Marketing Yourself Outside the Box

I was thinking about building an e-Portfolio (since I made sure to collect all the PDFs of stuff I worked on on co-op). Do you have any recommendations for sites, or is it worth the money to buy my own domain and harass my designer friends to help me build it?

That's the second time I've read Penelope's quote about video resumes and besides making me laugh outloud, I'm inclined to agree. There's also a lot of potential legal issues based on discrimination that could factor into video resumes. That's not to say you can't be creative and NOT put yourself on camera, but then why not just write it down on paper? I think there's something to be said for the ease and efficiency with which paper resumes can be processed, passed around, etc.

Danielle:

You can buy a domain name for as little as $8.95 per year on GoDaddy. There's free web hosts for simple sites all over the net. Harassing your designer friends is also free. I say go for it.

I also hear what you're saying about video resumes. They definitely have their flaws. It's such BS that we have to worry about things like discrimination in these situations.

-Paugh

It may be BS from a social, you-and-me standpoint but there are certainly people out there who could be completely not qualified for a job but then choose to sue a company based on some BS assumption that it was because they were of the wrong race/sex/age/beauty quotient/etc. It's BS but it happens.

Danielle:

Excellent point. Anyway you look at it, it's BS that be have to worry about these things. Oh well…

-Paugh

Please no video resumes! I'm a hiring manager and I have to sort through hundreds of resumes for every job we advertise. I spend 30 seconds on many, a minute or two on the more promising ones. I'd be really annoyed if I received a video resume and I wouldn't watch it; the best case scenario is that I'd ask my assistant to contact you for a traditional resume, but I might not even bother with that. Disagree with my persepctive on this if you want, but know that many hiring managers are going to feel the same as me and you'll be doing yourself a disservice with lots of us.

Agreed.

Nice post.

Ask a Manager:

I hear where you're coming from and I don't disagree with you. In fact, I thought about mentioning that in this post. Penelope Trunk brought it up in the same article I referenced above.

What can I say? I'm passionate about new ideas and I'm not a hiring manager so I know little about the hassles of your day-to-day routine.
I'm also a little biased because I used to be a video major.

Thanks for bringing up an excellent point.

-Paugh

Ask a Manager's point makes me wonder about some of the fundamental differences between how GenY thinks about communication and how "the rest of us" do. Not to oversimplify, but one of the basic philosophies behind conventions like blogs, wikis, podcasts, YouTube, etc. is this: "I'm going to build something and put it out there; you can go get it if you want to, and do with it what you will." I'm not criticizing that at all; it has created and continues to create richer experiences, both online and off. But it does seem to conflict in some areas: in this example, recruitment. Recruiters don't want to have "go get" information, and they're probably not even willing to meet a candidate halfway; they have an overstuffed Inbox and a deadline to get a position filled.

Sean

That is because there is not nearly enough emphasis placed on the importance of recruiting and more importanly retaining. HR workers almost always take a back seat to the Finance or Marketing people. Obviously, the Finance and marketing folks drive the actual bottom line numbers. Because the recruiters importance cannot be quantitatively measured, their importance is grossly undervalued. Recuriters should not have overstuffed inboxes and unreasonable deadlines. They should have a mission to bring in the best talent they can, no matter the cost. And ultimately that will help the bottom line more than anything.

Sean:

I also think you're making a mistake by confusing the job of a recruiter and the job of employer. It's absolutely a recruiters job to get information.

-Paugh

Good article, Ryan. This is a topic I've been thinking about recently and even posted on a couple weeks ago at http://www.ihateyourjob.com/your-resume-is-just-like-a-used-cd in a post called, "Your Resume is Just Like a Used CD."

To summarize my point in that post, there are so many resumes, they all look the same, so it's very difficult to stand out in a really meaningful way if your paper resume is what you're counting on. Think outside the box.

Also, JibberJobber has a great series going on right now about the pros and cons of job search blogs. Highly recommended before anyone tries to build one.

Thanks for the link. I started blogging in 2004 and actually kept it from my employer until one day I decided I couldn't hold it in any longer – mostly because the line of work I was in began to embrace Web 2.0 and I wanted them to know I've been a part of the game in my personal life.

In early 2007 I left that company, mostly out of frustration since their idea of web 2.0 technologies, theories and benefits was severely flawed. I opened up and decided to be very transparent on my blog, I love blogging and a job that would involve that in any capacity would be ideal. I've now been here for 3 months and my boss/company owner even subscribes to my site. I'm very glad that I can use my blogging skills in my professional life and not worry about it affecting my personal web expressions… and vice versa.

