The social resume

Got a note from a student who is still struggling to land a job after graduation. He’s not alone but, I would argue, there are ways to stack the deck. I asked to see his resume and he offered to e-mail it to me. Red flag number one. Here is the advice I gave him (know what you really want, the links are below but take your time getting there):

Put your resume online but before you do so follow these quick and easy steps:

1. Work on your resume
2. Work on it some more
3. Have a friend proof it
4. Have a professor review it
5. Have a professional review it
6. Create final draft
7. Have a different friend proof it
8. Rinse and repeat as necessary

A simple equation regarding the above. A crappy resume + putting it online = a crappy resume online. Make sure your content is ready to go before you share it with the whole world.

Now that you have a quality product to put online let me share what I consider to be the greatest benefits of doing so:

• You will have a unique url to point people to. As a reminder, try to make the end of the url your name (i.e. visualcv.com/bobsmith) and not your “handle”. Trust me, no one wants to hire buffboy974 even if it just is in the url. While we are on the subject, get your own email address with your own name. Trust me on this.
• You can get feedback. It might be direct, it my be analytical regarding how many visits, etc. you will have information to move forward on and this is a good thing.
• Depending on the sites (yes, sites… more on that later) you post your resume on you might have some kind of contact management tool. this might simply be folks you know or people you send your resume to.
• Many of these sites offer the opportunity to networks with prospective employers and peers. Don’t worry if someone is your competition.
• If they are more competitive than you for a position and land the job, that’s a good thing. They are out of the way and might just send possible employers your way.
• Centralized locations to keep your resume

A few words of caution. You must still be proactive in your search effort. Develop a strategy of getting your name out there. Some suggestions follow and some have already been given. Be sure to designate time every day to getting a job and, most important, once you have a job, stay involved and update your resume once a month. Now that the semester is over i will be working on that this weekend. I’m not necessarily looking for a job an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure (thanks mom).

Where should you put your resume? Here are some of my favorites and why
Linkedin – the mac daddy of places to network. I don’t have enough space to cover all the benefits, just go, engage now!
VisualCV - As far as places to put your resume, I love Visual CV. They offer a very interactive and polished site which includes a place for your portfolio. What I love most about them is their quick response. Tweet a question with the word VisualCV and count the seconds it takes to get a response. My first experience was simply a wish – 48 hours later it was a reality. they also offer a database of job openings and networking opportunities.
Razume – Offers a social evaluation of your resume although feedback from students who have used it haven’t been that positive.
ResumeSocial – similar to razume with lots of resources for the creation of your resume
Emurse – offers online storage, job search capabilities and networking opportunities
Xing – much like linkedIn but for the rest of the world
Resume Bucket – another good one with online storage
Youtube – Yes, youtube. But be wise in your efforts. Lots of would be applicants crash and burn using this as a tactic

As an added value, all these sites can also be used to do research prior to your job interview. With just a little effort you can determine what the company look, evaluate other resumes, etc.

Some final thoughts/suggestions:

Include a resume link or badge on your email, facebook, blog, anywhere you can be found online.

Speaking of blogs, if you have one, get proactive. You don’t have a job, so volunteer your extra time there. If you do have a job, nothing like a part time evening gig.

Engage with others on Twitter and build your network of friends there. Don’t ask them for a job but do let them know when you are interviewing (be discreet) and they will get the hint.

Read industry blogs to stay abreast of current trends and blog/tweet about them.

Finally, and most important, have a strategy regarding your online engagement. Don’t post your resume everywhere, post it where it will be most effective. Consider the flow of information, how your online presence will be perceived, determine where you want your prospective employer to wind up (not all sites are the same and one may do a better job of representative you) and figure out how to get them there, etc. Look at it this way, you are working full time for you. Give yourself the advice you would give someone paying you good money to help them land a job.

Tell me your thoughts – other locations to consider, dos and don’ts, etc.