this year among more than 2,100 hiring managers and human resources professionals. Based on their responses, here are five things you should do on social media when in the market for a new position and five things that you should not do -- or stop doing, pronto.

  Do   1. Convey a professional image (57% of survey respondents said they hired job candidates based at least in part on the professional image the candidates conveyed on social media). 2. Demonstrate that you are well-rounded and have a range of interests (50%). 3. Post information to your pages that supports your professional qualifications (49%). 4. Show creativity (46%). 5. Demonstrate good communications skills (43%).   [ Here are more tips on how to do social right: 5 Social Business Mistakes You're Making. ]

  Don't   1. Post provocative or inappropriate photos or other content (50% of survey respondents said they had declined to hire job candidates at least in part because of questionable content posted on the candidates' social media profiles). 2. Include posts/photos that show drug or alcohol use (48%). 3. Bad-mouth previous employers (33%). 4. Make discriminatory comments of any kind (28%). 5. Get caught in a lie about your qualifications (24%).    

CareerBuilder recommends that anyone involved in or thinking about a job search do a Web search on themselves to see what pops up -- on social media sites and otherwise. You can bet hiring managers are doing the same.   In what other ways can social media help or hurt job candidates? How is your company using social media to recruit new employees? Please let us know in the comments section below.

How to Ace a Phone Interview

You’ve finally decided that you’re ready for the next step in your professional career. You’ve been searching job boards and applying to jobs that sound interesting to you. Finally, a note back from an employer, hoping to get you on the phone for a telephone interview. Woo!

Interviewing is one of the most nerve wrecking tasks, and not being able to see your interviewer face to face can sometimes be even more terrifying. You won’t be able to see your interviewer’s facial cues to your answers and they won’t be able to see you or sense your enthusiasm for the job.  Here are some helpful tips and tricks to get and ace that interview:

• Do your research on the company. You want to find out of this is a company that you’ll enjoy working for, and you want to make sure that it’ll be a good fit for you.  See what the company’s history is, what their stock holdings might be, and any other little tidbits that you can find about their company goals. Also, be sure that you understand the job description and the responsibilities that you will be undertaking. Coming to the interview with some prior knowledge about the company shows initiative.

• Have your resume printed out in front of you.  You might have to reference your resume to explain your duties further, report dates, etc. I suggest having an abridged copy of your resume where you can easily read off your responsibilities rather than reading the prior job descriptions right off your resume.

• Find a quiet place to take the call. Whether you have to lock yourself in your closet (make sure you have good cell signal first!) or you have a quiet working office at home, make sure there won’t be any noisy interruptions.

• Be prepared with questions for the recruiter. Always write a few questions down prior to the interview – whether it is questions about the role or questions about the company’s culture, have 3-4 on hand to ask the recruiter towards the end of the interview. If they’ve answered all of your questions and you don’t have anything else offhand that you can think about, tell them that they’ve done a great job answering all the questions you had.

• Even though you can’t see your interviewer, act as if you’re facing them! You can dress up, smile, and pretend that you’re talking to them instead of speaking through the phone. This will help make you sound more confident.

• Always have a glass of water nearby.  This serves two purposes: quenching your thirst and giving you something to pause and consider questions with.  It’s okay to take a moment to compose your thoughts when you’re asked something! Interviewers prefer a well thought out answer rather than babbling.
• When you are all done with the interview, be sure to send out a thank you note to whomever took the time to speak to you. Not only does it show that you’re appreciative that they took the time out to speak to you, it serves as a reminder of your candidacy. You can even touch briefly on why you think you’re qualified for the job; just don’t brag too much.

By Kristina Mahar
Reposted from mscareergirl.com

Let's Talk Dress Code

Over the last week or two I have been involved in various interviews for positions ranging from administrative support for executives to clerical to trades workers, and I have noticed a common thread - no one seems to know how to dress for an interview anymore (or at least many people don't).  This is disheartening to me, because it is not that difficult to do, and it makes such a difference!  Here are some examples of what not to wear that I have seen in the past couple of weeks:

Sandals/flip flops
Polo Shirts
Sun dresses (even nice heels or a sweater can't dress these up enough to pass as professional)
tank tops
tennis shoes
mini skirts
low cut tops
capri pants

Now, obviously there are exceptions to every rule, and obviously you have to use your better judgment on a case by case basis.  But generally speaking none of the above should be worn to an interview.

Here are some guidelines for proper interview attire -

For women:

Your best bet of course is always a suit.  You can never go wrong with a suit.  Suits can be expensive I know, but not impossible.

