A friend sent me an email a couple of days ago and asked "are resumes dead?". After giving it some thought I decided no, but their role is changing.
Resumes are still essential documents in providing a concise overview of your employment history. I am constantly working with my own candidates (and others), trying to explain that the resume must "Prove Value". The resume document must "sell you" to your prospective employer, to the point where you get that interview. The resume is no longer the only tool you can use in that effort to impress future employers.
I've said it before, I'll say it again . . . LinkedIn is becoming a standard addition to any/every resume. A recruiter and/or employer will check out your LinkedIn profile as additional valuable information. If you don't have a LinkedIn profile, it's a bit unusual. If it's not thoughtfully and thoroughly completed, including recommendations, it may not be an asset to you. On the other hand a complete and well written profile that is accompanied by recommendations can be of additional benefit to you. Why not take advantage of this additional tool?
I'll also repeat once again that candiates need to make it as easy and convenient as possible for an employer (or recruiter) to add their information to a database. Everyone is used to doing that with a resume (don't send us to a website to find your resume, just because it's already there . . .). Once a candidate is in our databases, it's easy to add a huge amount of additional informaton, documents, links, etc... Getting you into the database is a time consuming operation. If an employer or recruiter has the ability to have you upload your own resume and supporting information, do it. Follow up with an email to the recipient.
I responded to an inquiry of a Creative Director-Writer candidate in New York City and asked him to upload his information to our website. Instead, he responded, telling me all his information was on his LinkedIn profile. He missed the point . . .
If you're more creative, then you need a website or blog of your own to show your work and/or what you care about (blogs can be free!). We're looking for people who live their life and approach their career with enthusiasm, motivation and passion. If you're a photographer, you should be shooting pictures all the time. If you're a writer, you should be writing and if you're a painter, you should be painting. You do these things because you can't stop yourself from doing them, not because someone is paying you to do them . . . that's passion. If you've got it, share it!
My friend was wondering why, with all the social media sites out there packed with so much information, why is a resume still needed? It's needed because it's a document you craft to highlight your strengths, and selected achievements throughout your career. It should make it easy for the reader to understand who you are, how you do what you do and how you've added value to your previous employers. It should hammer those points home to the point where the employer feels compelled to call you . . . immediately.
Fellow blogger Zoli of Cloud Ave addressed this same issue in a post a while back "Resumes Are Dead! Social Media Is Your New Resume."
The point here is that the more thought or art, or content that you can contribute, the better. We're all impressed with those who are ambitious, motivated and who contribute. We're also interested in what you have to say and how you say it! Use every tool available to let us know why you're the most outstanding candidate for a position.
