Hey there, campers!  Did you think I left you?  Nah, it’s not that easy to get rid of me.  For the last 10 days, I’ve been at a lakeside cabin in Tennessee.  Not a bad life.  We just don’t get any cell phone access there, and to use the internet, you have to dial up long distance.  I worked off and on for a few days, but I didn’t get around to blogging.  Plus, I didn’t want to make you jealous with a list of all my exotic “adventures.”  Tennessee sure is a rowdy place, you know.

I’m catching up on my reading this week, and I noticed that Zoe linked to a Scoble entry in which he talks about a Yahoo! recruiter who worked him for a few months:  Yahoo recruiter wants my resume.  It seems Scoble does not think a prolific blogger like him needs a resume.  Robert, you are a very nice guy, but everyone needs a resume.  You may not have needed one to score your most recent job (congrats, by the way!!), but a resume is an important document to have on hand.  And not everyone has a wikipedia entry written about them.  (And most hiring managers and recruiters couldn’t give two flips about what wikipedia has to say about a person.  Like it or not, resumes are a necessary tool for mere mortals.)

I’ve always kept my resume up-to-date, whether I was looking for a job or not.  I recommend people start with a suitable format, and subtract and add to the content periodically.  I usually update mine every 3 months or so.  That way, recent accomplishments are fresh on my mind, and I can regularly take out old or obsolete info and add in the new highlights.  I’ve used my resume to craft and update my bio, showcase my experience to new leadership with my employers (when asked, of course), and yes, throw my hat in the ring for potential job opportunities (back in the day).  When I was at Microsoft, I changed jobs about once per year, and each time, I had to submit a resume.  It’s just the process; it’s nothing personal.

I know where Scoble is coming from though.  I would never expect Scoble to apply for a job through a resume submission tool; I'm sure recruiters present decent job opportunities to him from time to time, and if he saw a job he wanted, he could work his connections to get noticed.  He should also expect to get past the initial discussion stage without a resume.   A good recruiter should be able to understand enough of his skills and experience to pair him with the right job.  But after that, it's time to break out the trusty resume.

Resumes are the currency required in obtaining most jobs … whether you are entry level or a senior executive.  Again, it’s just the reality; it’s nothing against you.  Think of this way … Everyone else you are competing against (and yes, you are always competing against something or someone) has a nice tidy, 2-page documents highlighting why they are so great.  To not create and distribute the same “I am a great” document just puts you at a disadvantage.  And I can’t image what most hiring managers or interviewers would say if the recruiter announced, “Today we are interviewing John.  He doesn’t have a resume, but here’s a link to his blog.  Good luck.”  To expect that a blog or a wikipedia entry could substitute for a resume document long-term is just foolish.  Blogs are excellent supplements, but they are certainly not replacements.

But don’t take it from me.  I read three great entries today on the value of resumes. 

The Marketing Headhunter says:

We all have to work within a system.  Nobody's above it.  In fact, if you're self-employed, you probably need a fresh, hard hitting, credential-rich resume more than anyone -- along with a believable story as to why you would consider going back "in-house." . . .  Even if your blog rocks, part of being an acquirable "microbrand" is knowing that when the right opportunity arises, you must be able to capitalize on it without giving your suitor pause to wonder what kind of "target" refuses to jot down their credentials on paper.  If you're above that, what else are you above?

Michael Specht  agrees: 

Yes you need a resume if you are applying for a job. However if the recruiter is contacting you and you are a public figure in your industry you should at least be able to have initial meetings and discussions without a resume.

And Heather writes in her comments: 

Even with people that we do know, we often don't know everything about their work history, education, etc. So the resume helps focus the conversation.

Also, legally, companies are required to track the people that apply and having the resumes in a database is how they do this. Also, the resume is searchable and helps the recruiter match the person to the role.

I think not having a resume in the preliminary conversation is fine, especially if the person has a specialized skill set that we are actively trying to recruit (versus them applying). If the person wants us to fly them out for interviews (or invest in a day of interview time), and they won't put together a resume of some sort, that would show me that they aren't really serious about the opportunity. Also, if they refuse to put together a resume, I start to think about potential difficulty managing the person (what else won't they do) and how the heck we would get through offer negotiations.

The concept that someone's web presence is a substitute for a resume, to me, doesn't make sense. First, I think of all the other "Heather Hamiltons" out there that aren't me. Plus, I don't have control over what people say about me, where I do have control over what I put on my resume. To me, this practice of refusing to write a resume says "I think I am too important to take the time to put together a resume so I expect you to invest YOUR time in researching me". Hello....red flag! Ego alert!

Seriously, I understand that if you have an existing relationship with the (entire) hiring team, a resume may not be that important, but that's not how most people get their jobs. But at some point where ones dream company comes calling (or even one that has a better opportunity than what the person currently has), it's time to dust off the resume.

So if your name isn't (or even if it is!) Robert Scoble, I would highly recommend you have a trusty resume on hand.  Yeah, yeah, it's a pain, but I didn't create the rules.  Until something changes (and I don't see it changing too soon), the resume is a way of life.

It's nice to be back,

gretchen