Macy's online periodically clears out their suit inventory.  I have gotten several this way over the years and never spent more than $50.

TJ Maxx, Ross, and Marshalls (and similar stores) have beautiful suits (when they have them in stock, it's hit or miss sometimes.  That is the nature of the business they do).  The most I have ever seen for one was $100 (name brand, fully lined and gorgeous), however I found one about a month ago on the clearance rack that was just my size.  It was a lovely Calvin Klein skirt suit, and it was (no kidding) on clearance for $28.

Second hand stores are also a great place to get suits.  There is sometimes a stigma associated with these stores, and I don't understand why.  Certainly not everything on their racks are worth paying for, but if you really look you can find some steals.  I have actually found clothes there with the original price tags still on them.  So you get a brand new item for a fraction of the original cost.

If all else fails  and you don't have a suit (or can't afford or find one in one of the places listed above), wear something reserved and tasteful.  Skirts should touch the knee or just below.  Pants are of course totally acceptable, but they should fit (not too tight or loose, and the right length.  Professional length for pants means that if you have heels on the pant should hit about 1/4 to 1/2 way down the heel.  If you have flats or heels, the leg should lay straight.  It should not break.  Shirts typically should be collared, but you can get away with a nice, reserved shell if you need to.   If you wear a sleeveless shirt, you should have a jacket or cardigan over it.  Stay away from anything lacy, see-through, low cut or flashy.  Colors should be subdued, preferrably black or navy blue.

Nylons are recommended.  Shoes should be modest, complementary to the outfit, and a professional height.  Again, nothing flashy.  Closed toed is preferred.  Make sure your shoes are in good condition.  Do not wear shoes that are scratched or torn up.

For men:

A lot of what I said above can translate to men.  You should always wear a suit, and can (if you look really hard) get one at a discount store.  However, the nature of men's suits is that they need to be tailored, so that adds to the cost.  Because of this, it is acceptable to wear something else (though I do recommend investing in a suit as soon as you can afford one.  It is one of the best career tools a man can have).  Blazers, sports coats, dress shirts and ties can all be purchased very inexpensively at TJ Maxx, Ross, Marshalls, or even Goodwill.  Make the investment. 

If funds are too tight for this, make do with what you have.  Most men have a button up shirt, tie, and/or sports coat at home.  Wear a combination of these (preferably all 3) that are complementary to each other.  Shoes should be shined - shoe polish is not expensive and lasts forever.  They should also complement the outfit.  Socks should match the pants, and belt should match the shoes.

I have saved the pants for last, because too many men these days don't know the proper length for their pants legs.  The general consensus for professional men is that your pants should have a half break (that crease that is created when your pants hit your shoes). In order to achieve this break, your pants should hit midway between the top of your dress loafer and the top of your shoe sole.

There are other acceptable options, based on your height, but this is a good standard.  For more on this, here is a great article.

For both:

Your hair, nails, and clothing should all be tidy. Again, nothing dirty, flashy, or unkempt.  Accessories should also be tasteful and kept to a minimum. Do not wear perfume or cologne, or make sure it is very light.  The main point of all of this is to keep your resume and qualifications for the position front and center.  If you look professional, it will keep interviewers focused less on how you look, and more on how much they need to hire you!

5 Things You Must Do Before Applying For A Job

I read this article the other day. What a great reminder regarding cleaning up your online presence.


Never apply for a job without making sure your online presence is as ready to interview as you are. Employers will look at the online version of you before they invite the in-person version to an interview, so make sure what they see helps solidify their impression of you as a candidate. Here are five things you must do before applying for a job:

 

1. Update Your LinkedIn Profile

If you haven’t revised your LinkedIn profile since your last job, it’s time to make some updates. Rewrite your summary to include your current career objective, and ask colleagues to endorse you and provide recommendations that reflect your job search. Make sure your online resume includes all your newest accomplishments. If you don’t have a professional picture to add to your profile, it’s time to have one taken.

 

2. Update Your Social Media Profiles

It’s easy to forget to keep your social media profiles updated, especially when you have multiple accounts. Log on to each of your social media services and make sure your profile photo is current and flattering and your profile blurb is accurate. See if you can make your profiles subtly reflect your professional skills without reading like a job application; “I see your copy errors” is a good line for a Facebook profile, while “I have six years of copy editing experience and am looking for work” is too much.

While you’re at it, untag those unflattering or unwanted pics, and delete any posts or tweets that don’t reflect well on you or your candidacy.

