For years, professionals have taken the art of making the perfect resume seriously, creating impressive images of themselves every single time they hit the job market. Today however, it seems that more professionals are focusing more on making their online portfolios through their social media profiles even more impressive, instead of working on the traditional resume. Is this really the new professional norm? Has social media really taken the throne from the resume?
Why Social Media is Replacing the Resume
Social media’s power is undeniable, especially when you use it to enrich your career. Here are a few reasons why social media is fast replacing the traditional resume:
- Social networking is stronger than ever. If there was ever a time when people thought that social media was just a passing trend, that myth has long been debunked. What better way to build a strong professional network than by using social media, where people from all imaginable industries can easily connect?
- Traditional jobs are out of the picture. Even the job market has evolved, and jobs just aren’t what they used to be. If there was a time when “computer literate” and “technology savvy” were still considered as special skills, today, employers are looking for “social media experts” and “digital gurus”.
- Social media shows your passion. One look at your social media profile and any employer would find out what you are truly passionate about. This allows them to see whether a candidate is a great fit through their social media profiles, rather than by their resume.
Making Your Social Media Profile Employer-Friendly
Now that you know how powerful social media can be for the career you are hoping to build, here are some tips on how you can create the kind of social media profile that would get you hired each time:
- Use a single profile image. Make it easier for employers to recognize you by using the same profile image across all your social media accounts. And while you’re at it, make sure the image is something that would give a positive impression.
- Have a consistent mission. Think of your own branding and use it to relay your professional mission. Make sure all your profiles show the same mission. You can’t have your Facebook profile showing you as someone who would rather be part of a team, while your LinkedIn profile says that you’d rather work alone.
- Start blogging. A blog is the perfect way to show how vast your knowledge really is when it comes to your field of expertise. Promote and connect your blog through your social media profiles.
- Clean up your profiles. If you plan on using your social media profiles are your online portfolio, make sure they are free of any inappropriate content that may send employers running towards the opposite direction.
With a strong social media presence, there’s no stopping you from getting one job offer after another from some of your dream employers.
Clever post here, Reade. With more employers looking at candidates via google before they even step in the door, It’s so important to have the internet represent you well.
“With a strong social media presence, there’s no stopping you from getting one job offer after another from some of your dream employers.” One of the many benefits of social media that I hadn’t realized. Great post & an excellent reason to keep blogging 🙂
The world is changing, and it’s surprising how many people and institutions are not willing to accept this and embrace it. As a mentor, I’m still amazed that schools spend so much time making kids learn to do pencil and paper long division to three decimal points, or writing the five-paragraph essay form. The fact is that these “skills” are relics. I can just use a calculator (or ask Siri to do the division problem for me); and no one in real life follows a writing formula that has a thesis with three vague supporting points, followed by one paragraph each to write more about each point, followed by a paragraph saying, “In conclusion, this is what I just said.” Yet schools hold to it with tenacity, rather than admit that the REAL, current world requires more — and less — than was done in the past.
I feel this is the same with resumes, even degrees “to some degree” (see what I did there?). This is a fact: no one has ever asked me where I went to school or what my GPA was before they hired me. The truth is that I’ve never APPLIED for a job at all. I’ve selected or created the job I want, and I’ve made it happen. How? I’m convinced that, in today’s world of start-ups, ingenuity and technology, employers care about two things and two things only:
1. Can you do the job you’re applying for?
2. Are you the type of person I and others will want to work with?
That’s it. It’s possible that an employer may skim the education part of a resume. They may glance down your list of past jobs and all the wonderful words people use to describe the mundane things we did (yes, jigs up — everyone knows and no one is tricked anymore). But in the interview, you will either convince people that you can do the job and that you’re a great person to have on board — or you won’t get the job. You could have a 4.0 in [insert important sounding degree] from Harvard — and if they don’t feel you have what it takes to do the real-world job, or they don’t like you as a person, you’re not getting the job.
And so, yes, social media is now more important than a resume. In fact, having someone you know make a personal recommendation is the new way of things, and that happens through networking. Often, the opportunities made available are things you weren’t even looking for.
I don’t have the biggest social media following. It’s not a present goal of mine. But I DO make meaningful relationships through social media which increase creativity, learning, opportunities for encouragement — and possibilities. Next week, I’ll be speaking to the employees at a company in Maryland about topics in my book — an opportunity that I wasn’t looking for but which came to me solely through social media involvement. Similarly, many of my past engagements have sprung from meeting people through other engagements. Not one of these people asked to see a resume. They know who I am through my book, my blog, my social media presence, and others who’ve gotten to know me through these channels.
That was the long version of saying — I’m with you, Reade. It was hard for even me to accept that the world had changed; but it’s changed nonetheless. Holding onto the past won’t change what is. The only choices are to adapt or to fade to irrelevance.