Rethinking the Job Search: Your Resume in a 140-Character Tweet?

The following is a guest post from GBlogger who blogs at Can I Get Rich On A Salary.

There are probably four-year-olds out there updating their tweets through their cell phones—but me, I’m a little slower and have only recently gotten around to opening an account on Twitter. For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, the Wikipedia entry on Twitter describes it as “a free social networking and micro-blogging service that allows users to send ‘updates’ (or ‘tweets’; text-based posts, up to 140 characters long) to the Twitter website…” And the Twitter website beams your tweets to the screens of other users of Twitter who are “following” you.

I launched into this new medium with gusto, announcing, “Thinking of blog topics.” I was soon thrilling a fan base with follow-ups such as: “Still thinking about blog topics”; “Having trouble thinking of blog topics”; “Having trouble thinking generally”; and “Going to sleep.”

Okay, so I don’t really have the whole 140-character micro-blog thing down yet. So I was all the more impressed when I read an article in my local paper that a branding agency in Kentucky was going to try to hire a “social media manager” through Twitter—suggesting candidates would have to summarize their qualifications 140 characters at a time!

This got me to thinking more about resumes and the possibilities of different media. For instance, FMF recently discussed the important question of how long a resume should be—but in an online resume, you could blend different lengths seamlessly. Your baseline resume could be one-page long (or the rough equivalent when looking at a screen). Different sections in that resume could have an option to click to read more. Clicking could then expand that section of your resume inline, to show more detail on the same screen, or could take a viewer to a separate screen with a list of articles you’ve written or links to positive press you may have received. Importantly, an employer uninterested in such details would be able to skip them without fuss.

• Internet searches led me to quite a few resources and articles. Here are some of the types of “non-paper” resumes out there:
• electronic file containing your resume in unformatted “plain text” (used primarily for uploading to certain online job boards);
• electronic file containing your resume in the format of a word-processing program such as Word or in .PDF format (used primarily for uploading to online job boards that accept a formatted resume or for e-mailing);
• online resume (can have flexibility in presenting a resume as mentioned above, can gather different formats of resumes in one place for convenience of viewing employer, and can be sent along as a link in an e-mail);
• video resume (can convey enthusiasm, attitude, or other “intangibles” that may not come out in other formats, can give a snippet of a “perfect interview” because of the ability to do retakes, can be posted to a site like YouTube, and can be sent along as a link in an e-mail); and
• profile on a professional-networking website, such as LinkedIn or myWorkster (used for networking and as a place where employers can find you even without you applying, can sometimes include brief “letters of recommendation” from clients or co-workers, and can be sent along as a link in an e-mail).

Do you need any or all of these? Probably not. But there does seem to be some upside in potentially distinguishing yourself in a positive way or being able to convey information about yourself more effectively. There is a risk in having a resume that could be seen as too creative, and it probably depends a lot on your particular industry or career. These media do, however, seem to be gaining wider acceptance. There are apparently thousands of resumes posted on YouTube already; and surveys indicate more and more employers are willing to look at video resumes (especially if they are brief). In turn, there are now do-it-yourself web resources that help you create an online resume and hosts of vendors that specialize in producing video resumes.

A resume can be an important step in launching or advancing your career. My and my wife’s careers have certainly played important roles in our quest for financial independence so far; and I tend to agree with FMF’s advice that your career is one of your greatest assets. If I were to seek out a new job, I would definitely consider some of these newer formats.

How about you? Do any of you have experience with or reactions to these types of resumes?

Comments

[ToughMoneyLove]

I believe that your resume needs to have core information but should then be customized for each job you are applying for, to tailor it to the job specifications. For that reason, you should be quite strategic in where you post a public resume.

[Richard]

I think that when posting a public resume you should be relatively general and fairly comprehensive. It should have all the skills and experience relating to the types of jobs you would be interested in. (Eg. I never want a job that uses Access again, so I don't list it.)

When you actually send your resume to someone for a specific job however, it should be very tightly focused and strategic.

The collapsible online resume is a great idea...I might have to look into making myself one next time I'm job hunting.

[MasterPo]

A resume is *supposed* to be a summary of your professional qualifcations as it relates to the position you're applying for. However, unfrotunately in my experience interviewing in the NYC IT industry your resume is seen as a chronicle of your life. One word or phrase more or less can totally make the difference if you get the interview or not. :-(

[EnderQON]

It seems to me that the idea of a Twitter resume is much like the way that Hollywood writers pitch shows to execs - you have maybe 10 seconds to make an impression and grab their attention, and only get to go farther if the exec is intrigued. Even if you don't post it on Twitter, keeping this idea in mind would be great for creating the "objective" section that gets left off of so many resumes. Make the interviewer want to spend more time with your resume by grabbing their attention at the outset - could make all the difference.