The demise of the traditional resume has been written and discussed by many for years now. With the advent and growth of social 
media the topic seems to come up now more than ever. David Talamelli from Oracle wrote an interesting blog piece recently on the subject “Is This the End of the Road for the Traditional Resume”
In his post David raises relevant facts and observations about how the exchange of personal employment data has changed with the internet and social media. He believes that the resume is becoming a redundant part of the recruitment process. “For example a candidate and I may talk on the phone and go through their online profile together (whether it is on LinkedIn, FB, a Blog, web resume, etc…). Ok so after this that same candidate then normally emails me a copy of his resume in either .doc or .pdf format. This is where the redundancy takes place.”
In some market segments I suspect we will see the resume take a different form as some of us chose to have an online and publicly available online profile/s whilst others prefer to protect their privacy – including their personal and employment details. Perhaps you are someone who is happy to have all their employment and personal details accessed online by everyone, or you may chose to protect your data and disclose it only to those you trust.
There is certainly no right or wrong way, as different people from a variety of professions and demographics opt for different approaches. Inevitably this has and will continue to shape how the resume evolves.
Whether on a social networking site or via email I am still surprised at how much personal information most people will disclose in their resume. Most include their address, and some still include age, marital status and so on. Your name, mobile and email address these days will suffice. In this online age, the resume data shared (particularly the personal information) can certainly be cut back with other platforms available to promote yourself and your expertise.
Please share your views on the resume, its evolution and or demise? How do you feel about sharing your personal and employment information online?
One Comment
David Talamelli’s suggestion that people do, or will, be less likely to lie when using networking sites is plain daft. He offers no studies or social / psychological hypothesis to support such a sweeping statement.
Given that “studies have shown” a marked increase in the number of people who lie in resumes (ie, a significant increase from the days of yore), there’s no reason to believe people will suddenly become honest Johns and Janes online.
Indeed, the Internet is notorious for giving people a platform to be rather more free and easy than they might ordinarily be in the real world. It’s more likely they’re also more free and easy with the truth too.
For low end jobs, perhaps online networks are the way of the future, but it will never be the case for senior management or executive management positions.
Besides, the Internet has a mega-hurdle: lack of trust, and not wanting to send personal information into the ether – for job purposes, most people don’t and won’t, period. Privacy and professionalism won’t get a sudden make-over via Twitter or LinkedIn.
Oh, and if anyone ever asked me for my blog URL, as part of a job application … sorry folks, not relevant and not your business. (And I don’t even post personal info on my blog, just punditry. No cat pictures either!)