The title of this post was inspired from an old book I read by Ries & Ries entitled “The Fall of Advertising & The Rise of PR“. This book was published in 2002, I think with Social Media in full throttle today, this book makes more sense than ever! I highly recommend reading this book.
Anyway, I wanted to start today’s post with a trivia question to test our general knowledge
Q: What do these words have in common?
- Arfaj (Ryanterium Epapposum)
- Basking Shark
- CV/Resume
A: They are all on the verge of EXTINCTION
The main difference; however, is that there is no hope in saving the last one! Yes, you heard me. I am telling you that CVs are on the verge of extinction and the process is irreversible. My prediction is that in a short couple of years, the traditional CV will cease to exist and the only people that will be mourning that day are those who have not developed their personal brand.
The Fall of CVs
Let us look at the typical format of a CV: Name, Contact Details, Work Experience, Education, and Extracurricular Activities. More often than not, the Work Experience is literally the Job Description you received when you applied to the vacancy in the first place; rarely do you see achievement based CVs. So basically, if you and I were to work for the same company and have the same job title, let’s say account manager, chances have it that this particular part of our CV will be identical – hopefully, you’ll have a typo, which gives me an advantage of you (uh, yeah!)
Having said that, imagine this highly probable scenario: two business school graduates from the same university that had their internships in very well established enterprises are applying for the same job vacancy. You are the HR manager of this company, whom do you choose? The more appropriate question in this case is how do you choose? You might have to resort to rolling the dice, or playing eeny, meeny, miny, moe … that seems quite fair, let’s leave it all to chance! (You can read more about this in an earlier post entitled Personal Branding is For You!)
So back to the initial question, why are CVs dying out? Below is a list of options to choose from:
- It is static
- It is boring (maybe that’s not very scientific, but it still presents a plausible argument)
- It lacks any personalization
- It says nothing about your character
- It is biased – you wrote it!
- It only shows one side of you
I’d like to rephrase the earlier statement claiming that this an option list to choose from, in my opinion CV are all that and more …
The Rise of Personal Branding
What makes you unique? Who are you? What is so special about you? What do people think about you? All these questions are answered in Personal Branding. Creating your personal brand allows you to promote a 360 degrees view of yourself.
Based on a recent study entitled Reputation Management & Social Media conducted by Pew Research Center, 57% of all adult Internet users in the US have used a search engine to conduct their ego surf -this number is up from a figure of 22% in 2001. Activities pertaining to setting up an online profile on a social networking site have also gone up to 46% in 2009, from just 22% in 2006. Similarly, seven in ten adults have conducted an online search for information about other people – 44% of online adults have dug online for information regarding someone whose services or advice they seek in a professional capacity. In his book, Six Pixels of Separation, Mitch Joel notes that, more than ever before, people’s first interaction with the brand is happening at the search box. He continues to say that the first page of search results defines you (your brand).
Hypothetically, as an HR Manager, I would want to know more about you based on more tangible proof than what you claim in your CV. If I read your blog, I would understand your train of thought, what you are passionate about, how you interact with people’s criticism … and much more. If I need to look at your resume, I can always seek out your profile on LinkedIn, and look at recommendations you have from previous employers, clients, and colleagues. I can also get a chance to see the kind of books you like to read, how your network is built …etc. The holistic view provided by a well-developed Personal Brand allows my choice (as HR manager) to be more scientific!
The New CV
Here is a quick format of the new CV:
- Blog: This is where you express your passion in any format (writing, podcasts, or video) – content is a key ingredient when it comes to building your brand. People want to know how you think, what value can you add to them, why should they get to know you better – blogging is definitely the ultimate expression platform!
- LinkedIn: This is where you layout your work experience / education / contact details. It is also, where you build your professional network. Seek out recommendations from your professors, colleagues, and clients.
- Twitter: Think of twitter as the ultimate middleman, or your elevator pitch (in this case 140 characters pitch) – you’re in cocktail party and you want to earn the attention of people with similar interests. This attention is then diverted to more lengthy conversations and discussions over on your blog, or on Skype …
Other platforms can be used to build your personal brand; it all depends on the audience you would like to attract. If you were in Egypt for example, and you would like to attract 18 to 30 years old graduate with a middle-to-upper income level, then you definitely should tackle Facebook.
When someone asks me for my CV, I ask him or her to look me up online. I am not trying to be arrogant; in fact, I am exposing myself completely. I am giving them a real chance to get to know me without feeding them mere “job descriptions” on my CV. When you finish your post, run a vanity search. The first 3 to 4 results are what an HR Manager will be looking at when he or she googles your name. Are you satisfied with the results? Think About It!
