The Resume as Part of Your Social Media Job Search Campaign
Part of the Career Collective monthly posts. See end of this post.
Contrary to what you have heard, the resume still has its place in this web 2.0 world. Despite interactive mediums, it's still a very crucial marketing tool and essential in launching your digital marketing campaign. What has occurred? Greatly due to the explosion of social media, job sourcing and job-seeker marketing has exponentially evolved. Consequently, the way in which you write and promote your self-marketing message must be hoisted to meet market demands.
You now must be the ‘maestro’ of a digital symphony, which will compose your web persona and it begins with a resume sheet!
Whether you plan to print your resume or publish its content online diminishes NOT the resume's importance. It is now even more imperative that you orchestrate content to deliver a unified message. What's advertised on your resume must be reinforced, complemented, and augmented by what you self-publish across various social networking sites. Substantiate the claims you have made on resume and further position yourself as an expert.
Creative writing and content management
So, I implore you, begin with a resume. Then, define what social media tools will best serve to promote your brand and employability. LinkedIn? Twitter? Facebook? Do you need an online portfolio to showcase images of your work? Will an interview podcast be advantageous in your target field? Would you benefit from a video interview? Once you have developed your resume and identified which social media tools will be part of your job search campaign, you can strategize, publish, and manage online content.
A Few Suggestions
Do not Repeat Resume Verbatim Online:If you are developing a LinkedIn profile, decipher what you will promote on LinkedIn that you a have not already communicated on resume. Really, what's the point of rehashing the resume again? Ignite a desire for others to learn more about your qualifications so they request your resume. Vice versa, create a need for the employer to visit your LinkedIn. Yes, you can include your LinkedIn URL on resume;therefore, create a short and professional URL when you set up your account.
Blogs: If you blog, again your blog's content should not mimic your resume but it should add a dimension to your resume. Stay on topic. Say you promote that you blog regarding latest trends in your industry, when the employer visits your blog, that is exactly what they should discover and not rants about your personal life. (That’s for another blog.)
Twitter: If you list on your resume that your tweets are so industry targeted you have gained more than, say, three thousand followers, then that is exactly what they should learn. Additionally, your Twitter bio should provide something special that reinforces your resume’s message.
YourDomain.com: If you have developed a professional site, yes, provide a copy of your resume for easier download; but again, offer the employer something new that they have not yet learned about you via your resume, Twitter, or LinkedIn.
Strategize content and unravel surprises as you project a consistent brand, which leaps off your resume onto the web. With the resume as a starting point for your online marketing campaign, your message will come across clearly and position you as the perfect candidate.
Rosa Elizabeth Vargas
Master Resume Writer
www.creatingprints.com
Career Collective Blog Posts: Collaboratively Helping Job Seekers
Please visit all the posts below, which are addressing the same topic, expert advice to help job seekers. Post by members of the career collective. Follow our hash tag on Twitter #careercollective
@KCCareerCoach, Career Chaos, “The Art of Being Gracious: Much Needed in Today’s Job Search,”
@MartinBuckland, Elite Resumes, Career Trends and Transition 2010
@heathermundell, life@work, Kaizen and the Art of Your Job Search
@barbarasafani, Career Solvers, Looking Into the 2010 Careers Crystal Ball
@resumeservice, Resume Writing Blog, The Resume and Your Social Media Job Search Campaign
@kat_hansen, Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters Tips Blog, New Year: Time to Assess Yourself and Your Career
@keppie_careers, Keppie Careers, Help for job seekers in a rut
@heatherhuhman, HeatherHuhman.com, Job seekers: 5 tips for making the most of 2010
@DawnBugni, The Write Solution, Ya, but
@ErinKennedyCPRW, Professional Resume Services, Advice to Job Seekers in 2010–learn Yoga?
@Chandlee, The Emerging Professional Blog, Starfish, JobAngels, and Making a Difference
@ValueIntoWords, Career Trend, Is Your Job Search Strategy a Snore?
@debrawheatman, Resumes Done Write, Making the most of a new year
@walterakana, Threshold Consulting, Starting anew – tips for truly managing your career
@careersherpa, Hannah Morgan: Career Sherpa, The Year of the Tiger
@WorkWithIllness, WorkingWithIllness.com, Dogs Can Do It, Can You?
