Original post by CityTownInfo.com
Resumes have long been the standard way in which job applicants illustrate their qualifications to potential employers. However, the rise of social media in the corporate world is shifting the emphasis from the resume’s static representation of qualifications to a more interactive way of finding and recruiting new talent. CNNreports that many hiring managers are now turning to job candidates’ online presences—LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter profiles, as well as their Google search results and any web content they have written—rather than relying solely on a list of experience, education, and achievements. Some companies even ask candidates to actively integrate social media into their job applications.
CNN cites the perspective of Gretchen Gunn, a principal at the recruiting company MGD Services, to help illustrate the evolving roles of the resume and the web in the job search. Gunn stated, “The concept [of the resume] is not changing. That document, your life history of your work, isn’t ever going to be obsolete. It is the vehicle that is changing.” CNN explains that this “vehicle” has progressed from a static paper document to incorporate a mish mash of various social media sites and web content, particularly for tech companies. For example, the New York venture capitalist firm Union Square Ventures asked job applicants to provide them with a “Web presence” in lieu of a resume. ”This could be anything from a Twitter account to a blog or Tumblr to a project you hacked together,” explained Union Square’s Christina Cacioppo to CNN.
