The art of writing a resume is one that has been practiced for years and years as a tool to help job seekers define their skills and experience. Over time the traditional and recognized way of formatting and writing a resume has changed minimally, or has it? It use to be that you would print our resume and hand deliver it to the employer, then came fax and email, and now we have the concept of online job boards. Over time will the printed resume even be necessary? Has the content on the resume changed due to these new avenues of communication?
Get Online
If you think about your resume, either you are actively using it or have not touched it in years, you probably have the same format, with bullets of skills and heading with contact information. However, think about all the other avenues you can use to communicate the same thing: LinkedIn, Monster, CareerBuilder, and even a personal website. At this point in technology if someone needs information about you they can probably find it on the internet.
Now, I am not implying that you do not need a printed resume. At this point in time the printed resume is relevant. I would recommend that every time you have an interview you take printed copies of your resume, at the very least for your reference. As time passes and technology advances there is potential for the printed version of your resume to be considered less relevant, due to the vast amount of information online.
Content is Key
The content of your resume and online profiles is the most important part. You must detail your skills and experience in a clear and impressionable way. Over the years of writing resumes there has been numerous key words and buzz words discussed and utilized. Is technology changing these? As you write online profiles on LinkedIn or any job board site you should be considering what keywords to use. As recruiters and employers search for resumes on large online databases they do perform keyword and boolean searches. Writing the content of your resume and profiles to cater to being found during these searches will be in your best interest.
