Multimedia Resumes the way of the future?

If you are job searching and you know are a qualified candidate and are turned down, it maybe for the simplest reasons including not having the right buzz words or the fact that there are many other resumes that are similar to yours. One way to differentiate your resume from others might very well be a different form of resume such as a multimedia resume. What would one such resume look like? A multimedia resume would allow you to include photographs, samples of your work, videos, or even a social profile. By adding photo or videos on to the multimedia resume, it will get more attention from potential employers. Ultimately, the idea of creating a multimedia resume is to captivate recruiters and effectively communicate your qualification and fit to the position you are applying for.

How effective can a multimedia resume be? It actually depends on how well it is created. For example, if a video was used, the effectiveness of the video is largely dependent on the content and how it was made. If the video is done correctly, it can tell a recruiter that this candidate is a professional and was able to articulate what they do best. Please do take a look at an example of a multimedia resume for this particular individual at http://bemycareercoach.com/wp-content/uploads/video-resume.png

Another important way to spice up and distinguish your resume from others is the inclusion of infographics. Infographics are images that captures and helps illustrate certain points of an individual in a quick glance. In a way, it provides a more visually stimulating overview of the candidates’ experience and qualifications.  See example at http://bemycareercoach.com/wp-content/uploads/infograph-resume.png

Finally, creating a social media profile (on Linkedin) or creating a personal site allows others to see who you are connected to as well as way for you to really show case what you can do. For example having a blog or personal site allows candidates to showcase their writing and communication skills, and even work they have done such as a portfolio of projects. Before jumping into creating your own multimedia resume do consider the following Dos and Don’ts.

• Do - keep update the resume so that it looks fresh and updated.
• Do - Share the links as much as you can. You can create short, customized, memorable links pointing to the shareable version of the multimedia resume.
• Do - Protect privacy- don’t include private information on the resume.
• Do – clean up your social media profile (including deletion of certain comments or pictures)
• Do - dress professionally when making a video
• Don’t - have a messy or noisy background
• Don’t - have offensive background images

Are Multimedia Resumes the way of the future?

To answer that question, it can be. However given the fact that our society is becoming more and more dependent on technology and the fact that we are more socially connected (using technology), I don’t see how it cannot be.