In the near future, the new resume may not be a resume at all. Gary Vaynerchuck points out in his new book Crush It! that personal brand may soon become the new resume. What’s that all about? Here’s the deal.
We live in a new age of communication. Social networking, in particular, has put unprecedented power in the hands of common people. Sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr enable common, ordinary people to cultivate a following of hundreds — even thousands of people. And they can communicate rapidly with their following.
The secret, according to Vanerchuck, is building the brand itself. You have to find something that you are really passionate about. It could be anything from wine to turtles — it really doesn’t matter. You can reach the world, and what you are really looking for is people who have a similar interest — and passion!
Now suppose you have been posting blogs, updates, videos, pictures, and other information for your followers. They love what you do. You are, in fact, becoming something of a sensation for your particular interest group. Then, all of a sudden … out of nowhere … you get a pink slip. You are laid off.
You start sending out your paper resume to dozens of human resource managers. Some of them will actually read your resume. But most will just file it. And even if they do read it, it could be weeks more before coordination is done with supervisors and interviews are set up. You get the picture. But here is an altogether different picture.
At the same time, you tweet your friends and followers on Twitter. Remember, they are passionate about the same things you are passionate about. And some are in businesses that are part of the interest culture that you belong to. You also post an update on Facebook and Flickr. You also write a blog, explaining your situation and announcing your availability. In just 30 minutes, hundres — maybe even thousands — of eyes see it. Some have hiring authority. Others are connected to people who have the ability to hire. Still others might not be looking for an employee, but for a consultant or a partner on a project. You don’t know - timing is everything.
So here’s the point. Don’t throw away the resume. They still have a place in the filing cabinet in many HR offices. But start to get savvy about using the social networks. And if you are a Career Development professional, start helping your customers and clients learn how to use the social networks too. Social networks could prove to be the “new resume” in as little as two to three years. Think about it!
Great concept…Now someone needs to write a personal branding “how-to” guide! Anyone interested in pursuing it with me?
Excellent points are made here. More and more young adults, such as those in the youth program I manage, must understand the seriousness of presenting themselves over cyberspace in a positive manner. There are a plethora of stories out noting where academically astute high school students applying to colleges are turned down for admittance or scholarships due to what negative content is found on their MySpace, or other social networking site pages. The same ofcourse now is also true in the employment sector. As the article states, this is an awesome means of selling yourself to perspective employers, but you could also completely hinder the process if you aren’t presenting yourself in the best possible light.
Wow! So true! Networking is key to finding a job - we all know that. Not to say that the “old way” of sending resumes is not the way to go nowadays, BUT - it really isn’t - and certainly not the only way. All the ways mentioned in the article from facebooking - twittering - it’s all in who you know and timing is everything!
The new age networking is by way of facebooking etc, but for those that do not have access to that, there is still the old fashion way of contacting people you know by phone. I still think there is a place for a good paper resume. The job search process is certainly one that is time consuming, but there are many many resources out there to use which were covered in Chapter 8 of the CDF course, which was a great chapter for me.