Creating Robust Online Resumes and Blogfolios
Developing Social Media Resumes to Enhance any Career Arsenal
Apr 13, 2009
Online resumes and "blogfolios" – blog-based career and freelance portfolios – are becoming the norm in the world of Web 2.0 job seekers. In 1999, it was reported that less than one-third of Fortune 500 companies were engaged in any form of online recruitment. By 2003, that figure had jumped to 94%; today, it registers at 100%. Likewise, a survey conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management estimates that by 2006, 96% of job seekers were using online resources in their searches.
Online resumes and blogfolios are indispensable tools for today's highly competitive job search marketplace. Online resumes take minutes to create and seconds to share. The following steps demonstrate how job seekers can employ social media to market their online resumes and blogfolios to prospective employers.
Select the Best Online Resume and Blogfolio Platform
Regardless of expertise level, social media-based online resumes can be quickly developed and easily distributed to potential employers and jobsites. GigTide, Emurse, Resume Bucket and VisualCV all offer free platforms to create, publish, manage and track online resumes, complete with professional templates and features that give prospective employers an accessible view of skills and samples.
Job seekers that need a more customizable platform can create a blogfolio by harnessing the power of blog software. With a free account through WordPress, Typepad or Blogger, it is easy to create a blogfolio with pages for professional experience, education, awards, accomplishments and technical skills. Adding interactive samples via images, audio, video or downloadable documents will exceed expectations, giving potential employers and HR directors an impressive, easy-to-navigate and complete online resume package.
Build an Online Resume and Blogfolio
The most important benefit of building a social media resume or blogfolio online is the search leverage it creates. Regardless of the platform chosen, online resumes and blogfolios should be keyword optimized for potential employers. As a simple rule of thumb, it is important to use two to three specific keywords throughout online resume text. Select keywords that a potential employer might type into a search engine when seeking candidates. For example, a tax account in Colorado might include multiple occurrences of keywords such as: "experienced senior tax accountant," "Boulder, Colorado accountant" and "tax CPA in Colorado."
Online resumes and blogfolios should include all of the vital elements that any offline resume would, but should also include key web links to related career content and samples, plus clippings of personal and professional achievements or certifications.
Most importantly, online resumes and blogfolios should be easy to navigate, have a professional, industry-appropriate design, a straightforward URL, and be updated frequently.
Share Online Resumes and Blogfolios Through Social Media
Sharing online resumes or blogfolios begins with reciprocal links to other social media tools and networks. Connecting to online resumes with social networks like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or MySpace, as well as linking to online resumes from these pages, will help increase traffic from potential employers.
The blogfolio is the perfect hybrid for promoting an online resume and a portfolio of work, as well as a strategic way to post entries that are relevant to one's profession or industry. Combining an online resume with a blog makes for a powerful, search-optimized personal marketing machine. Posting career-relevant blog content alongside an online resume positions a jobseeker as a subject matter expert.
In addition to social networks and media, many online jobsites like Monster.com and CareerBuilder.com offer resources online resume posting in addition to searching job listings. While effective, posting resumes to dozens of job sites can be time-consuming and tedious. Utilizing a one-stop-shopping site like ResumeRabbit will post resumes to more than 50 of the top online job sites – a much more effective resume sharing process.
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