Via LinkedIn, I recently ran across a post from Ryon Harms entitled, "Your Resume Is Dead. Long Live Your Blog!" I have to admit that as a blogger, this provocative title piqued my interest and I had to immediately click through to his blog. Which ultimately achieved what he wanted, right?
Ryon argues that we are in the "hyper-competitive job market of The Great Recession" and that:
Finding a job today is about consistently hitting it out of the park. That means taking advantage of opportunities to do what most of your competitors have not. I suggest you start by rethinking your static two-page resume and starting a blog instead.
But what does this mean in the context of getting hired in Sales or Marketing?
Does having a blog compliment a resume or possibly increase the chance of getting a job? Absolutely! But I don't believe it can replace your resume.
Here's my take on what a blog does for Sales & Marketing candidates:
- Gives Insight Into Expertise and Experience
This is the kind of depth that candidates have been struggling to (while more often than not failing) bring out in the "cover letter". - Shows the "Real" Candidate
A blog gives insight into a candidate's approach, personality and writing style. I cannot stress the importance of the latter enough.
Increasingly Sales is a writing intensive profession (for marketing this goes without saying). Just think of how much business is conducted via email. - Compliments the Resume
Posting your resume "live" on LinkedIn and then linking your blog postings to your Network Updates provides you with future exposure. Hey, with 40+ Million users, LinkedIn is certainly a powerful way for candidates to rise above a static 2-page resume.
Blogs can fill in this "picture" even further. Is this candidate passionate about this topic, field, industry, etc.? Can they stick with something (is the blog 6 weeks old, 6 months or 6 years)? How do they handle differing opinions?
I thought it might be interesting for everyone to take part in a quick poll:
How valuable is a Candidate's blog in your hiring decision?
Here are what a few LinkedIn commenters had to say:
"Very timely and relevant, and I agree wholeheartedly. I'm presently considering a stack of resumes for an SEO position. The ones that include blogs or Twitter accounts are very useful b/c I'm able to get a better, bigger picture of the applicant. Blogs and microblogs allow an applicant to shine in a way that a resume cannot"
"As a search veteran and a guy who reads 60-80 resumes a day I can tell you that a blog plays a very small role in the hiring process. Will it play a bigger role as time goes on? Who knows, but for now I look at the resume, cover letter or email, a LinkedIn profile and maybe a Google search to gather information, and all this only AFTER narrowing the field down to a select handful or candidates. Someone's blog might help or it may rule the candidate out depending on what is written To be honest, a bloggers time is MUCH better spent networking with those that can give me a personal referral and recommendations!"
What do you say?