A Social Media Resume Is Not Yet An Alternative to the Traditional Paper Resume or Is it?

Is Social Media Taking the Place of a Resume?

Many recent graduates are starting to dabble in what is known as a social media resume. A social media resume is not yet an alternative to the traditional paper resume, but it does work to highlight past work experience and accomplishments for interested employers. Hopeful job seekers are beginning to create their social media accounts in a way that employers will be able to utilize—making it similar to a resume. This can be done in several ways:

•       Sharing content relevant to the industry
•      Forming connections with authoritative figures in the industry
•      Filling in profile information that is appropriate for potential employers
•     Uploading a traditional resume to these social accounts whenever possible
•     Creating a LinkedIn profile and filling in all the necessary information (this is the professional social network)

The question, however, is not whether or not hopeful employees should be conscious of their social media actions. Paying close attention to social media is a great idea when it comes to professional development. It is becoming crucial that employees are social media fluent so that they can help promote their company via one of the most popular mediums for finding and sharing news.

But the real question is this: Should an employer, particularly an employer looking for a PR or marketing candidate, consider social media a type of resume?

Social Media vs. Traditional Resume

Whether an employer is starting a small business or trying to grow an existing business, hiring is important. According to a recent study by OfficeTeam, more than one-third of companies feel that resumes will be replaced by profiles on social networks. Consider some of the reasons this is moving in the right direction, and then some of the reasons this could backfire for everyone involved:

Why Traditional Resumes Should Come to an End:

1.      It’s quick and easy to create a professional social media account and people feel comfortable using them.
2.      In many cases these accounts have been utilized far before someone was looking for a job. This makes social media resumes more real and less calculated.
3.      People want to create social media accounts. According to Comscore, “usage of web-based email has fallen 8%, with the biggest decline amongst 12 to 17 year-olds with an almost 60% drop.” On that same note, 90% of U.S. Internet users visit a social networking site each month. Soon resumes will be a drag to create.
4.      Employers are also just as likely to feel comfortable working with social media. Instead of creating a file of resumes that all look the same, employers can pop over to a social media site quickly and get more customized information.
5.      Social media gives users the ability to connect with others in their industry and learn from articles they share. This not only helps employers see the types of things a candidate has been exposed to, but it gives job-seekers a real reason to interact with those in the field. A resume simply cannot offer that same dynamic energy.

Why Traditional Resumes Should Never Die:

1.      Social media accounts are meant as a place to connect, not get a job. People won’t always want to be professional on their social accounts, and if they were used as a resume then they would have no outlet to joke around with their friends. Keeping the two separate will be easier for everyone involved. 
2.      Social media isn’t always in the control of the owner. Social media accounts get hacked into all the time and people can sometimes post something on an account without the owner’s permission. This is an unfair representation of a candidate and could be a huge point of stress for someone dealing with a hacked account.
3.      Just because someone doesn’t have too many followers or too many connections does not mean they are not a competent employee. It takes a long time to develop relationships via social media, and in many cases it takes a job to help get there. This is similar to a resume—just because someone doesn’t have a lot of experience doesn’t mean they won’t be a great asset to the company.
4.      If social media was the new resume, all social media accounts would need to be set to public. This would make any account difficult to manage. Even if the system called for simply “adding” a potential employer to an account, both parties would have an incredible number of connections (and not very authentic ones at that)

Although it may seem like a lot of speculation right now, this is surely going to be a big issue in the future. Already CareerBuilder reported that 45% of employers reported surveying potential employees via social networking—and this was in 2009.

What do you think works better for employers? What do you think works better for hopeful employees?

Photo Credit: mashable.com

Amanda DiSilvestro is a writer on topics ranging from social media to small business loans. She writes for an online resource that gives advice on topics including document software to small businesses and entrepreneurs for the leading business information directory, Business.com.