Tuesday, February 3, 2015

The Resume IS Dead!

Now that I have your attention…CALM DOWN…and hear me out.
There is so much talent available in the marketplace and it has become abundantly clear that people need to find a way to differentiate themselves. With Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and other such outlets dominating the Social Media space, how does one stand out anymore? Everyone is selling something. The marketplace is crowded and is becoming diluted. The same thing happens when you apply for a job opening and submit your resume along with hundreds of others to be considered for one position. What will make your resume stand out? It has already been determined that recruiters spend approximately 6 seconds reviewing a resume. What can a recruiter see in 6 seconds? If you do not possess the specific experience or qualifications that the position requires, it is highly unlikely that you will receive a call or response. Until now…
If you follow the advice given by David Meerman Scott in his YouTube video entitled Inbound Job Search you just might have a chance. In his presentation he gives an example of what successful implementation of the inbound job search process looks like. His example recounts the story of Lindsey Kirchoff, who started following Meerman Scott as a college student after reading his book, “New Rules of Marketing & PR”, where he recommends that every job hunter should have a blog (see Scott’s blog here). The bottom line is this – when you share relevant and valuable information people take notice. Whether that is via a blog, LinkedIn, Twitter or another popular social media outlet is up to you.
So, of course the resume is NOT dead. But, one must ask him/herself, “How relevant is it in this age of social media, inbound marketing, etc.?”
Happy (inbound) job hunting!