PLN: Where's the Future?

The future of resumes and the workforce is turning towards the web. Many employers are hiring Online now and this trend is only going to increase in coming years. Paper resumes are going to be something of the past and our job searches are going to be done primarily through websites. Ari Herzog describes "How Employers are Hiring Online" and how paper resumes are going to be a part of the past.

Even today it is becoming obvious how the whole system of hiring is changing through the use of social networking sites. Twitter and LinkedIn are great examples of this. For the purposes of my PLN I have gathered various "experts" on digital resumes and since a number of those come from twitter I have been exposed to multiple accounts that aim to help people get hired as well as some that are using Twitter accounts as a means of getting hired. The dynamic of the workforce is changing and it is moving Online. LinkedIn allows for people looking for jobs to connect with people in the industry and create communities. The growth of searching for jobs and hiring via the Internet is inevitable and thus having an effective digital resume to put yourself out there and  get the attention of employers is pertinent.

An important note to consider as well is that videos are also an emerging form of resume, and although I can't currently see this resonating into all professions it is definitely something to consider. The issue with video resumes though is that they can appear unprofessional if they are not produced well.

Our digital footprint is going to weigh heavily on our ability to get hired and so in addition to producing a an effective digital resume here are a few things to look out for since the future of hiring and getting hired is Online-"Your Digital Footprint, Your Future"

This is the conclusion to my PLN project and so here is my finished product! The research that I conducted to back up the structure and information that I included in my digital resume made the process move along much smoother and I am confident that when I put this resume out there I will be seen as professional and will grab the attention of employers. I kept it simple and clear as suggested, and hope that it will provide me with the greatest advantage.

PLN: Who's Looking at you?

One concern when creating a digital resume is whether or not the employers you're aiming for are even reviewing digital resumes. How many employers are interacting Online and are shifting their interests to digital resumes? Well, their are a number of companies hiring Online and you can easily locate these on websites like CareerBuilder, Monster, Indeed, SimplyHired, HotJobs, or Google. These sites are not only good places to post your digital resume, but they also allow to see what  employers are out there looking for applicants. In addition they also allow for the forming off communities which can come in handy when you are in the job market.

While the possibilities may seem endless, not every employer is Online and therefore is not checking sites where digital resumes can be submitted. A good way of overcoming this obstacle in order to have your digital resume  seen by those employers is to network, as suggested by Susan Ireland. Here's a little video posted by AARP that basically explains the in's and out's of networking (excuse the sponsor message!)

There is always a way to optimize your digital resume so that it is seen by the particular employer/company you are hoping to be hired by. A huge number of companies are shifting to using digital resumes if they don't solely use digital resumes, it is a safe assumption that your digital resume would only serve as a bonus.

My digital resume is formatted as a magnet resume meaning that it is a resume for all my prospective jobs rather than for one in particular and thus doing both networking and posting it on various resume sites would prove helpful. As I progress on creating my digital resume I am realizing how incredibly helpful the research I have conducted is. There are many fields of the digital resume that would have been a struggle for me to complete to my greatest advantage and since I have taken into consideration comments from a number of resume experts my experience is moving along smoothly. I suggest to anyone embarking on creating a digital resume to do their research!

PLN: All the Filling

Now that I have the structure of my digital resume down, the next step is to enter my information. I think it is safe to say that this is a crucial component to the digital resume. You're putting your information out there for employers and needless to say the information you include and how you present it can either aide your job search or make you a laughing stock. 

Ideally, we all want our resume to embody our accomplishments, skills, and potential to fulfill the job qualifications but many times we are lost on how to portray ourselves. @DeborahWheatman recommends providing a personal branding statement that gives a "snapshot" of who you are.  In a post she compares the information that you put in your resume to a restaurant menu in the sense that if you see Fish on a menu as opposed to a more elaborate description like "Flame-broiled Atlantic Salmon marinated in tangy pepper sauce, served with a side of fluffy truffle-infused rice pilaf, grilled mixed vegetables, and fresh baked garlic bread" you're obviously going to be drawn more to the latter. This is such an accessible way of generating thought about a personal branding statement and how effective it can be in getting you and your message across to an employer! A personal branding statement provides you with an assertive stance to employers and is something that would be incredibly beneficial in a digital resume. As a side note if you need help with your personal branding statement a good person to reference is @DanSchwabel- Managing Partner at Millennial Branding, personal branding expert, #1 international bestselling author of Me 2.0, speaker, & BusinessWeek columnist.


