Let’s face it, filling out an online job profile can be cumbersome. You are often asked to rehash the information already contained in your resume, dressed up with fun details like dates, addresses, and contact information for your references. Then it’s often unclear what exactly happens to your personal data once you hit the submit button.

For all of the hassle, is it really worth your time and energy?

In the case of Devex, the answer is probably yes. Kate Warren, director of Devex’s global recruitment services, sheds some light on how the information in your Devex personal profile is used, and provides some practical tips on how to tweak your profile in order to stand out to recruiters.

“Completing a profile on Devex will first and foremost make you accessible and searchable to over 280 executive members and their recruiters,” says Warren, who previously worked as a recruiter with IRD and Checchi and Co.

Warren adds that she has frequently been searching Devex’s profile database.

“I don’t know what I would have done without it,” she says.

You might be wondering that if you can upload your resume anyway, why re-enter the data into your profile? According to Warren, “it’s just that extra click.” A search may turn out hundreds of results, and it’s unlikely recruiters will want to sort through the resumes of each candidate. Warren also explains that when recruiters do a search, results are ranked by the number of key terms that appear, for instance “horticulture” and “microfinance.”

Says Warren: “The more content you put in there, the higher chance that someone will find you based on those keywords.”

Many of the criteria are self-explanatory, but here is a breakdown of the trickier items.

Title

In most cases, this should be your current official job title. But if you are unemployed, feel free to use a more general term that describes your area of expertise, like “civil engineer” or “microfinance expert.”

Gender

Your gender may be irrelevant to how well you can perform your job, but Warren says, “If you’re a female, I would encourage you to put it.” This is because some employers, particularly United Nations agencies, have put in place policies to encourage a diverse workforce, so it may work to the advantage of females to indicate their gender.

Birthday

Whether or not to indicate your age is a touchy subject. Warren acknowledges that ageism is a reality, but pointed out that “in many countries, it’s a completely legal question, even something that they search by.” Some employers have strict parameters concerning the age of new employees they can take on, and it might be best to rule them out right away if you feel your age might be an issue.

Photo

In a field this competitive, a prospective employer probably isn’t going to hire you for your looks. Adding a photo will give a personal touch to your profile, showing employers that you are a real person and not just another data set. Remember, this isn’t your MySpace account. Photos should be professional: nothing featuring alcohol or revealing clothing (this point seems obvious, but Warren has come across some dubious images!). And be sure to read the photo submission guidelines and preview the picture before final submission - sometimes the image can get distorted in the upload process if the format isn’t right.

Career level

Generally speaking, one to seven years of work experience (not counting school) is entry-level, seven to 10 years is mid-level, and more than 10 years is senior-level.

About me

This section may be the first section that a recruiter looks at, Warren points out. It should contain “a brief synopsis of who you are professionally and what you’re looking for.” She advises candidates to be precise, focusing on professional traits and not personal hobbies. Also, if you have any conditions that limit your employment prospects, such as wanting to work for a limited amount of time or a need to be based in a certain country, you should put it in this section.

Employment status

This helps a recruiter know how soon you are available. “If you put that you are available now and they need somebody quickly, they will probably contact you over someone who isn’t,” Warren notes. Or, recruiters may apply a filter to select only candidates who are currently seeking opportunities.

Availability date

It’s not crucial to have the exact date, but candidates should keep this updated regularly, Warren says. If your profile shows an availability date that is long gone, “it might look like you’re not even worth approaching.”

Salary expectations

Warren considers this section optional. There is no filter for salary expectations, so if you are open to negotiation it may be worthwhile to leave this section blank. But, if you have a clear minimum salary expectation, “it’s good to get that on the table.” It can save you and a prospective employer a lot of time if you indicate this information right away.

Languages

Only put languages you are comfortable conversing in. Or, as Warren puts it, candidates should indicate languages in which they would be able to “have a reasonably proficient business-level meeting with someone.”

Skills and background experience

Even if there is considerable overlap with the “About me” section, it is still worthwhile to state your skills and background. Says Warren: “This will help you show up higher in search results because you will be getting more of those key words in there.” General expertise areas are fine to indicate, but Warren recommends being as specific as possible, using buzz words like “deep Internet sourcing” or “full-cycle recruiting.”

Total years of experience

Typically, this only counts work experience, not academic experience. But part-time work and internships do count, so long as they are relevant, Warren says. “Just try to be as truthful as you can,” she suggests.

Areas of expertise

This is another way to showcase your skills and, according to Warren, it can help “you get those buzzwords in that a recruiter might use.”

“People use different terms to get across the same concepts,” Warren notes, so having multiple opportunities to rephrase your expertise in various ways - for instance “monitoring and evaluation” versus “M&E” - helps ensure that your profile shows up in a recruiter’s search results.

Work history

Go as far back as you can, Warren suggests, and put whatever work experience is relevant to the type of position you are seeking. Cutting and pasting from your resume is okay, but make sure the formatting works. Also, Warren stresses that in this section, it is important to showcase terms used in the development industry. For example, “someone who does program development in an NGO might do exactly the same thing as someone in business development,” but for the development field it is better to indicate the former.

References

Unless recruiters already know a reference, it is unlikely that they will contact the reference before interviewing the candidate. Even if recruiters never contact a reference, Warren says that listing references helps to show there are people who can back you up.

“It gives you more street cred [and] makes you more of a known quantity,” she says. Warren also points out that employers are increasingly using e-mail instead of phone numbers to contact references.

Associations

Professional associations are particularly important if you are marketing a very specific skills set, according to Warren. If a recruiter is also familiar with the group, it can be a good way to establish “common ground.”

Supporting documents

Some donor agencies - particularly in the European Union - require a copy of all relevant diplomas or certifications you have, Warren notes. Publications, sample reports and recommendation letters may also be helpful.

Links

Usually, this section is for candidates who would like to showcase a particular professional Web site, about either their own career background or an organization they are personally involved with.

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