2011 marks the 25th anniversary of the first recorded prediction of the resume’s death. Of course as a resume building service, we would say resumes are not dead. However, don’t take our word for it. RezScore recently posted on their blog 10 Reason Why the Resume is Here to Stay. We’ve picked our four favorite reasons:
1. They say: “Resumes are how your grandpappy got interviews at
Dunder Mifflin.”
RezScore says: Old-fashioned? Some things improve with age. Fun fact: Facebook received 250,000 resumes last year, while Southwest Airlines received nearly 150,000. Resumes have been around this long because they have remained a consistently effective tool for job seekers and employers alike.
2. They say: “The resume is dead…the Internet has killed the traditional job application.”
RezScore says: The beauty of a resume is that there are no hard-and-fast rules that absolutely must be followed. It’s up to the job seeker to decide what actually goes into their resume, where it can be seen, and how it can be accessed. Many job seekers today maintain two versions of resumes: digital and paper. While a paper resume is necessary in any face-to-face interactions (like job fairs and interviews), its digital twin can be equipped with all the bells and whistles many social media profiles already have. The only person who doesn’t keep an active resume is a person who doesn’t want a new job.
3. They say: “Many self-appointed experts argue that the paper and digital resume most job seekers still build their career marketing plan around has become obsolete—completely replaced by modern day tools…”
RezScore says: There is no reason why a job seeker must decide between their online presence and a resume. In fact, your resume can help your online presence if uploaded to a social media site or a personal web site. Nowadays, one in twenty resumes include links to a social media site like LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter, a number that’s rising every month. If written well, your resume is effectively a combination of keywords that you want employers to connect with your brand.
4. They say: “Networking and/or personal referrals have replaced resumes.”
RezScore says: Nothing beats a recommendation from a valuable networking contact. That said, that referral will only serve you from one experience, maybe two. A resume serves as that back-up after you get your foot in the door. Employers enjoy using their network to get the ball rolling, but when it rolls into your court, your resume is your best weapon.
Cool article, I agree that the time only change the way of drafting and approach, not the purpose of resume writing.