29 Jul The Resume Must Die a Slow Painful Death

I wish that Donald Trump would go on national TV and tell everyone how much he loves resumes so everyone would finally start hating them publicly.

If I had a choice between spending the day with Donald Trump, Kim Kardashian, or a pile of resumes, I would ask for double the time with Trump and Kimmie over spending a minute with the resumes.

That’s HOW MUCH I hate resumes.

Now let me tell you why.

The original purpose of a resume was to create a single document that outlines your experience & skill-set for future employers. It was a fantastic tool.

The problem is that things have changed. A lot.

These days employers don’t want to know where you’ve worked or what your duties were.

They want to SEE your work.

If you’re a programmer they’ll ask you to show them what you’ve created!

If you’re an editor they’ll ask you to show them the before and after of an article you’ve edited!

If you’re a marketer they’ll ask you to show them a marketing plan you’ve created and the results it got!

If you’re a designer they’ll ask you to show them your portfolio!

If you’re an accountant they’ll ask you to show them what you did to help people save thousands of dollars on their tax returns every year.

If you’re a lawyer they’ll ask you to show them what laws are working against them and how you can better structure their company to avoid it.

SHOW me that you know what you’re talking about – that’s the bottom line of what potential employers are asking today, and that’s the problem with resumes. They’re all about telling and not showing.

Resumes have no room for personality, and employers want to see if you’re a fit for their culture.

Try putting your picture on your resume and what the weird reaction you get. People will think you’re full of yourself.

Tell me what section of a resume explains your passions and what you love to do? Newsflash, you can’t, because no section provides that ability.

A resume won’t give the reader a great first impression, regardless of how awesome it is

Again. A resume is just words on a piece of paper. People considering hiring you need to see what makes you different.

That’s why I love LinkedIn.

On LinkedIn you can SHOW you know what you’re talking about by writing articles on LinkedIn Publishing.

You can SHOW that you know what you’re talking about by creating a presentation on Slideshare about a specific topic.

You can SHOW your references by having people submit recommendations on your profile. There’s no need to ever say or write the words “referrals on request.”

You can SHOW what you look like without being all weird about it. In fact, it’s encouraged to have a picture on LinkedIn.

You can SHOW what you’re passionate about by telling people directly within the professional summary section or by posting a video that you’ve created.

Speaking for myself, LinkedIn means I no longer have to say, “Robbie has 10 years experience in IT consulting for Fortune 500 companies and 2 years in LinkedIn Coaching.”

I can just straight up say: I help people to position themselves for life-changing opportunities by teaching them to rebrand themselves on LinkedIn and other career-oriented environments.

LinkedIn is the future. Your resume is at the bottom of the food chain.

Either you join the future and maximize your opportunities by getting yourself onto LinkedIn,or you can wonder why other people’s careers are advancing faster than yours.

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