Article Title: How to Resume for Web 2.0
Author Byline: Real-Time Video Job Interviews
Author Website: http://livehire.com

How to Resumes For Web 2.0
Students and job seekers are always told about their need for strong, professional resumes. In fact, dozens if not hundreds of resume resources are available to help job seekers create strong resumes and sell themselves. Today, however, the Internet and web job searches / applications have changed the purpose of the resume as well as the requirements of a strong, standout resume.
The new purpose of the resume is to “earn” the attention of an employer. The Internet, remember, is immediate, high-speed, interactive and current. People who use it have developed a "search-and-retrieve" mentality; they skim rather than read. Today’s standout resume compels th e prospective employer to spend more than 20 seconds reviewing the applicant's skills, assets, and educational background. There is really no longer any room for the niceties of personal data or "individualization."
The candidate should describe his or her work experiences as they relate to the available job and employer; this may mean that job seekers rewrite their resumes for each company to which they apply. To do this effectively, a job seeker must spend the time necessary to know the prospective employer: he or she must review job descriptions and know the software and hardware skills required, know the companies and their general policies, know company locations, discover as much as possible and relate his or her job skills to this knowledge.
Another aspect of the Internet-based resume is its brevity. Resumes don’t need to relate every detail of every task an applicant has ever successfully completed on the job. Instead, the resume is a tool for obtaining an interview; it should reflect what is important to that company, that job, and not incidentals. It is a sales pitch, a marketing proposal: “Check out this candidate!”
Further, a resume should be a specific and concise description of software skills, training, project experience and accomplishments; all of these should be described using business or industry language that asserts the candidate’s fit in the company and the available position. Action terms such as Created, Designed, Increased, Supervised, etc, relate previous experience better than simply restating a prior job description in flat or passive language. The resume should be dynamic and demonstrate accomplishments.
Finally, the resume should be styled with the search and retrieve concept in mind. Strong content labels and clear organization are demonstrative of an applicant’s design and cataloging skills; visual blocking, layout and structure are important in this electronic universe.
Twenty-five years ago, a good resume said, “This is who I am.” Today, a good resume says, “This is what I know and what I can bring to your company’s table.”

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.