The Resume is Fading…
It is without doubt that the traditional resume is beginning to dissolve in thin air as efforts shift to digital personal branding. But why is this? With new advances in technology and trends like the e-portfolio and personal websites arise, the hard copy resume is dying out…
The Before:
The One & Only Chance to Sell Yourself- The traditional resume was once considered the only way to reach potential employers and acted as a strong first impression. Applicants seeking positions would turn to newspaper job postings to find jobs and submit their resume in person… yes, in person. Believe it or not, people actually had to physically deliver their application and resume and introduce themselves to potential employers (unlike today’s methodology). With a paper resume, employers were able to quickly judge in one glance whether or not they wanted to further seek out potential applicants.
Tangibility- In addition to being a first impression, this hard copy document held strong power to it. Its physicality allowed for interviewers to easily mark it up with notes and key attributes they preferred about the applicant. The ability to physically hold a hard copy in hand attributed to strong credibility and clearly outlined a person’s work history and extensive experience.
Navigable- Simple, straight, and to the point. Resumes are succinct documents of an applicant’s experience with easy readability from top to bottom and employers can find employment history, certifications, education, and skills efficiently with bolded headings and bullet point formats.
So What Happened?
Keyword Softwares/ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems- Companies have implemented keyword softwares that screen for specific words related to the position they are looking to fill and filter out poor matches. Employers are seeking certain industry lingo and save time and energy by using these keyword tracking systems to identify resumes with such words.
Efforts Shifting Online- With time comes new and innovative ways to showcase work to employers. Online portfolios give rise to an increase in digital personal branding and prove to be a strong opportunity to showcase yourself to employers.
The One & Only E-Biography:
- Everything is Digital- From social media to the new and innovative online portfolio, everything is transitioning to the digital space. With this comes the inability to protect the work vs. life balance, since everything is out in the world wide web.
- Showcase You- With an online portfolio or other digital personal branding tool, you can utilize all available features to present the best version of yourself in the best light possible. Paper resumes are not the #1 representation of who you are; with a portfolio, you can present yourself with a whole new meaning of creative control.
- Visually Appealing- Online portfolios are attractive and allow users the ability to choose transition effects and add images to appeal to employers.
- Distinguishable- With an e-portfolio, you can differentiate yourself among competing applicants with endless opportunities to convey yourself with more resources than a hard copy document. It is simply a stronger first impression.
- Freedom to Choose- You have the freedom to do anything and everything with an online portfolio. Include proof of your many projects and have the ability to describe yourself and your skills on a platform that supports it.
- Hopefully this sheds some insight as to where the traditional applicant decision process is headed and this information has guided you in your own job search! Although the traditional resume is going out of style and digital personal branding has taken the cake, any format that showcases your experience is 100% relevant in the workforce.