The Resume of the Future

The internet, and all of the content about us on there, is quickly becoming the resume of the future, whether or not you want it to be.

I read this blog about how the blog is the new resume. The author writes that a blog represents you, and more and more employers are logging on to the internet to find out more information about you. He writes that a blog can sway a person's opinion of you and that while the information doesn't need to portray you as perfect, it should be honest.

However, I am weary about settling for just honest when it comes to our new online resume, whether it is a personal blog or our myspace page or what have it. People who check you out online aren't going to sit there and analyze what pictures or posts mean, they are going to make a snap judgment most likely. Therefore, I believe it is professionally dangerous to display yourself as anything less than the exact image you want employers to see.

The point is that everything you put out on the internet could be potentially used as an addition to the resume you send HR. This is not all bad, you can use your blog to demonstrate your excellent writing skills and witty nature (like I do here), or you can use your linkedin page to show your additional talents and experience that didn't quite make the one page resume cut.

If you happen to be one of those blog-challenged types, here's a how to guide from youtube. Resumes of the future... here we come!

The Hoi Polloi vs. The Professional

Can a group of undefined, untrained people together equal the skill of one trained professional? This is one of the important questions we must ask when newspapers begin considering "crowdsourcing" their information.


picture from http://iplot.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/crowd_2.jpg

According to this article on wired.com, Gannett (publisher of 90 US newspapers) will implement crowdsourcing as part of an overall restructuring of their newspapers by May. Crowdsourcing depends on the general population to gather information instead of a trained professional. The method is said to cut costs and to create more invested readers.

While I think that newspapers need to do some restructuring in order to keep up with the changing industry... changing of course to be more online-friendly... I am not convinced that crowdsourcing can be a consistent or trustworthy method of news gathering.

Since the general public is not trained to perform this task, they may not know how to and they may not always be truthful. In some situations, it may be useful to have the public help research a story, but crowdsourcing loses value when it becomes a permanent method for all news stories. Newspapers will need to spend a significant amount of time checking facts and confirming details. This seems redundant when they have trained reporters who can do this the first time around.

I am pro user-generated content, but in a forum designed for such content, like this blog for instance. Newspapers and reporters, on the other hand, are designed to deliver the truth and that's exactly how it should stay... on paper or online.

Who is in your crew?

picture from http://www.aolcdn.com/aolr/oceans-13-400a320.jpg

A good crew is as essential to a business as it is to a casino heist. The success of your project depends on the people you have on it. And of course as the saying goes, you're only as strong as your weakest member.

According to this blog at Mind of a Hustler, every good crew must have a few essential players: The Leader, The Brain, The Anchor, and The Soldier (and any other necessary freelancers you must pick up along the way). In my crew, I am obviously the leader, the brains, and the pretty one ... oops that wasn't an option.

So what exactly defines these crew members? Well the leader comes up with the whole idea and picks the other people. The brains is all about the strategy and details. The anchor is the one questioning the dubious nature of the plan and preparing for problems, and the soldier is the person behind the action and physical execution. Freelancers would make up for special tasks that you may need, like a code breaker.

What is great about the internet is that now you can access the best crews possible across the world virtually. You can use social networks like Linkedin to find people with the skills and experience you want on your crew. And hey, if they are all the way around the globe... you can always meet in Secondlife! Thanks to the internet, establishing a good crew has never been easier.

Networking...of the job variety

In case you had not heard yet, 7 out of 10 jobs are landed through networking (according to this article in Boston.com). It isn't that hard to believe when you think of it... we always trust people more than paper, and in this situation our friends and fellow employees are more trustworthy than a random resume.

So if you do care a tiny bit about getting a job, or if your parents care enough for both of you, well then it is time to start Networking! The article in Boston.com gives some helpful steps:

Step 1 – Define yourself and what you’re looking for
Step 2 – Define your initial network (friends, family, etc.)
Step 3 - Start in your comfort zone (the people you are closest to)
Step 4 - Expand your network beyond campus
Step 5 - Keep track and keep in touch (thank you notes are always a plus)

The point of networking is to think outside of the box. You may find connections to jobs from people you never thought you would. This is especially important given the current slow economy. Take advantage of all your opportunities.

http://jayderagon.com

Our generation is so used to using the computer that it seems a little scary to get out there and *gasp* speak to people, but whether we are ready or not... networking is the key to securing a job.

Forewarning: Terms like LOL, TTYL, and thanx won't fly in business networking. Remember to always act professional!

P.D.I. (Public Display of Interneting)

So let's say I am at a party and across the room are two happy kids who I am sure have been dating for years and didn't at all just get together that night under the pretenses of alcohol.. but anyways back to the party... so these two kids are making out in the middle of the room. Do I watch? Heck yes I do! And why? Because my theory is that what is done in public is my right to see.

Using that same theory then, what is done over the internet is there for the public right? Well not always. The internet can be another way of communicating amongst friends, and just because someone has a scandalous picture or two doesn't mean they would be a bad employee or anything else.

This blog on switched.com references being able to put up a sort of "do not trespass sign" warning employers that certain things are meant to be private. I think this is a good idea. There are places on the internet that are meant for everybody, and there are places that are just meant for good fun, and shouldn't be subjected to the cross-room party hook up judgment of people like me.

Get job training, and never even go to work? Sign me up! No it is not your fantasy of getting paid to do nothing, it is one of the many practical uses for the online program, Second Life.


According to this article in fastcompany.com, IBM has been using Second Life as a means for training new employees as well as bringing them together with other employees across the world.

In the United States, we're using Second Life to create a mentoring community. So if you're interested in talking to somebody who has 25 years in the business, we've built a connection environment--a social-networking tool where you profile yourself, then meet in Second Life.
~Chuck Hamilton. Director, Center for Advanced Learning, IBM

I think this is one of those good parts of the internet, you know using it for good, not evil. Using Second Life this way is an amazing opportunity for people around the world to not only meet each other, but also to grow and learn from each other. It provides a forum for interaction in a situation where physical space is impossible.

Of course, as with all things, there are risks and downsides. There are questions of security and validity. But in IBM's case, they have found a way to control those risks and use Second Life to their advantage. And that's exactly the way I think the internet should be used.

Internet Brain Drain

Normally I associate the phrase "Nobel Prize Winner" with other phrases like intelligent, innovative, and inspiring. However, when Doris Lessing (new Nobel prize winner) makes a statement that the internet makes us dumb, I question my original associations.

According to this article in TechCrunch, Lessing believes that our generation of internet users is fragmented culturally and stunted mentally. With the use of the internet, we certainly no longer read, and we obviously have no idea what's going on in the world.

WRONG! Personally, the internet has enhanced my mind. For example, I may not have the time to sit down and read the paper, but I can pop onto cnn.com to check the latest news. Or maybe I have just heard about something I am not familiar with, well then there is a remedy for that called wikipedia. The internet has increased my knowledge, not limited it.

Whatever Lessing's intentions were in this speech, whether or not she was really trying to demean a generation, the reality is that the internet, like any form of communication, can be used for both good and evil. But the internet itself is not capable of making us dumb, and if used correctly it can open up a whole new world of knowledge for us.