The Secret About Resumes

by Berrak on November 2, 2011

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I know what you’re thinking: “Who still has a resume these days?” There has been a lot of discussion over whether or not resumes are still relevant in the age of social media, LinkedIn and the importance of standing out among hundreds of candidates.

The answer is yes. The resume is still relevant and a key component for your career, whether you’re just starting out, or have years of job experience.

I’ll share a secret with you: Your future employer will still ask you for a resume. So while you’re doing everything to stand out from the crowd and building your personal brand, don’t neglect your resume.

“Well, what about my LinkedIn profile?”

Your LinkedIn profile should be a digital copy of your resume.  With your LinkedIn profile, you have even more opportunities for standing out with the right keywords, recommendations and adding to your online presence. When you update your LinkedIn profile, you should also be updating your resume (or vice versa).

“How long should my resume be?”

I’m in the “one page” camp. Your resume should be concise, and just like your cover letter, it should be tailored for the position. The hiring manager sees hundreds of resumes for every single position so if your resume is cluttered, they will most likely pass. (Which is why you should use bullet points over paragraphs). You also don’t have to list every single position you’ve held since you were a summer camp counselor in high school. Stick to the last 3 full-time positions you’ve had, unless you had a part-time gig that is relevant to the experience required by the job you want.

“Should my resume have a picture?”

Short answer: No. Long answer: Not unless you’re applying for a modeling or acting gig.

“It’s a sure way to ensure your resume never makes it to a recruiter,” says Laura Michnya, the project manager of recruiting systems and process for BAE Systems.
Your potential employer will probably be looking up your Facebook, though, so you should focus on cleaning up your online presence before sending out your resume (We’ll dive further into this topic in the coming weeks).
Bottom line: Yes, you still need a resume but you shouldn’t ONLY rely on your resume.  You also have to have an online presence, and utilize the tools that are available to you in addition to your resume.  Your resume is the corner piece of your job hunt puzzle. It’s up to you to make sure the picture is complete.
Berrak, born in Turkey on April Fool’s Day, is a newly minted U.S. Citizen, and one of those rare DC natives. She lives (and works) in D.C. with her fiance, their hyper kitten and her Penguin Posse. She’s been sharing real, honest-to-blog stories with the world since ’03. She has a love (read: obsession) for all things social media, writing, and books. She’s been working since she was 16 (from retail to law firms to corporate), and has plenty of horror stories to share now that she’s doing the freelance thing.
The Secret About Resumes
Berrak
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  • http://superduperfantastic.com/ suki

    I agree that the resume is definitely relevant. As far as online presence, I think it depends on the position and the company. :)  

    • http://www.dcprincessq.com Berrak

      I think so too. And I’ll be expanding on that in later articles. I just wanted to answer the question someone asked on Twitter :)  

  • http://www.adorkableme.com Erini

    We spent a good long while in one of my typography classes looking at bad resumes (and business cards too)… Let’s just say, the really big name thing is out. And though some industries won’t care at all what your resume looks like, I still believe that a well thought out and clean design goes a long way–even for people like me in the design/creative industry. Too much glitter and glam makes you look like a student.

    • http://www.dcprincessq.com Berrak

      Agreed! I think I’m going to have at least one more follow-up to this post, if not more.  It’s such a broad topic so I didn’t want to cram it all into one post.