Social Media to Replace the Resume?
This is for all of the people who have listened to me drone on and on and on about social media. For all the people who’ve sat through my class on how to build a basic free WordPress.com blog. For those who have said to me, “Cindy, this is all well and good, but I am looking for a new job, and I don’t want to be a blogger.” And to whom I have replied, “Look, everything you can summarize in a resume, or a proposal document, or a bio, can be put into a blog: samples of your work, charts that show how you have saved your last few companies’ money, testimonials from former bosses, and pictures that show a little about your hobbies and family.”
I, personally, have always disliked resumes. Those of you who have met me know that I am somewhat larger than life. I laugh big, I am friendly loyal to a fault, would give you the shirt off my back. I am honest and I work hard. I have many technical qualifications; a background in computer software and technology. I can set up and train end-users on all sorts of computer software, and I can tear apart a desktop system and put it back together. I can and have run a small company, and I play well with others; however, on paper I don’t come even close to who I am as a person. And I have never figured out how to do it.
In my blogs, however, companies are able to get a much broader picture of who I am and why they might want to hire me. The other factor is this. It is name recognition and being visible, in a good way, on the various search tools. When you blog regularly, at least a couple of times a month, and post links to Facebook and LinkedIn, you will be more visible to the search engines. I do this for small companies and I know it works. It is just as effective for individuals. I have said this to people, and they just don’t quite buy it.
So, to my delight, when perusing the Internet for content this week, I came across this post in The Wall Street Journal. Can you guess what the article is about? It’s about companies caring more about your social media skills and presence, and not giving a hoot about your resume. Here is an excerpt:
“Companies are increasingly relying on social networks such as LinkedIn, video profiles and online quizzes to gauge candidates’ suitability for a job. While most still request a résumé as part of the application package, some are bypassing the staid requirement altogether.”
A résumé doesn’t provide much depth about a candidate, says Christina Cacioppo, an associate at Union Square Ventures who blogs about the hiring process on the company’s website and was herself hired after she compiled a profile comprising her personal blog, Twitter feed, LinkedIn profile, and links to social-media sites Delicious and Dopplr, which showed places where she had traveled.
Matt Nager for The Wall Street Journal
StickerGiant’s John Fischer, right, and interviewee Adam Thackeray shoot a video Monday. Mr. Fischer uses an online survey to screen applicants. “We are most interested in what people are like, what they are like to work with, how they think,” she says.
John Fischer, founder and owner of StickerGiant.com, a Hygiene, Colo., company that makes bumper and marketing stickers, says a résumé isn’t the best way to determine whether a potential employee will be a good social fit for the company. Instead, his firm uses an online survey to help screen applicants. Questions are tailored to the position.”
I know it’s hard to process all of this information sometimes, and I try to explain to people that blogging and tweeting is not just about selling something, or even advocating. It is about raising your presence on the Web. But it also brings with it something else. It forces the bloggers to sit down and think about things, to polish their writing skills, and even to become more personable when they write. It asks them to share something interesting to offer for someone else, never knowing for certain how it will affect the people who read it, or even if anyone will read it.
I digress. My point here is this: I have been sharing with all of you the importance of having a presence in the digital world. Now, with this article, I have something to back up that statement. Here is the link. Please go read it, and let me know your thoughts…
Social-cindy.com
#Social Media
