Fast Company recently published an article titled “The Resume is Dead. Here are 3 Reasons Why I Never Ask for One When Hiring”. The author brought forward resume challenges like the inability to understand soft skills, work ethic, and creativity.
Going beyond the resume, the article suggests that online portfolios, social media, and samples of past work are all great ways to demonstrate more about yourself than what a 1–2-page resume can convey.
My Perspective
Considering both my own resume over the years as well as those I’ve reviewed for hiring into positions, I couldn’t agree more with this point of view.
I think it’s time for employees to move beyond their resume and start to spend more time on portfolios and social media. In these areas, our personality and passion can come through. Our story can evolve, and depth is added over time.
Creating a personal website or putting yourself out there professionally on social media can be daunting. Start slowly liking other posts and linking to articles that resonate with a small comment of your own added. Over time, enhance your profile with images and examples of your work. As you get more comfortable, you could consider if a personal website is right for you.
My Story
I struggle to express myself in the rigid format of a resume and find myself developing versions of the document depending on what dimension of myself I’m looking to highlight.
My mainstream career has been focused on marketing and strategy. However, there are also deep threads with sustainability, entrepreneurship, coaching, teaching, and more. Having different resumes on hand that highlight each area has been helpful over the years.
For the last 15 years, I’ve had various websites and been more active on social media. Writing posts pushes me. My goal is to write about topics that you will find helpful. However, when I’m doing the writing, I’m never certain if the connection will happen. Yet I keep going. To support you and to demonstrate how I think.
Your Turn
Do you struggle to express who you are on your resume?
Are you using social media to demonstrate your interests and expertise?
Have you considered or created your own website to provide even more depth?