Resume - No longer the talent showcase

Over the last couple of days, I've gone through two friends' resumes.

Note, both of them are current and former recruiters. They are also extremely dynamic and professional people.

However, the personality that the resumes exuded about them was that they were pretty staid and conservative.

And then it struck me. The resume is a staid and conservative document!
Everybody errs on the side of caution to not "mess up" the resume and somewhere the individual's unique voice is lost.

The other reason is that job seekers now are starting to understand that resumes are no longer the only way to showcase your talent and expertise.

Earlier, you really had to be well connected to be recognised as an expert in your field. You needed to have spent a fair amount of time in the industry, and schmooze with the publishers of the trade magazines. Now, of course, with free personal websites and blogs, that entry barrier is plunging. (I mean, one can get a job like this, and one can get nicknames like this!)

Trade associations are also splintering and sub groups are forming their own associations. Conferences are being held and there is a desperate scramble for people who have "done something substantial" to address them.

Educational institutes are asking people to address their students. That means branding oneself as the "guru" before tomorrow's workforce.

With the rise of email connectivity your expert is just a search engine away. Who needs to maintain the old rolodex ?

Which brings us back to the earlier question. If there are so many avenues to showcase one's talents and snag a job, who needs a resume? Soon resumes might be reduced to the ritual of being filled when are person joins a firm, because the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) has a space marked with an asterisk for it :-)

Oh OK, wishful thinking. That's not going to be happening anytime soon.