Web 2.0 Tools to Refine Your Resume

Does anyone really read resumes anymore? Human resources? Hiring managers? Department heads? If you sent your resume to hiring managers, chances are your resume was glossed over — if even that. The truth of the matter is, paper resumes (even digital files) are not the modern way of attracting your future employer. Instead, you should learn to Ditch Your Resume! There are numerous tech tools (free!) to increase your odds of being hired. You can learn these tools at the Jobzcafe-sponsored Ditch Your Resume seminar on Tuesday July 14. These tools will give a multimedia edge against a paper-stacked desk.

You may not be aware, but many job seeking sites format resumes to look like everyone else’s. They aren’t necessarily dated-looking but they are standardized. It is great for hiring managers — it allows them to see experience at a glance without the bells and whistles of fonts. Unfortunately, it does zero for the individual jobseeker. You are placed on the same playing field with your colleagues. Simply put, that is a problem. However, it isn’t an unresolvable problem.

The good news is that the tools are available to you — for free — to leverage that playing field. And chances are, you already use some of these media tools: Facebook, LinkedIn and even Twitter. By establishing your personal brand, you will become visible to managers. And your personal brand is every bit as important as those you recognize at a glance. McDonald’s. Ford. Apple. If you are able to display your skills at a glance to an employer, your chances of obtaining your dream job are much closer than you may realize. Today’s social networking sites can help you distinguish your personal brand from others.

I recently picked up an old copy of a resume guide book. Written circa 1989, the resume templates were designed to look as if they had been written using a typewriter. The formatting appeared vintage. Words such as “Objectives,” and “References Upon Request” littered the documents. Understandably so, they appeared dated. And that was only 20 years ago! Your resume no longer has to be a single sheet of paper. In fact, you can Ditch Your Resume. Numerous years ago, the goal was to achieve a paperless office. Now your goal can be to achieve a new position — paperless!

Thousands of people are being found using Google and LinkedIn. By populating your LinkedIn account, you increase your network and potential future hiring managers by multitudes. For example, if you have 100 contacts in your account, statistics show that only 2.5 percent of the community will find you. On the other hand, if you have a strong network of more than 500 contacts, 90 percent of hiring managers can find you.

Learn techniques that professionals in every industry are using at a Ditch Your Resume seminar on Tuesday 14 July, located in the Best Western Valley View. This seminar may be what takes you from a job to a career.

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