Does your resume look like this? Probably not. Should it? Well that depends. (Credit: Mashable)People are attracted to beauty. Also shiny things. And things that are new and innovative. These resumes featured on Mashable are certainly three of the above four.
It would appear that the days of the black-and-white, plain-text resumes are coming to an end. Nowadays, if you want to stand out among the job-hunting crowd, your website and social media sites are what count. I know everyone at work has their own domain name, which is going to be a huge help whenever any of us restart the job hunt.
One of the first things I’ve started to do when looking at applicants is Google them. If I don’t at least get a Twitter and LinkedIn profile, I’m slightly disappointed. It’s the same principle that applies to Googling a guy before going on a date. In the past, these things were considered stalker-ish. Now, they’re standard practice. If you’re not on the web, who are you?
What should you be including on your resume? Mahalo career expert Brad Bucklin shows you.
Even though the format may change, the content should be the roughly the same, and the old rules—be honest, professional and concise—definitely still apply. After reviewing a handful of resumes, I can say that the number one rule when submitting a resume for a job is tailoring it to the position. I was shocked at how many resumes applying for a writing position that listed experience in social work and mutli-cultural studies. In the absence of relevant work experiece (say, because it’s your first job), a cover letter should help explain that.
Just as there are things you SHOULD put on your resume, there are definitely things you SHOULDN’T include. Brad Bucklin explains what those things are.
Much like talking about all of your previous relationships on a first date, it really isn’t necessary to include anything you did in high school on your post-college resume. You also don’t need to tell me everything you’ve ever done in your life (either on a date or on your resume). The job hunt and the dating game have much of the same rules, and yes, they are both games. Tell the other person what they want to hear (not lies, mind you).
Every good resume is accompanied by a cover letter. Here’s what Brad Bucklin says makes a good one.
Just the other day, my boss wrote an email to our team asking what we had learn since starting there, this was my response: “The biggest thing I’ve learned is the importace of your web presence. It was always impressed upon us in college but not as much as it’s been stressed here. Blog frequently. Own your domain name. Have a Twitter. Have a LinkedIn profile. Use social media. Contribute intelligently to the conversation. Increase your visibility and Google-ability. This makes sense when you realize that this is where the world is going. You can submit a kick-ass resume and cover letter, but if your employer can’t find you online, you’re definitely losing points that would have been so easy to gain!”
rachel grice 