I heard through the grapevine that the days of the traditional CV are numbered…. However, some recruiters and career development consultants say the CV is not dead yet and it’s still not quite time to drop this carefully crafted, battle-tested document. Others say that LinkedIn profile has surpassed it in terms of importance to modern job seekers. Where’s the truth?
Sherlock ….we should investigate…
The Curriculum Vitae. That all-important sheet or more of paper that represents your first ever point of contact with a potential employer- an extension of your professional self that comprehensively shows and highlights your professional talents and accomplishments, as well as your skills, education, previous roles, and abilities. However, now it becomes overshadowed by a possibility of having a fresh and exciting LinkedIn profile.
For many professionals, CVs are static documents that are dusted off and updated only when they begin a new job hunt. LinkedIn profiles are dynamic and always changing. CVs also capture less personality than LinkedIn profiles.
With the LinkedIn platform, you’re able to pull in different media and channels into your online CV that was previously impossible. It allows you to show how unique you are and helps you to showcase your best skills and abilities in a creative way. LinkedIn has the 30 million strong network and is quickly becoming the ‘second stop’ on any potential employer’s checklist when short listing candidates.
The best strategy is ‘fusion’. We can combine the power of the traditional CV and LinkedIn profile by simply having both up to date and sharp. Compelling is the word to keep in mind here.
Are we getting anywhere yet? We have found that a complete LinkedIn profile is not an option anymore, it’s a standard requirement (most people reading will know that already!). But so is the activity of engaging; there are still many members who might visit LinkedIn once or twice a week or less, whereas we’d recommend a daily presence and engagement plan, in order to get noticed and attract fresh opportunities to you as a candidate.
LinkedIn, despite it’s tendency to tinker with its own features, is a fantastic tool and should not be ignored. The question is how to enhance your headline, summary and the tone of your LinkedIn profile so that it’s different and unique. This is key to standing out from your competition, and to persuading readers/influencers/hiring managers to reach out for an interview!
Recruiters and employers in general think LinkedIn is a perfect way of finding candidates. LinkedIn is a huge database and by using relevant key words they can quickly find the people they need. If they look you up what will they find? A partly completed profile or nothing at all? If you are not found at all, what message are you giving to the recruiter? Perhaps that you are a tech-dinosaur (which isn’t cute any more, sorry!) and other negative impressions? If you aren’t found online your application may not be taken further, do you want to take this risk?
As with everything else, knowledge is power. You need to know how to optimize and make the most of your LinkedIn profile, and that means spending hours on the internet hunting for information and soon feeling as tired as the hungry contestants of ‘The Island’ with Bear Grylls (Survival TV programme). Or is there a quicker and a smoother way?
Make sure you tell the right story online!
