Job Search Success in the New Year Requires a Fresh Approach to the Once-Standard Résumé

As social media and the Internet continue to revamp how business is conducted, today’s job seekers must likewise consider how their resumes are affected by these channels.  In today’s corporate world, the traditional résumé will no longer get the attention it once did.

Indeed, social media has caused a fundamental shift in the way that job seekers connect with human resource executives and hiring managers.  For many HR directors, paper résumés are no longer delivered via snail mail and fax, left to pile up on desks and overflow inboxes.  Rather, their email is flooded with attachments and links to personal websites, while their smart phones continuously ping with new hire information.

From a technology perspective, the lives of human resource executives have been made easier.  At the same time, the exclusion of cover letters or introductory emails by many job candidates means the “human” portion of their job as become more difficult.

“This new market has led the application process to be less personal and formal,” said a human resource executive with an international manufacturing company.  “For example, cover letters have become a thing of the past, though they are still important as they allow the candidate to indicate their specific interest in/qualifications for the position.”

This new outlook on cover letters is just one reason why today, more value than ever is placed on “non-traditional” résumé venues that still allow candidates to express their qualifications, such as LinkedIn and other social network profiles, networking, employee referrals, Web 2.0, video and more.

Résumé Meets New Media

Internet advancements have infiltrated every aspect of our lives—job seeking included.  What began with online job boards and networking sites has now evolved into virtual résumés.

Utilizing Web 2.0 solutions, the virtual résumé includes everything from streaming video and social media sites to personal websites and blogs.  It serves to introduce job seekers and hiring managers more personally than ever before.  For example, when a candidate sends an introductory video to HR executives, rather than a cover letter, their personality is not lost on an 8x11 sheet of premium white bond paper.  Perhaps more important, their communication skills -- essential for a large segment of the job market -- are effectively showcased even before face-to-face meetings.

For some job seekers, the use of video goes beyond introductions and lets them stand out from the crowd.  Full video résumés are becoming more popular as people look for a fresh approach that lets their personality and skill sets shine.  Sometimes called a "visumé," the video résumés allows candidates to articulate their qualifications and desire for a particular position, and gives hiring managers a good idea of the professional demeanor and attitude that they possess.

Sharply dressed, vivacious and qualified candidates can use this venue to their advantage.  But without TV-caliber good looks and a natural knack for speaking in front of a camera, the visumé can fall short.  Many job candidates become nervous, stumble over their scripts and have trouble looking straight into the eye of the camera, potentially distracting hiring managers from their true personality and qualifications. 

For these people, the virtual résumé may be a better option.  The virtual résumé, classified by its presence solely on the web, resides on a URL that job seekers and hiring managers can easily and conveniently send, access and share with others.  The use of links allows job seekers to include articles, videos, personal and professional websites, and any other specialized materials that may better-position them for the job.

Virtual résumés can be compiled a number of ways, including the creation of a personal website. However, one company has made this process much easier.  Visual CV, a site dedicated to the creation, maintenance and sharing of virtual résumés, offers professionals a hassle-free option for creating and maintaining their virtual résumé.  Users can easily add pictures, links to outside websites with their work and professional materials, videos of them at speaking engagements, etc.

For jobs that require technological literacy, new media résumés offer a tangible way for job seekers to display qualifications, innovation and creativity.  Even if a job doesn’t require much tech know-how, these résumés do a better job of revealing a candidate’s communication skills.  However, it’s always wise to include a traditional résumé as a PDF attachment for those employers who prefer to see skills and objectives presented the “old fashioned” way.

Alterations to the Traditional Résumé

For some companies, the traditional résumé is still the preferred method of delivery.  But things have changed in this arena as well.  Today’s résumés are more streamlined, allowing for greater use of white space to draw the eye to the proper qualifications.

They have also lost several of the traditional features.  According to the manufacturing HR director, this includes eliminating “irrelevant sections [including] objective, computer skills and references.”

 Employers don’t care what a potential hire wants to do, they care what the employee can do.  Instead, include a personalized “professional summary.”  This sells you like nothing else and immediately informs potential employers of your career -- past, present and future.

Another means by which you can better sell yourself is quantifying your accomplishments instead of merely listing the tasks you were responsible for at your previous position.  Including results lets employers know that you are an effective worker, capable of completing the assignments given to you.

Traditionally, a résumé has been limited to one or two pages.  Page length, however, should be customized to your experience.  A one-page resume for a candidate whose experience requires three is just as inefficient as a three-page resume for a candidate that only requires one.  No talented person with more than five years of experience can fairly summarize their experience in one page.  Tailor your résumé to fit your experience.

Tailoring your résumé should also involve personalizing it for each position.  Sending out the same resume for every job is from days past, when personal computers were not the norm and changing a resume was a very big deal.

Lastly, be sure to include links to the websites of all of the companies listed.  Few do this, but it is always well received.  Hiring managers are interested in what a company does and what part you played.  LinkedIn or other social network addresses should also be included in your résumé’s heading, using a clean “vanity” URL.

Including this will show hiring managers that you are connected and gives them more information by which to determine if you are the right person for the job.  These links also act as a modernized cover letter, providing valuable information that will be left out of the résumé if a traditional cover letter is not attached.

Now more than ever, job seekers must stand out in a crowd of equally qualified candidates to get the attention they need from hiring managers.  Whether providing traditional or progressive résumés, it is imperative that candidates leave a positive lasting impression.  Thus, it is critical to determine which of today’s résumé options are best for their unique personality and career aspirations.
 

Also in this month's issue:

PCAOB Revisits Amending Seven Audting Standards Governing Auditor Risk  Assessment

Consultant of the Quarter:  Keith Karlberg