Is the resume dead?

Leon Gettler22 Jun 2011, 8:04 AM3

Does the proliferation of social media sites featuring more CV-like functions, spell the end for the traditional resume? Leon Gettler investigates and discovers a new world less about 'who you know' and more about 'who knows that you know it'.

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The resume, it is said, is dead. Google that claim and you come up with more than 100 million results. People have pondered on it, blogged on it and written white papers about it. The resume, they say, has been replaced by social media, particularly sites like LinkedIn, personal web sites, videos on YouTube, blogs and of course, Google.

Still, it might be an exaggeration to say resumes are completely defunct. At least, not for now. While many recruiters and HR specialists look at LinkedIn profiles, few would ask for anything in multimedia. But the traditional resume setting out all your achievements and skills is no longer enough; it now needs to come with an online profile. The resume is now being adapted and used with other media to get attention and open doors. But it’s likely to become less important as social networking sites offer more targeted services that are expected to incorporate better CV-like functions.

With 100 million people using LinkedIn and nearly 700 million on Facebook, the recruitment industry is rebooting and job hunting has been transformed. Indeed, The Wall Street Journal is now reporting that some job candidates are cutting through the noise and targeting employers by taking out their own ad on Facebook or LinkedIn. Who needs a resume?

From the employer’s point of view, it is important to see who potential recruits are connected to on LinkedIn - what they’re passionate about, if they’re tweeting about it or putting it on their blog. Recruiters now say that employers in the future will be more likely to take someone on if they have an extensive social media footprint with many connections.

In the post-GFC world, the old career adage of, "It’s not what you know but who you know” has been replaced by, "It’s not who you know, it’s who knows that you know it”. It is one of the great ironies of the financial crisis. People have lost their jobs but social networking has reshaped traditional career paths. The traditional resume has changed along with that. The financial crisis has taught us that there is no job security. More will start managing their careers as if they were entrepreneurs, creating a personal brand and searching for the next opportunity. You do it with an online presence. The resume becomes secondary.

More companies are now using social networking sites to recruit. They are turning to LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter as extensions of their databases. For good reason too. For a start, it’s cheaper. Big accounting firms like KPMG, Deloitte, PwC and Ernst & Young, for instance, use sites like Facebook to recruit the best graduates. Chip maker Intel reportedly saves millions of dollars a year in fees by ignoring headhunters and instead, recruiting senior managers through LinkedIn. Phone company US Cellular has reportedly saved $US1 million ($A943,752) a year using LinkedIn.

Recruiters say that half the people on their books these days rely on just a LinkedIn profile. It’s today’s equivalent of the one-page CV, a 24/7 CV. Recruiters and HR teams these days have to look at so many job applications. A resume just looks like hundreds of others coming in. The trick now is to get noticed before you even walk through the door. It’s easier for recruiters to assess what they see on LinkedIn; all the information they need is there. The LinkedIn profile is the door opener.

Nevertheless, resumes are not completely dead. The traditional resume is pulled out by more senior people when they apply for more complex jobs. It would contain more information than what’s found on LinkedIn, it’s not uncommon for some to run to 15 pages listing accomplishments, reporting lines and size of the business. The resume also becomes important when you no longer have control over who is looking at it, which is what happens with big jobs. The HR manager will send it to their superiors, who might run it past the office in New York or London. And many say that it’s still a good idea to have a resume on Microsoft Word as a back-up for LinkedIn, just in case.

Still, recruiters say that with lesser jobs, you can get away with a LinkedIn entry. All you do is send it off when you apply. As for the resume, they predict that could disappear completely when LinkedIn introduces a special CV feature that could work for big prestigious jobs. That, they say, is only a matter of time. The resume is now less important. It’s not dead yet, but it’s on the way out.

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Charles Van Heerden, Fri, 2013-02-22 08:50

Very relevant article (See 'Is the resume dead?', June 23), and clearly there has been a significant shift away from the traditional resume or CV in recent years.
The most important issue is your personal brand, and the consistency of your various profiles, on social media and in written format. Frequent updating and fine-tuning means that it will be easier to remain on the radar screen, with high visibility and recognition, making it easier for others to find you.
As an aside, it has been a long time since I have seen a 15 page CV, in my view in today's fast changing world it is more important to stay contemporary and ahead of the curve.

Tim Marsh, Fri, 2013-02-22 08:50

Depends on company (See Is the resume dead?, June 22). I am trying to get a job with a Uni, I fear my cover letter is too GenX/Web3.0. If I was going for a job at 37Signals or someone like that it would work.
You unfortunately have to match a staid HR office with a staid boring resume. Oh well, trick em, then change from within!

Cate Andrews, Fri, 2013-02-22 08:50

Presentation, articulation, spelling, grammar, research and environmental scanning are still key skills prized and increasingly difficult to find (See Is the resume dead?, June 22). To an experienced recruiter/manager a well structured and considered/targeted CV is a powerful personal statement of not just skills but values. Inestimable.

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