One last thing:
After the success of the “Personal Branding – Your Avatar is Important – Stick to It!”post – we have been presented with a lot of questions that have led us to develop this interesting survey (results of which will be shared upon completion). Thank you for taking 2 min of your time to help us out. Click here to take survey
Great post John.
If you step back and think about it, its amazing that CV’s have lasted as long as they have. I got my five reasons why it’s over for the Curriculum Vitae:
1. Data Currency – out of date as soon as you click ‘send’
2. Data Accuracy – as you mentioned, you wrote it AND it’s a sales document!
3. Data Presentation – there is no uniform method of presenting the data. This is a serious problem for people who have to process a lot of CV’s in a short period of time
4. Data Protection – you lose control as soon as it leaves your inbox. Check the T & C’s of any job board before you register – you will find that you have agreed to have your CV butchered/amended any which way they see fit.
5. Data Disintermediation – online resources (the blogs, LinkedIn, Twitter et al) all for employers and jobseekers to directly interact – without need for an agent or a job board.
How long are you going to give it?
For more of this topic, see my blog post on it a couple of months ago.
http://wisemansay.co.uk/2010/08/13/5-reasons-why-linkedin-is-a-cv-killer/
Thanks for the GREAT value added in your comment – this is perfectly complimentary and emphasizes further on why the CV-days are coming to an end!
I’m no Dr :), but i would say that it only has a 3-4 years before it kicks the bucket!
Hi John,
I certainly agree with your take on social media and personal branding however, your perception of a resume authored by the individual or possibly an unqualified resume writer is in no way a reflection of the resumes that I produce as a Certified Professional Resume Writer, which have contained my client’s Linkedin address for over 2 years. My expertise and credibility is acknowledged by top recruiters and I hold a wide range of certifications including, Certified Personal Branding Strategist. A professional, accomplishment based resume submitted for a specific position is an introduction to an online profile and may be competing with a few hundred others to get noticed for approximately 20 to 30 seconds of scrutiny, whereas an online search will likely produce millions of results not worth pursuing. A blog post or Linkedin profile of a currently employed individual is unlikely to relay they are actively seeking a new position. HR Professionals and Recruiters will always follow up with references and online profiles but initially, the opportunity to scan and review resumes still provides the most efficient process of elimination.
Hi Martin,
let me start off by thanking you for leaving a constructive comment. I certainly meant no disrespect for your profession, but I can see that your CV writing has evolved to include LinkedIn profile links … this confirms the evolution intended by my post.
HR Professionals need to divert their attention to online screening. A CV can no longer suffice in choosing the right candidate for the job. Earlier int he days, it used to be an exception if one held a Masters or and MBA, or some other postgraduate qualification – now everyone has them. You worked for top multinationals, i did too … you speak three languages, i do too … you see where i’m going with this? CVs no longer reflect an individual’s competitive edge! You need to scratch more than just the shiny surface, I need to know your brand and how it perceived by others. If you think that poses a tougher job for HR Managers, well just imagine the cost savings made on hiring and firing and going through the learning curve!
As a jobseeker and having used a professional resume writer a couple years ago, I can tell you that the resume is merely a screening document for HR departments. My experience so far has been to stay away from HR for those exact reasons you mentioned above. They are looking at a piece of paper and judging it by amount of keywords they are looking for. Are they even looking you up on-line? Not the traditional folks I’ve been dealing with. In any case, I still send a copy of my resume with my social networks and blog clearly on them. I screen companies. If they aren’t asking for more than a resume, the culture may not be for me.
My success has been with people! People who know me, friends, colleagues, friends of friends, etc. Personal connections trump resume posting boards anytime. I’m even ready to say that Monster and Careerbuilder must think of new business models because they aren’t very useful anymore. (I am getting calls for non-relevant positions and from recruiters with unrealistic job opportunities).
The greatest part of all this is that I’m getting to know some really great people and learning about a lot of new opportunities that are out there. Now to choose the right one, hm probably another blog post on that. 😉
You nailed it Anna – I wanted to discuss in a future post about the business module of companies like Monster, Careerbuilder, and Bayt … frankly, it baffles me to think that such modules would function in a world that has LinkedIn – they are certainly a dying breed too!
As to how choose the right opportunity, well as you said, it might need a blog post as well 🙂 All the luck and positive vibes from my end Anna
Hi John, the CVs you describe have been extinct for some time in the markets in which I work. As a resume writer, and marketing professional, Martin’s comments regarding the resumes created by professionals are right on target. Today’s well written resume is not a boring dissertation of duties or graveyard of career history but a highly targeted marketing document that clearly illuminates a professional’s brand. The resume is aligned with online profiles to ensure a consistent brand.
