Resumes are Dead. Social Media is Your New Resume.

Just as I finished editing my Inbound Marketing piece I quickly scanned Google Reader and realized that David Meerman Scott and I were writing about one and the same thing. Except his post title is: Downsized? Fired? Here are the new rules of finding a job.

Yes, the parallels are striking.; If you find yourself on the job market, you have a a tough sell in today’s economy, when US unemployment rolls surged to the highest in a quarter century; You’re selling yourself, ie. you are the product. To sell yourself you need a marketing strategy, and increasingly you’ll find that traditional otbound marketing no longer works, while inbound marketing places you in demand before you actually need it. (I am referring to concepts discussed in the previous article, so this will be a lot easier to follow if you read that one first). Quote from David:

I got news for you. The old rules for finding a job suck in today's market. Well, OK, I admit that is a little harsh. Sure, many people find jobs the old way. Just like credit card companies may sell you a card via direct mail and you may hire some gutter cleaning services from a guy who interrupts you at dinner with a telemarketing call. But it's increasingly rare.

- The old rules of looking for a job rely on spamming your network. (Spam is email that is sent, unsolicited, to a large number of people in substantially the same format. That’s exactly what many job seekers do.)

- The old rules of finding a job required advertising a product (you) with direct mail (your resume that you send to potential employers).

- The old rules of job searches required you to interrupt people (friends and colleagues) to tell them that you were on the market and to coerce them to help you.

You want to find a new job? You have to stop thinking like an advertiser of a product and start thinking like a publisher of information.

The “old rules” are what we discussed as outbound marketing, and if you recall that inbound marketing revolves around creating Content, using Search Engine Optimization and participating in Social Media, it obviously means you’re already thinking as a publisher of information.

I’ve repeatedly stated Your Blog Is Your Resume and got some flak from people reminding me resumes were not dead. Wow – don’t take my words literally – who said resumes are not used at all? They come in play as part of the background check, but they won’t sell you.

If you’ve been blogging for years, you certainly did not do it with a particular job in mind; your blog is likely to be a true reflection of who you really are, what you are an expert in, your communication skills, your priorities … YOU as a whole person, not as a candidate for a specific job - the brand called You. That’s certainly better than a resume, which is likely tailored for a particular job, and let’s face it, often “cosmetically enhanced” - no wonder it ends in the waste-basket.

Blogging is no longer the only tool, so let’s update the metaphor: your Social Media participation is your new Resume. That’s your inbound marketing. Remember, inbound marketing is all about letting customers (employers) find you. They are not looking for you – they are looking for solutions to their problems. They are searching. Does your content provide the answers to what they need? Quote from David again:

The new rules of finding a job require you to share your knowledge and expertise with a world that is looking for what you have to offer.

Share? As in … give away? Yes. The knowledge you give away is your marketing. David quotes several examples of successful people who found their new jobs via blogging, publishing an eBook and giving it away for free, via frequent Twitter updates or publishing videos on Youtube. At the recent Defrag conference two people I got into intense conversations told me they were discovered by their employers via their blogs. Jeremiah blogged his way to the Analyst job at Forrester. The examples are endless.

There’s only one problem: this is not a quick fix. You can’t build up social media presence overnight. But the best time to do it is not when you are already out of a job, but when you don’t really feel the direct need. Do it for fun, as a way of self-expression – you may just find you enjoy it. Social Media participation is Inbound Marketing, and that’s a lifetime perpetual habit. It might just get you on potential employers “wanted list” whether you need them or not.

Update: to look at how social media is used on "the other side" check out: Recruiting by Video. Some Get It, Others Just Pretend.

Update #2, the perfect story: How I Used Inbound Marketing to Find a Job in a Recession.

Wow - very cool that we are talking about the same things. Thanks for linking to my stuff. This approach to looking for a new job works so I hope between us we can help people to advance their careers. Best, David

Definitely agree with the overall thoughts. I was just starting to work on a blog post with the thought that a Twitter account could be the new business card. By passing along a simple user name, you provide a quick means of contact that also can link to any other important outlet for you (blog, fbook page, etc). It adds the extra elements of the Web by sharing your most recent posts about your topics of interest, as well as those in your community. Would love any thoughts on this (half-assuming this has already been written on extensively and I'm just now realizing :P)

Social media can be a blessing and a curse to job hunters. Too often people forget that once they click submit, that picture or comment will live on forever in the various deep dark places of the web waiting for someone to use just the right search phrase. I "Google" all potential hires, it is often amazing the things you find. Both good and not so good.

This is definitely a relevant acknowledgment. However, I think it is a bit prophetic. And, I believe that it applies more to job seekers with very specific skills. Careers to which this may already apply: writer, programmer, artist/designer, consultant Careers to which social media still has little effect on the job hunt: finance, insurance, attorney The former are careers where a certain skill set will be enough for you to get the job done. The latter are a group of careers that will vary greatly depending on the firm you work for, industry in which you work in, etc. In the case of the latter, a personal blog may help a CEO or Managing Director get a job at another high profile job, but it wouldn't necessarily help a recent college graduate without specific experience. While a prospective employer may find it impressive that a job candidate keeps a personal blog about law school, for example, such a blog is still far from replacing a resume. And such a blog will not likely provide much valuable information to a potential employer.

It's interesting to see the notion of social software as a job search aid gaining traction in the blogsphere. I recently predicted that we will remember the the 2008-2009 recession as the time when the public availability of free social software proved to be the unemployed knowledge worker’s best friend and savior. A person's blog, Twitter stream, LinkedIn profile, etc. are all ways to "sell" their value as a potential employee online. What I most appreciate about your post is the message that proving one's expertise and worth by publishing is far more effective then annoying one's network to death. Don't tell me what you can do, do it and help me see what you've done!

I've been thinking and knowing this for the last 18 months and never got around to really writing about so thanks for the kick up the backside to think about it again. Absolutely is social media become the new resume. It's being SOCIABLE with your media at any time regardless of timezone. Thanks for a great post! Btw, the next extension to this is something i'm working on called rezpondr. You can check it out by going to http://me.dm and clicking the media tab.

Good post here, I agree with Larry-Participating online in these new Web 2.0 services can expand your reaches and also by blogging you can tell other people about your hobby, your interests, and other people can see your potential through those. I also agree with Jquaglia-Blogs cannot replace resumes. But it can help in finding a job. -FyreVortex Jaqulia By using these services, you are SHOWing your ability.

[..] Let me expand on that last point. Unemployment is at a record high and growing. It’s close to impossible to get hired now. Anyone can get the axe, and it’s not your fault, it’ the economy. If you find yourself out of a job, and have been doing the kind of ongoing, active outbound marketing,self-branding I’ve discussed before– perhaps you already are on somebody’s wish list and get a job offer soon. [..]

Right but to what extent is this a good thing and to what extent can it backfire? Does it change if like me you are a recent grad? Recently I asked a group of social network savvy professionals what they thought about recent college grads using these same rules to advance themselves. I would love your input.

Chad, I think for recent grads social media is even more important, since there's not much you can put on your resume yet. But I'll stop now, your question and post inspired me to write another post - stay tuned :-)

Resumes are Dead. Social Media is Your New Resume.

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