Today’s post is another great article from Ryon Harms, the founder of the http://thesocialexec.com/ and @TheCareer100. Follow @TheCareer100 on twitter if you ever plan on looking for another job and visit his blog for great career and social networking advice. While you are at it, follow @TheSocialExec on twitter, too. I welcome your comments to this thought provoking opinion.
Welcome to the hyper-competitive job market of The Great Recession. Finding a job today is about consistently hitting it out of the park. That means taking advantage of opportunities to do what most of your competitors have not. I suggest you start by rethinking your static two-page resume and starting a blog instead.
Three reasons why your resume is dead on arrival:
1. Employers are inundated with resumes and they all basically look same
2. Even well-written resumes too often look like a self-written obituary
3. A resume will never capture everything you have to offer
Three reasons why a blog gives your search new life:
1. Supplementing your resume with a blog shows you know how to be distinctive
2. Blogs allow employers to dig deeper for a broader understanding of what you can offer
3. Blog posts allow you to focus on the present and future of your industry, rather than the past
You know that networking, not submitting resumes to job posts, is the only way to land a job. You’ll see few tools are more effective than blogs at building communities and communicating with your network.
Three ways to network with your new blog:
1. Rather than send the, “Is the position still available?” email, instead send potential employers an interesting blog post relevant to their industry
2. Rather than send another “I’m looking for work” email to your network, instead send a topical blog post that sparks conversations and keeps you top of mind
3. Rather than limiting yourself to personal contacts, instead build a thriving audience that spreads your message and attracts unexpected opportunities.
I worked diligently to expand my professional network during my recent stint in transition. After several months and more than 400 personal contacts later I got tired of emailing my resume with appeals for introductions. I wanted to turn the tables and instead keep my name top of mind by contributing something of value. My idea was to start a blog highlighting information my network could use to shorten their time in transition. However, there are thousands of other topics, both industry specific and general, available to you depending on your goals.
The two-page resume we’ve grown to depend on will eventually go the way of the dinosaurs, music stores and newspapers. Now’s the time to start experimenting with a free and simple to use blog service like WordPress, which also happens to integrate easily with your LinkedIn account. It’s easier than you think.
Think I’m way off about the end days for resumes? Start a blog!