In the US, employment law has not yet caught up with new media, and while we know employers do google searches for candidates they are not allowed to make hiring decisions based on the information (and yes they do it anyway). It is the reason visual resumes have not grown in popularity, candidates here cannot even include a photo on their resume. Different than your experience, employers and clients would not take to well to “just google me.”
I understand your underlying point that the old way of presenting and selling yourself is outdated and agree but in some places the resume has already been reinvented and is not extinct but has been given new life.
Nice article, John. I agree with you that personal branding is on the rise but don’t agree that it means the death of the traditional CV. For instance, a job seeker asked for a CV by the HR dept of his desired company should not tell the manager to look him/her up online.
I believe this would be a rude way to start, even if the prospective job seeker has a very attractive personal brand online. Also head hunters require a resume submission to consider any applicant for available positions. However, integrating your personal brand into your CV via social media links could better serve as a booster & i think should be preferred over cover letters.
Personal Branding via blogs & social media is indeed the future of professional accreditation but i don’t think the CV is going into extinction any time soon.
found your site on del.icio.us today and really liked it.. i bookmarked it and will be back to check it out some more later
Hi John, I agree with some of the others that the resume is a useful first step. I always used an achievement based CV, and I always edit it based on the job I’m applying for, making the document dynamic. That said, you know I love personal branding! I think the CV is the exclusionary document. If you don’t pass the basic muster on the CV test, you’re out, but if you do, you get looked up online. Like many, I’ve gotten hired based on my online profiles and networking, but the CV to answer the basic “who is this woman?” is a good tool.
Great article!
John,
Thank you for a thought-provoking and original post. As soon-to-be graduates of the University of Southern California, my classmates and I have had job searching and perfecting our personal brands on our minds often. Your post offers a fresh and welcome take at traditional résumés. I have discussed résumés and social media quite often in my Public Relations classes and have come to find that résumés and CVs are experiencing not quite extinction but an evolution. By using the same information that you put in a résumé but modernizing the vehicle, they can become personalized and eye-catching, fixing several of the reasons you listed as why they are going extinct. Although LinkedIn does offer a more modern approach, I still believe that a lot of times, it is just an electronic version of the same boring CV.
My question for you is, do you believe that there is still a place for résumés if they are creative? For example, a creative classmate submitted a résumé for an social media internship earlier this year. Instead of submitting a traditionally formatted résumé, she created one using her Twitter account and handed in a screenshot. She took the time and effort to list her accomplishments, while tailoring it to the company she was applying to; she got the job. She used this the same way she used a résumé, but added much more creativity. Do you believe this can be of any use as a way to stand out from other job applicants in the future or do you think employers will stop looking at résumés in general? I would love to hear your opinion on this, because it is a very interesting subject to me. Thanks again for a great post!
Hilary, thanks for a very thought-provoking comment. If i were to answer your question with one word, it would have to be UNIQUENESS. Daring to be different is the key to success and however you decide to deliver this uniqueness reflects your creative nature. CVs have to evolve! You could question if Social Media serves as an extension tool for the traditional CV, or an EXTINCTION tool. In my opinion it’s a bit of both … it’s an evolution (in CVs) to cater for a revolution (in Social Media).
One thing is certain, standalone CVs (regardless of their creativity) is a dying concept. You can never trust the face value of a CV, for all I know, you had a professional write it for you, besides, what does it really say about YOUR BRAND … Personal Branding on the other hands allows me to understand how you think, how people perceive your brand, and much more …
Think of a a standalone CV as a slug, vulnerable to any attack … a CV plus a well developed Personal Brand is more like a snail – more solid, and much tougher!
Hope this answers your question Hilary, and once again, I thank you for your sincere interest and great comment.
Hi!
Personal branding is a 3D-CV.
CV refers only to historical data (which tasks the worker did).
Personal branding gives an overview of the network of the person, his future plans, values, …
Personal branding is not the opposite of CV, it is simply more complete.
Studies have shown that among the factors of successful recruitment, experience does not happen first. The first factor is talent.
This is where the factual resume does not really interest.
Finally, the Personal Branding can be expressed in a highly personalized way more than a resume (obeying standards of writing).
I agree a lot with what is said but I believe that the CV will never become extinct. It’s like newspapers people like something that is tangible, something which they can touch. I say this as both an employer and employee.
However the importance of Linkedin and other social media platforms is clear. You make connections within your sector, the recommendations are there in front of you, you get a feel for the person and if they will be a company fit.
Using all elements can build the prospects brand influence which will only make the employer more likely to buy!