Are Resumes a Thing of the Past

Are Resumes a Thing of the Past Dear Coach Wolfgang, Is the resume a thing of the past? Thanks for the question. Lately, Ive been hearing people I respect dismiss the resume as an irrelevant tool in todays electronic and online age. The argument says that all a candidate needs today is a LinkedIn profile. Lets look at that statement. I think what this really means is that all a hiring manager or recruiter needs is enough information on social networks to determine if you should be invited for an interview or not. I believe that times are changing and the resume isnt relied on as heavily as it was in the past. I also feel that social networks are used quite a bit for candidate sourcing and screening. The most prominent example is how companies and recruiters use LinkedIn to find candidates. Its a social world and job seekers have to embrace the way social networks have changed job hunting.Regardless of changing times, however, a resume is still a table stake for professionals seeking a new job. The resume isnt dead but it is no longer the lone tool used in the job application. LinkedIn is actually more important for two reasons: LinkedIn profiles are reviewed as much if not more than a resume. LinkedIn is used to find candidates and not showing up in a search can be considered a red flag. So keep your resume up-to-date; by no means is it a thing of the past. More importantly, realize that the information on your resume needs to be available on social networks, particularly LinkedIn. A modern resume now takes a few different forms. What will the resume look like in 5 years? It will be interesting to find out.