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Permalink Reply by Michael Krug on August 20, 2007 at 3:36pm

I personally like the way resumes look in Europe and Asia. Candidates tend to venture outside of the typical resume templates that we see here in the U.S. by adding a picture or something creative that catches the eye of a recruiter. I'm not sure how your views are, but I always like to put a face with a name. Due to EEOC issues, and cetain ATS processes, these resumes have a hard time making it in the door.

This is just my 2 cents.

-Mike

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Permalink Reply by MICHAEL HOLLEY SMITH on August 21, 2007 at 9:46am

My view from writing resumes for 30+ years and creating a new art form (bioblogs) for resumes is that they are dreadfully dull and uninformative. Photos are not a good idea for various and obvious reasons (the EEO of the 70s killed that idea and bad taste should be the final nail in the coffin). But really talented people cannot be put under the thumb of ATS processes or computerized scanning; I mean, living human characters should take priority over the mechanization of the process of finding people. After all, employers hire people, not skills, and it's creative character at work that counts . . . so logically it follows that resumes need to break out of the old outdated mode of presenting experience/education/other and concentrate on the person's unique character. The only way I can see achieving this is through graphics; thus, bioblogs. Take a look at some at my blog: 1stbioblogger.wordpress.com or bioblogger.typepad.com and you'll see what I mean. How European are these, do you think? Here's a sample attached.

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• Bioblog.jpg, 143 KB

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Permalink Reply by Michael Krug on August 31, 2007 at 3:57pm

Michael,

You hit the nail on the head! I would much rather prefer seeing a high level of creativity that goes into a resume (like your bioblog) versus the old template of skills, exp, education, etc. My quesiton to you, is why haven't we seen more like this?

Mike

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Permalink Reply by MICHAEL HOLLEY SMITH on September 2, 2007 at 9:29am

Because the status quo is supported by the old guarde (personnel directors cum HR managers) who would rather keep things the old ways for their own good and interests. What people who are really worth the money and who are looking for jobs (better or new ones, or just want to be looked at by other companies) need to do is think of the matter of resumes from their perspective, not the systematic ones of employers' and their impersonal processes. In other words, if you have to jam the system with a bioblog (maybe even mail it!), do it; don't let the system determine what you look like in a highly competitive environment.
With regard to bioblogs, they are so new that most people have never heard of them. That's my problem, of educating and informing a marketplace of something new. Revolutionary, actually. For instance, of 70 million blogs, my 3 are the only ones dealing with the niche subject of bioblogs. Now that you know about them, you are one of a dozen (unless you count the books that have sold, which doesn't necessarily reflect a number of readers).

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