Me again. I care passionately about getting the right person for the job and I'll put in the time it takes to do it — but sending me is a video resume communicates, "I either don't respect your time or don't understand how this process works." Not attractive in a candidate, especially when it's the first (and probably only) piece of info I'm going to get abou the person.

I have a system for evaluating candidates that works for me (and I know it works, because we make excellent hires), and I want candidates to respect that system and not think that they know better than I do how to fill the position. The system that works for me starts with me getting some basic info about you — whatever you decide to put in your cover letter (which tells me not only the actual info you include but also how you present yourself in writing), and the skills and experiences listed on your resume. That is the info I want at the early stages, and a resume and cover letter are the most efficient way to communicate it to me. Save your creativity for once you're on the job!

One of the things missing here is that Ryan is bringing up new ways to do marketing. But, the marketing is really a package — it's the cover letter, the resume, the networking, and, oh-by-the-way, all these other things that can be done to market ones self to the world.

The key is the execution of what things are done when. If I've done a good job with Ask a Manager with a cover letter and resume, a video sent after an inquiry may make some sense (I personally am at a video resume being an 80% guarantee of not being hired right now…). Working directly with a recruiter means working directly with a recruiter and then, perhaps, pointing the recruiter to the sites.

Specifically on Internet items, most recruiters and/or hiring managers will do an online search for you. So, will they find Facebook fun from college? Or someone who is already displaying the emotional intelligence and skills needed for a position? Your online presence helps when people go looking for you online.

A thoughtful article; thanks.

Nice post! I truly believe that one day, your online identity (blogs, websites, online profiles) will play a bigger role in job searches than resumes… unfortunately, most traditional/corporate companies aren't there yet (except perhaps to "Google' candidates at some point in the hiring process). Until then, write a sharp cover letter and consider including a brief, written (maybe bulleted) profile about yourself and skills at the top of your resume. It's one way to bring the reader into who you are in the present before he/she reviews your past experience.

Also, network sincerely. My friend wrote a blog about how he got hired as a road tester at Road & Track magazine through "living" the job: he loves cars, met other people who love cars, and met even more people who love cars and work for the magazine. He gets paid to drive awesome cars and write about it… crazy

RH and RP, I appreciate the feedback, and I don't want to misrepresent my position: for some companies, some positions, and some HR personnel, video résumés might be the right fit. As RP put it, "… it's a notion I refuse to rebuff, at least without giving it a fair shot."

I suppose what I'm trying to get at is the difference between the philosophy of, "let me be brief and get to the point about what I can offer your company" (which rarely demonstrates the full breadth of a personality) vs. "here's something that represents the complexity of my personality and background really well, and I hope you get out of it what you need in order to understand me and hire me" (which casts a very broad net and may seem like too much information). It's the difference between pushing and pulling the information. Traditional communication (and hiring practices, I suppose) relies on the candidate "pushing" the important points forward; the video résumé asks the recruiter to "pull" the important points out of a larger presentation. Some recruiters are going to bristle at being asked to do all the work, which is how they're going to see it.

I really do like the idea of the video résumé–done concisely and discriminately–as a concept, and while I agree that a recruiter shouldn't have an overstuffed Inbox or unreasonable deadlines, and that they should have the financial backing to bring in the perfect person for every opportunity, that may not be a realistic perspective. For many companies, it's far less expensive to bring in a "close enough" person quickly and train that person using existing staff and training programs.

Since starting my last reply and submitting it, several more comments were posted, and I feel compelled to add just one last thing: I hope I NEVER see the day when my online identity plays a bigger role in my job search. I have to be honest: my personal life and my professional life are very far apart, and I'd hate to be in a position where I felt I couldn't write something I wanted to write about something I felt deeply because it might be used against me during a job interview. Then what fun would Web 2.0 be? Can you imagine, every time you're about to hit that "Submit Comment" button, thinking, "now, is this going to affect any job prospects I've got cooking?"

Thank you very much, but I think I'll keep my professional persona in the office and my personal persona at home. I'm not ready to "belong to the world" (or the recruiters) just yet.

I'm going to reiterate something that I posted earlier: Should you use your true name online?

I was motivated to talk about this again in response to Jovie Badayon's post about one's online identity serving a larger and larger role in the recruiting process.

How then do you seperate your personal life from your business life?

I don't care what anyone says about making your career mirror your personal passions. There are some things that are better kept secret. Your employer doesn't need to know about your drunken one-night-stand on your vacation last year. But this is the sort of thing you might want to laugh about with your friend on your personal blog.

Where do you draw the line?

I'm not judging (much). I'm just curious.

Regards,
Scott M. (no last name)

Scott, at least you're giving us an "M" initial … you're a braver man than I am.

