In Defence Of The Social Media Resume

Resumes are inherently boring. There’s nothing very exciting about facts and figures or the number of years you spent diving for golf balls in luxury golf-course water traps.

Well, maybe that last one’s interesting. (Also a totally real profession.)

But the hard truth is that most of us look dull on paper. Most of us are just another name, another job title, another piece of paper. Recruiters and hiring managers everywhere sigh and deftly toss our resumes in an ever increasing pile. Should just we give up and admit defeat? Resign ourselves to being bland and inconspicuous among thousands of other applicants?

No, of course not. Here’s one solution:

Consider the social media resume .

What is a social media resume you ask?

It starts with your site. Or a link to your site, rather. Your personal website or blog made available for all the world to see. You don’t have a site? Get one. It’s free – just Google free website builder or use a blog like WordPress or Blogger.

If you’ve never blogged – blog about anything. You don’t have to write a lofty dissertation, just write about what you’re interested in. It shows you’re creative and have ideas worth expressing. If you really don’t want to write, just write one page about yourself and use that as the front page of your site. It makes you look knowledgeable and professional.

Add a dash of personal style.Put up a video of yourself dressed in business attire, addressing to the audience your strengths as a candidate. Or make a photo gallery of your last skiing trip – even an ongoing list of books you’re reading is invaluable content. Anything you can do to show yourself in a professional setting will set you above the rest. You’re trying more than anything to look employable and professional – someone that any employer would be lucky to have. Think about what you would want to see from a candidate if you were a recruiter or employer…

Pepper with Social Networks.Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin – all micro reflections of your character – tiny pedestals from which to proclaim your skills, accomplishments, and involvements. Create profile badges and embed them on your site.

Now you’re marketing yourself! Be catchy – but don’t overdo it: Too much visual stimuli (i.e. think seizure inducing flashing lights) runs the risk of alienating the people you’re trying to impress. You don’t want to look like you’re trying to impress though – it’s a fine line to consider.

Finally, we broadcast your creation on the good old fashioned paper resume – just include the printed URL of your website at the top of your page. Recruiters and hiring managers still like to see it done the traditional way, but they’ll notice the unique domain name at the top. Also, include your other social profiles directly on your paper resume. Be sure that you are proud of every account that you list and that they are consistent in theme and messaging.

So now we have the social media resume, not alone, but working in tandem with your traditional paper resume.

And there you have it. You’re now a cut above the rest – an Internet savvy applicant who took initiative. Good luck out there!