 

3. Google Yourself

You know your potential employer is going to Google you, so go ahead and Google yourself first.
Ideally, your top results are reflections of your work and personality: they should include any articles or print media about your work at previous organizations as well as links to your LinkedIn, Facebook, and other accounts. If you have a professional blog, it should be within the first five links as well and clearly identifiable as your work.

If your Google search turns up negative results, consider a service like Reputation Changer. This service removes negative references and past mistakes on the Internet, leaving your online presence more reflective of your current skills and abilities.

 

4. Make Sure Your Personal Life Is Out Of The Focus

Many people have personal blogs, Instagrams, or Tumblrs. It’s a good idea to use avatars for personal sites in order to keep your name associated with your professional work and your personal life out of the focus.

However, if you do use an avatar or online handle, make sure to disassociate it with anything you don’t want potential employers to see. You’d be surprised how many people use their Twitter handle as their OKCupid name, for example; and even if your interviewer doesn’t search far enough to make the connection, your new colleagues certainly will. Choose anonymous, unrelated handles for dating sites, diet sites, and anything else  you don’t want your employer to see.

 

 

5. Write A Well-Placed Blog About Your Industry

Believe it or not, it’s relatively easy to get published on an online magazine’s blog section. Write a post about a discovery you made while working or your thoughts on industry trends, then submit it to Open Salon or the Huffington Post. If you know your industry reads certain blogs or online publications, submit to them as well. Remember to stay positive and write well of your industry; this isn’t just an opportunity to share your opinions, it’s an audition for future work.
People on the hiring end: how do online searches reflect your opinions of candidates?
Job interviewers: what else have you done to prepare your online reputation before applying for jobs?

Your Resume by Section Part 2 - Objective/Summary

This might seem like a silly section to focus an entire posting on, but if written correctly this might just be the most important section you will write. 

A couple of years ago, the company I was working for was bought out by a competitor.  Obviously there were a lot of duplicate employees, especially in the HR department.  In order to help us all in the transition part of the 'deal' our company made was that every employee would have career counseling available to them.  This counseling was provided by Right Management. This is a great company with a lot of stellar information, resources, trainers, etc.

One of the keys they work on in these classes is to develop for yourself a 30 second commercial.  This is a 3-5 sentence summary of your skills and career goals.  The point of this is so that anytime, anywhere you can immediately recall some impressive things about yourself and give someone an idea of how you would like to use them.

The key points to hit in your commercial are:

• Experience
• Strengths
• Accomplishments
• Why you are looking for a new job (if applicable)
• What are you looking for
• End with a question

 

For example, here is one I have been working on as of late (I've had a bit of a shift in career goals in the past month or so, so it needs updating):

"I am a seasoned administrative professional with several years' experience in various fields including human resources and marketing.  I'm a people person who loves to network and I excel at helping people locate the resources they need to help them achieve their goals.  I am currently seeking different challenges and arenas to assist people in new ways.  Do you know of any opportunities in which I can use these skills to help?"

It's a work in progress, but you can see where I am going with it.

Why am I talking about a 30 second commercial when I should be talking about the Objectives/Summary section of your resume?  Because they are so similar, you can kill 3 birds with one stone.  People struggle with their Objective.  People struggle with their 30 second commercial.  People seldom have a useful LinkedIn summary.  All of these can be similar, and useful in their own ways.  So, once you can develop one, the other 2 will be easier. 

Here are the guidelines for your objective:

• What type of job are you looking for?  (include level [senior, junior, executive], area [administration, finance, etc], and industry where applicable)
• What do you excel at (strengths)?
• What can you do for your next employer?

As you can see, very similar to the 30 second commercial.  Obviously you can use more detail in your objective, but the bones of these are the same.  So pick one, get it down on paper, then develop the other.  Since there is less detail in the  commercial, it might be easier to do that one first.  Then you can elaborate with your objective.  Using the above example, my new objective might read something like:

"Detail-oriented Administrative Professional with over 12 years’ experience in various fields including human resources and marketing.  Demonstrated networking success communicating across department levels and industry channels to discretely handle information, manage multiple projects, and liaise between various groups in order to achieve common goals. Proven expertise in program administration, project management and coordination, information management, team building, business communication, and budget development and tracking. Strong organizational and planning skills.  Currently seeking to take the skills I have and use them in new and innovative ways."

again, a work in progress, but on paper I look pretty good, don't I?  Don't forget that your resume is a fluid document.  It changes as your experience and career goals do.  This section should be reviewed and tweaked frequently so as to maximize its effectiveness. 