"I don't care what anyone says about making your career mirror your personal passions. There are some things that are better kept secret. Your employer doesn't need to know about your drunken one-night-stand on your vacation last year. But this is the sort of thing you might want to laugh about with your friend on your personal blog."

This now gets into an entirely new debate – using your real name when blogging, or not. Sooner or later people will find out who you are anyway whether it be by Whois lookups, Google or Facebook searches. Anonymity can exist in the blogging world, and I truly enjoy some blogs out there that I'm really not sure are complete fiction or not.

I chose to put my name out there because I wanted to become a bigger part of the blogging community, especially in Vancouver. I go to conferences, I network, I blog with Wordpress, I do liveblogging etc. I love to meet like-minded people in this area and from all over the world. I'm lucky to say this helps in my professional life as well. I want to put my name on what I produce, it's as simple as that. It's the method, not the content, that translates into my career.

There are many things I still keep private, I don't talk about religion or politics and I never give out my exact location aside from being in the "west end" or "downtown". To each their own, but you must know the consequences, or benefits that come with being 'out there' – or not.

"Sooner or later people will find out who you are anyway whether it be by Whois lookups, Google or Facebook searches."

Not necessarily. I have a MySpace page, but I don't use my real name. I rarely post anything under my real name, except some book and product reviews on Amazon. If you Google my name, you'll get 6 hits on me, all from years ago before I started using a nickname.

All I'm saying is that you have to give some forethought to using tools such as blogging and MySpace and websites. You must tailor these to the audience. If you want a business associate or recruiter to see your blog/web site/ Myspace page ; give them the URL. IF you have a personal blog mostly for friends, Give them the URL. If you leave it up to people to find you using Google, then you give up control of the face you present. And that can be a problem.

Scott M – agreed, people just need to be aware of what they put out there, how and where.

The last several comments have shown a pattern of paranoia about having those embarrassing moments discovered by potential employers.

We as Gen-Yers can't "have our cake and eat it too" when it comes to living secret lives and then boasting about it online. I don't care how evolved, progressive or open minded HR professionals become, an employee with a potentially destructive or headline-catching lifestyle is a liability to almost any organization.

Not to sound too stern here, but if you want to think outside the box, how about living a life that would not cause you to blush if your boss found out? Or, how about letting those job-killing secrets remain secret or keeping those inside jokes inside?

I don't want to suggest that Web 2.0 can't be used to the advantage of the job seeker. However, it has to be done deliberately. For example, you can bet that my full name and genuine contact information are used when I'm posting to professional blogs or wikis related to my career field. As Rebecca and others point out, you can count on getting yourself Googled during the interview process, but don't kid yourself that the potential employer is only going to notice the "good stuff" about you.

And the sword cuts both ways: after you are hired, you might find yourself in a manager/supervisor position where you are responsible for hiring new people. Again, don't kid yourself: the potential hires are also Googling you as soon as they learn your name, and what's out their under your name may affect their perception of the company and what it would be like to work for you.

This might sound like a shameless plug, but Careerbuilder.com just launched a way for you to create your own website. I was just on a team of developers that designed, pitched and implemented CBWorkSpace.

Take a look at mine

If you like it, then build your own. It's pretty simple and free.

You can add:

an Intro
a Resume
as many "Projects" as you need to display your work
and up to two "Attachments" per project

If you have any questions or suggestions, then contact me from my website. Thanks.

I could possibly see a video resume if you are applying for a position as a video editor, etc. But, definitely not for a position like mine in the finance world. Although I would find it very funny to see someone create a video resume as an accountant, they could explain…how to create a balance sheet.

But, otherwise I agree with Ask a Manager, we have been drilled into our minds that recruiters spend less than a minute on each resume. You need to find the best way to attract their attention and let yours stand out. Let others review it and get honest opinions on how to improve it. First impressions could be your only impressions with a prospective employer.

1. People will look at a video resume now because it's a novelty. When they get a hundred of them they won't. Except if they find a text resume interesting and then want a look at the person's presentation skills.

2. Independent contractors get jobs from blogs. Employees don't. Try finding a bunch of them. You won't. The career blog is a myth. It takes too much time.

3. An online profile via LinkedIn or Ziggs is a very good idea

Video Resumes Are Dumb…

Says Crispy Critter. Gerry Crispin "asked hundreds of recruiters" if they will "search and play video resumes". Not one was interested. They take too much time. The idea of video resumes is too exciting, however, for career counselors to drop. Just…

Any mention of video resumes would not be complete without this example of what not to do, as demonstrated by a Yale senior:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7pok0TKDU8