@JobHuntOrg, Job-Hunt.org, Lifelong Learning for Career Security
@AndyInNaples, Career Success, What Are You Getting Better At? Make This the Year You Become the Best You Can Be!
@GLHoffman, What Would Dad Say, A Flash of the Blindly Obvious
@GayleHoward, The Executive Brand Blog, How are those New Year's Resolutions Panning Out?
Rosa: You are so right! The resume is still an important document. Probably the most important document. “Orchestrating content for a unified message” takes practice and skill. Using the right language to create the right message is crucial. Your advice to make your LinkedIn, Facebook, domain and Twitter “resume” slightly different is also key. Perhaps these social media tools need to be used to create trust while also demonstrating expertise. The purpose, then, is a bit different. Great post!
Rosa,
Eloquently and passionately written (as is your trademark!).
I so agree re: the explosion of social media and the need for job seekers to be the maestro of their own symphonies–otherwise, the result is just a collection of instruments that repel listeners.
As to your closing remarks re: strategize content and unravel surprises – YES! Very well put!
Rosa, I love your specific examples of how you can use different social media forms to enhance/showcase your personal brand rather than simply repeat it. Great advice on integrating online tools for a unified message! And yeah, gotta keep that resume – totally agree.
Heather
Rosa…I love the post. far too many just re purpose old stuff. Each new thing, whether on LINKEDIN or Facebook should offer up something new and interesting. All the time, though, focusing on how you can help the company do better.
well done.
Just wonderful advice,Rosa, delivered from a strategic perspective. So often, job seekers look at each social media option as an end in itself instead of a family of communications tools that work together to frame their candidate brand. It was beautiful to have you present them so elegantly as an integrated initiative. Without the resume as the foundation, the candidate sends exactly the fractured message that you warn against. Doing this right is hard work, so many candidates opt to avoid the frazzled nerves that come with the territory. That’s why they need you!
Thank you everyone! Wonderful responses. You have added such an insightful layer to this message which was very difficult to articulate in a lucid manner — Love these:
. I thought these were worth accentuating for job seekers! Thank you for your thoughtful comments.
*** Perhaps these social media tools need to be used to create trust while also demonstrating expertise. By Career Sherpa
*** Otherwise, the result is just a collection of instruments that repel listeners. By Jacqui.
*** How you can use different social media forms to enhance/showcase your personal brand. By Heather
*** All the time, though, focusing on how you can help the company do better. By GL
*** A family of communications tools that work together to frame their candidate brand. BY Dawn L
Bravo! Should have consulted you previously.
So true…Job seekers need to recognize that there’s no “one size fits all” for sharing information online. There are so many opportunities to reach out and share…But content is key, and that never changes! Thanks for a great post!
Rosa:
This is excellent advice! There are many components to the job search process. This advice is timely and very relevant
What a smart way to say this. You not only made clear points but you laid it out in a way that is easy to see and navigate -another important element for resumes. Content is key and so is strategy and design. Great job.
Excellent advice as always Rosa and a great reminder that while the “copy and paste” function is a time saver and a gift to busy people, it doesn’t work too well if the same content is replicated in a range of different places. When someone, say “Joe the Recruiter” is googling a jobseeker, I guarantee he’ll think he’s really wasted his time if every link he clicks on, holds nothing new. The key is spending the time to make all parts of the jigsaw come together so that people can draw all those parts of an online identity together and see the whole person. Great advice!
A good post on “Hot Resume Writing Tips!”.An important point is a resume and cover letter should be the marketing tools that help candidate to land the position that is perfect for him.
Thanks,
Hi, I’m Sharon a VP of Marketing in the Software industry and I’ve just been laid off after 4 years in my last position. I have made 6 figures for the last 10 years and have never had to look for a job before. Do you have any suggestions for a good resume writer? What are some of the criteria I should be looking for? I’m in Northern California and would prefer someone here.
Hi Sharon, I am sorry to hear that you have been laid off. Many are in your position unfortunately but there is a solution. I would be happy to help you although I am not in California. I do work via phone and email with clients around the globe.
However, if you need a local writer for sure, please visit this link http://www.careermanagementalliance.com/mrw-list.php where you will find a list of Master Resume Writers and notice there are two writers in CA. Please email me at rvargas@creatingprints.com if I can be of further assistance.
Good luck!