Now, you can take both your Objective and your commercial, and either copy and paste one into your LinkedIn Summary section, or combine them to form something new.  See, 3 birds, 1 stone. Simple.

On GPAs and Brainteasers: New Insights From Google On Recruiting and Hiring

 Some insightful information on the hiring process that Google currently uses...

(reposted from LinkedIn)

  

“We found that brainteasers are a complete waste of time. How many golf balls can you fit into an airplane? How many gas stations in Manhattan? A complete waste of time. They don’t predict anything. They serve primarily to make the interviewer feel smart.”

That was just one of the many fascinating revelations that Laszlo Bock, Google’s senior vice president for people operations, shared with me in an interview that was part of the New York Times’ special section on Big Data published Thursday.

 

Bock’s insights are particularly valuable because Google focuses its data-centric approach internally, not just on the outside world. It collects and analyzes a tremendous amount of information from employees (people generally participate anonymously or confidentially), and often tackles big questions such as, “What are the qualities of an effective manager?” That was question at the core of its Project Oxygen, which I wrote about for the Times in 2011.

I asked Bock in our recent conversation about other revelations about leadership and management that had emerged from its research.

The full interview is definitely worth your time, but here are some of the highlights:

The ability to hire well is random. “Years ago, we did a study to determine whether anyone at Google is particularly good at hiring,” Bock said. “We looked at tens of thousands of interviews, and everyone who had done the interviews and what they scored the candidate, and how that person ultimately performed in their job. We found zero relationship. It’s a complete random mess, except for one guy who was highly predictive because he only interviewed people for a very specialized area, where he happened to be the world’s leading expert.”
 

Forget brain-teasers. Focus on behavioral questions in interviews, rather than hypotheticals. Bock said it’s better to use questions like, “Give me an example of a time when you solved an analytically difficult problem.” He added: “The interesting thing about the behavioral interview is that when you ask somebody to speak to their own experience, and you drill into that, you get two kinds of information. One is you get to see how they actually interacted in a real-world situation, and the valuable ‘meta’ information you get about the candidate is a sense of what they consider to be difficult.”

Consistency matters for leaders. “It’s important that people know you are consistent and fair in how you think about making decisions and that there’s an element of predictability. If a leader is consistent, people on their teams experience tremendous freedom, because then they know that within certain parameters, they can do whatever they want. If your manager is all over the place, you’re never going to know what you can do, and you’re going to experience it as very restrictive.

 

GPAs don’t predict anything about who is going to be a successful employee. “One of the things we’ve seen from all our data crunching is that G.P.A.’s are worthless as a criteria for hiring, and test scores are worthless — no correlation at all except for brand-new college grads, where there’s a slight correlation,” Bock said. “Google famously used to ask everyone for a transcript and G.P.A.’s and test scores, but we don’t anymore, unless you’re just a few years out of school. We found that they don’t predict anything. What’s interesting is the proportion of people without any college education at Google has increased over time as well. So we have teams where you have 14 percent of the team made up of people who’ve never gone to college.”

That was a pretty remarkable insight, and I asked Bock to elaborate.

“After two or three years, your ability to perform at Google is completely unrelated to how you performed when you were in school, because the skills you required in college are very different,” he said. “You’re also fundamentally a different person. You learn and grow, you think about things differently. Another reason is that I think academic environments are artificial environments. People who succeed there are sort of finely trained, they’re conditioned to succeed in that environment. One of my own frustrations when I was in college and grad school is that you knew the professor was looking for a specific answer. You could figure that out, but it’s much more interesting to solve problems where there isn’t an obvious answer. You want people who like figuring out stuff where there is no obvious answer.”

Your Resume by Section Part I - Heading

This is the first in a series of posts that will break down your resume, piece by piece.  This may seem like a lot of information for some of these seemingly unimportant sections.  However,  your resume is your first impression.  You only get one chance, so all of it is important.  Here is what you should know about the Heading section.

 

 

• Your full name 

The font on this should be the largest thing in your document, and it should be centered (there are conflicting schools of thought on this.  Some think it should be located on the left side.  My thoughts are this:  do not make them hunt for it.  Make it prominent.  People’s eyes are typically, naturally drawn to the center of a page, so that is where you should put it.  In books, title pages are centered.  This is your book, and your name is the title.  Center it.)

 

The rest of the heading should be 12 point font, and directly below your name. Don’t make them hunt for this.

