Some Thoughts on Resumes Today…

By Rob Halik - It is generally not fun; most people do not like updating and writing resumes. Many even make the case that it is “dead.” In many ways, it is. Most resumes are barely looked at by human beings - and if they are - they are generally glossed over quickly by a recruiter or hiring manager hoping to see the handful of critical skills needed for the role. The hope is that they will meet enough of the requirements on paper to justify an interview.

And computers do their own scanning/ filtering for the proverbial “key words” that everyone is aware of this at this point. So, unless you are self-employed, retired, or Lotto-rich, you are going to have to push through this generally unpleasant exercise to land your next role.

Consider looking at the resume as one of many “data points” that are going to be considered by hiring forces. In the past, the resume was heavily weighted, along with the actual interview of course. Nowadays, there is naturally more. Specifically, you must consider your social media footprint and, if possible, you will want to consider putting together a portfolio of your work.

Portfolios have traditionally been associated to creative fields such as Advertising/Marketing, Architecture, Graphic Design etc. However, if there is a way to show or demonstrate what you can do – even if not in formal portfolio form – this is great because showing is better than telling. Discerning minds trust their eyes much more than their ears. It is harder to lie this way. And from the perspective of a hiring manager, it is all about mitigating the risk of hiring a poor fit for the job.

In sum, if you do not like writing resume’s, the good news is that an adequate resume may be enough. This is the case so long as you have strong representation within your social media footprint, especially LinkedIn; you have examples or a portfolio of your prior work that can demonstrate your competency; and you interview well.

Reviewing your resume in this light hopefully makes the exercise less daunting in so much as this is a “portion of the grade” so-to-speak. In the past, the resume had much more weight when there was less to judge you on.

Takeaway: Do not fumble with your resume. Take care of all the basics (topic for another day) and then move on to the other areas mentioned. So long as the resume cannot be used against you, you are still in the game and you can let your other job-search collateral tip the scale in your favor. (LinkedIn is especially important these days so please do not neglect this platform.)

Here’s a a link to some interesting thoughts by Kerri Twigg on the topic. We hope you find this useful as you assemble your job search assets.

https://bit.ly/3igYje9