Goodbye to resumes. Hello LinkedIn. *Waves*
Gone were the days we relied heavily on our boring black and white resumes. One will unlikely be selected as a potential candidate if all they submit is that piece of paper listing all their achievements and experiences. In today’s society, many have turned to the webs to create a professional portfolio of themselves and even recruiters are using them frequently. 93% of job recruiters tap into LinkedIn to find qualified candidates. (Lance W., 2012)
Image: Source
However, how many of us know what is the most important factor we need to look out for when creating such profiles? Credibility? Creativity?
Yes, creativity helps to make sure that your employers see you out of the many that applied for the same position. Your portfolio will stands out from the rest and therefore, be noticed. Recent studies have shown that “hiring managers and recruiters only spend six seconds reading a resume.” (Michelle L., 2014) Yes, just SIX seconds.
I am sure this video is familiar you most of you (read: my peers who are doing this degree with me). Think, how many of us will actually be able to come out with such ideas? These kind of portfolio will definitely stand out from EVERYONE (yes, I’m very sure about it).
But creativity is not the most important. Your credibility wins all. AUTHENTICITY
Authenticity is very very VERY important. I’m sure none of you like lies and so, we should definitely not lie.
Like what I’ve mentioned previously, be proud of who you are, every individual is unique. Your employers will like to know the “real” you, nothing exaggerated. The consquence of these lies is unimgainable, it’s not cool at all. Take Scott Thompson, former CEO of Yahoo as an example. He claimed that he has a degree in both computer science and accounting, only to be exposed that he did not attained a degree certification in the former. (Jay Y. 2012)
Of course, I’m not saying we should post every single things on your profile. Select carefully. Post only information that are relevant. Never never post undesirable things (e.g. inappropriate photos/updates) – not just your LinkedIn profile, all your profiles (facebook, instagram, whatever you can name) All these account are interlinked. Your employers will be able to find them even if you didn’t provide it to them. Like what Ruhuan mentioned, you do not want to spoil your reputation.
Is your portfolio authentic? Have your displayed professionalism on the web?
References:
Anthony, G., 2010. Graeme Anthony C.V.I.V – Intro. [Online]
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EzNll1U2N8
[Accessed 3 December 2014].
Lance, W., 2012. Heads up, LinkedIn users: 93% of recruiters are looking at you [Online]
Available at: http://www.cnet.com/news/heads-up-linkedin-users-93-of-recruiters-are-looking-at-you/
[Accessed 3 December 2014].
Michelle, L., 2014. How Employers Actually Look at Your Resume. [Online]
Available at: http://www.hercampus.com/career/jobs-internships/how-employers-actually-look-your-resume
[Accessed 3 December 2014].
Jay, Y., 2012. Dan Loeb: Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson Is Lying About His College Degree [Online]
Available at: http://www.businessinsider.com/dan-loeb-yahoo-ceo-scott-thompson-college-degree-in-accounting-2012-5?IR=T&
[Accessed 3 December 2014].
Yanyi . 
Hi Yanyi, great post you have there!
I share the same thoughts as you regarding the importance of having a creative portfolio in order to stand out amongst so many applicants in this day and age.
I particularly like and agree with what you said about credibility winning it all, above any other factor that one can think of. Instead of lying about one’s experience or even education levels just like the example that you provided above, one can think of other ways to promote themselves even without experience.
Here’s one article that stood out to me with regards to establishing credibility without experience and I would like to share it with you:
http://one2oneresumes.com.au/graduates-how-to-establish-credibility-without-experience/
I feel that as long as you project yourself well enough, employers would not hesitate to hire you despite lacking in experience. After all, one can always learn the ropes when they enter the firm!
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Hi Corinne, Thank you for sharing such an insightful link! I do agree with you that as long as we project ourselves well, employers will still hire us despite lacking in experience, afterall, all fresh graduates like us need a chance to start somewhere. 🙂
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Hello Yan Yi! Thumbs up for your post!
I really like how you approach the topic by emphasizing not only on authenticity but creativity as well! Yes, the video is very familiar! Not only is he creative in presenting himself using video, he also showcase his digital skills through the design of his video! As what you have mentioned, “Your employers will like to know the “real” you, nothing exaggerated.” What if my qualities and skills are real but it seems to be exaggerating for the employers? Would they view me as being fake? What would be the real measurement for exaggeration? Is it something subjective?
Overall, it was a great discussion! Looking forward to hear from you again 🙂
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Hi Zoie! I really love the video that was shared by Mr Edgar previously during class 🙂
I understand your concerns, but always remember, your hiring managers/employers are experienced, I believe they will be able to tell the authencity of your portfolio. Of course, I wouldn’t say there is a real measurement for that and its definitely rather subjective.
But then again, always remember: someone will definitely be able to tell if you are genuine, they will be able to see the effort.
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