• Your phone #

Your phone # should go next, because that is the first thing they will look for when they want to contact you.  This should be your personal  #, not your work #.  Please make sure it is correct and up to date.  I have seen many people forget to change that when they have a new #.  Also, please make sure that the outgoing voice message is professional.  A potential employer does not need to hear your joke, your kid singing a song, etc.  It’s a simple concept.  Be funny on your own time.  If you are giving a potential employer access to something, make sure it paints you in the most professional light.
 

• Your email address 

Please ensure that your email address is professional.  Ideally it should be your name (or some combination of your name), so that the employer can type it easily. 
 
If you have a cutesy or inappropriate email address, get a new one for professional use. (I have seen some doozies like “jacobsmommy”, “thickrick69” and “sexysandy”.  True story.)

These can be obtained for free through Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail, etc.  Some give you the option of routing messages sent to that address into another inbox.  I recommend this for any and all of your personal emails.  This will ensure that you never miss a message and also save you time.

DO NOT, under ANY circumstances use your work email address in your resume.  This makes you look like you use your work email for personal matters, which is a no-no at every employer I have ever worked for.  Keep it simple, use one central, professional email address for your job hunt.

• Your LinkedIn profile address

You can personalize this to reflect your name, which is what I would recommend.  If you haven’t noticed the pattern, let me spell this out for you.  Your name is key.  Put it anywhere and everywhere.  You want it drilled so deeply into the manager’s brain that it can be recalled easily.  If it is at the top, center of your resume, then under it as your email address, then under that for your linked in, the person reviewing has already seen your name 3 times before he or she has even gotten to your qualifications.  Name recognition is never a bad thing (ask Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, etc.).


Here’s how you customize your LinkedIn profile address:  When you go to the “Edit Profile” screen, the option should be just under your picture.  The system will let you know what is available, but get it as close to your actual name (and email address if possible) as you can.

 

--------------

I do not recommend that you put your address in the heading (or anywhere else for that matter).  It’s an employer’s market, and there are employers out there that will eliminate a candidate simply based on the fact that they live too far away.  Their thought process here is that if you have a longer commute you will a) be late all the time, and/or b) continue looking for a job closer to home.  It’s best to leave this off so that you can be the one to decide whether you are willing to make that drive.  Don’t eliminate yourself from consideration simply based on where you live.

 

An Interesting Spin

Recently I read this article from Inc.com.  It is definitely an innovative way of coming at the hiring process.  As a job seeker though, it is a good way to make sure that you are keeping up with the times in your search, as well as just being some good advice in general.  Here are some thoughts I had regarding her pointers. (read the article first, then come back.  Don't worry, I'll wait!)



Step 1:  Don't post a job; post the problem the employee will solve.

This is a good way to come at your application/interview.  Do whatever research you can to try and determine what the company's main goal is in regard to the position you are applying for.  Tailor your experience on your resume accordingly in order to maximize your chances of getting an interview.  For example, if your research reveals that the previous occupant of the position lacked organizational skills, make sure you accentuate yours in your experience.

Once you get the interview, this is even easier.  Ask the recruiter (or whomever calls to set up the appointment) for some feedback on this.  The company will appreciate your desire to be prepared, and it will help you stand apart from others.  When you do your interview preparation, you can make sure that you hit as many of these areas of concern as possible.



Step 2:  Ask candidates to answer three key behavioral questions. 

• What do you know about our business and industry?
• How did you come to learn that what we do is important to our clients?
• What is your favorite aspect of our business, and why?

I LOVE these questions.  These are questions you should ask yourself before applying/interviewing for any position.  You should have an understanding of who it is you will be working for, and be sure you actually want to work for them.  Additionally, if you have the answers to these questions in your head when you interview, you will be able to answer their questions in a more enthusiastic and topical way.


Step 3:  Ask for their LinkedIn profile, Twitter name, and any other online presence that supports their candidacy.

This goes back to my advice on your personal branding.  Social media is just as important a job seeking tool as any other these days.  Make sure potential employers have something good to see.

and finally,

Make it very clear you do not want a resume or any other materials submitted beyond answering your three questions and providing social profile links.

The importance of this is to act as a reminder to always read the instructions the employer gives.  I can't tell you how many people I have seen get thrown right out of the process because they didn't bother to give the employer what they were asking for.  Be sure and provide everything they want, and nothing more.  Even if it is an accomplishment you are proud of, or you think it gives you an edge.  While it might do just that, you won't have the opportunity to get that edge if your inability to follow directions gets you rejected immediately.  Save it for when you get the interview!