In addition to a personal branding statement, I think it is beneficial to mention a comment that I received on my last PLN post from Dan.Eliot. His comment brought to my attention the importance of a resume cover letter addressed to the specific hiring manager of the company you are applying to. The recommendation is that if you are aiming and directing your resume to a specific employer as opposed to a broad base you should look up the hiring manager and address them specifically. This can really aide you in receiving attention from that particular employer.


Overall, you want to include the things that one would in a paper resume, but also take into account some of the things mentioned above. You want to portray yourself in the best light, while still remaining truthful because Online or not, lying on a resume is not going to get you far. Transparency is key and incorporating these things into a digital resume will help make it the best it can be!


I am slowly but surely progressing on my own digital resume and the things that I have included in this post are not just for outsider use but I am also applying them to my own process of creating an effective digital resume. As I input my information I will be keeping these things in mind and will include them in my digital resume as I move forward. This process is one that I am learning about as I move along (hence Personal Learning Network) and I am very excited as I get closer and closer to the finished product!

PLN: What's Your Structure?

Although it may not necessarily be time to throw out your paper resume, the digital resume is something you might turn to in this age of technology and social networking. Throughout the semester I have been collecting data from a number of sources (Twitter, Delicious, & RSS Feeds from blogs on GoogleReader) and have accumulated quite a bit of data for my PLN project. The focus of my personal learning project is on digital resumes. The dynamic of the workforce is changing and since I will soon be joining this ever-changing community I thought it would be not only interesting but also helpful to my own future career to be well versed in how to build an online/digital resume. This is the first of four blogs related to this project and they will serve as a how-to as I make my own digital resume, as well as answer particular questions that I found necessary to answer in order to understand the process of creating a digital resume.

The first focus regarding digital resumes that needs to be addressed is what the structure of a resume needs to be like. I wanted to know what type of organization would attract future employers and ultimately benefit me the most. So before I started I decided to filter through Delicious and GoogleReader for some crucial information that revealed how the digital resume differs from a paper resume in a number of ways and therefore requires a different approach when setting it up. One article which I was particularly surprised by was Resume, Meet Technology: Making Your Resume Format Machine-Friendly. This article discussed that attaching a photo to one's digital resume could "Choke" ATS which is a a software program that companies use as an "Applicant Tracking System". Basically what this asserts is that because digital resumes run through software systems before getting to employers, as opposed to going directly to the hands of humans, you have to be very conscious of what you are putting in your digital resume as to avoid being filtered out before even being seen by an employer.


In addition there are factors to a digital resume that are shared with a paper resume and that is how you present yourself. In How to Write a Killer Resume multiple objectives for the content that you put into your digital resume are presented. These include some basic things that everyone writing a digital or in that matter a paper resume need to know. Some of these things may seem repetitive, but I think it is important for everyone to have a thorough understanding of what information needs to be included and how to present it to your greatest advantage. One point made in the article is to include facts about yourself rather than adjectives. I found this point particularly helpful because typically when you are asked to describe yourself you say you are achievement-oriented, work well with others, etc. The article suggests that you will come out more attractive as well as transparent to employers reviewing your digital resume.

Another critical element when looking into the format of a digital resume is to decide between two typical structures. According to @SusanIreland, in her blog post What Resume Format Should I Use?, there are two formats commonly used for resumes and it is important to establish which one to use; chronological or chronological-with-skills headings. In another post by Ireland, she discusses the need for both magnet and grabber resumes. This generally refers to having a general resume as well as a resume dedicated to any specific job that you might want to pursue. I found these posts as helpful to keep in mind when creating a digital resume.

The research conducted on how a digital resume should be structure has made it clear that there is no one exact way to construct a digital resume, but that there are various aspects that need to be incorporated into a digital resume in order to set it up effectively for future employers. Keeping this in mind I began to mold my own digital resume using http://www.visualcv.com/ which was a highly bookmarked site on Delicious. The website takes you step by step through the process of setting up a digital resume and keeping the structural elements I have learned in mind I am on my way to a professional and effective digital resume!