Proof Positive: The Blog is the New Resume

My friend Rod Boothby got his new job thanks to his blog.  I’m happy for Rod personally, and also because it proves a point I’ve made several  times: resumes are dead. 

Resumes are tailored for a particular job, and let’s face it, often “cosmetically enhanced”.  If you’ve been blogging for years, you certainly did not do it with a particular job in mind; your blog is likely to be a true reflection of who you really are, what you are an expert in, your communication skills, your priorities … YOU as a whole person, not as a candidate for a specific job.  Thus, as Rob concludes:

“…hiring a blogger is a lower risk proposition because you have more information and a better idea of how they are going to perform.”

        Source: Innovation Creators (I don’t have Rod’s charting skills)

I am not in active job search mode, but will likely join a startup one day. Still, I have not updated my resume for the past 2 years or so.  Why should I?  My life is (now) an open book: my blog reveals a lot about my thinking, knowledge (or lack of), and for more facts it points to my LinkedIn profile.  I was recently approached by a stealth startup… great, I thought, they must have found me through my blog, that’s a good start. But then they asked me to submit a resume, and I lost interest.   If the blog is not enough common grounds for a conversation, then I don’t trust this Founder is hiring the right people, so why would I be interested?

Now, I don’t deny the importance of resumes in certain situations, typically in larger businesses and for documentation, background check ..etc purposes, but that’s *after* there is a level of interest.  

Tom Peters has been saying for years:

“Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You”  

It’s never been easier to build that Brand Called You: if you’re still not doing it, what are you waiting for?  Start your blog today!