The JobSyntax Blog is currently participating in BlogSwap with other bloggers interested in recruiting-related issues.  Each week during BlogSwap, another blogger will post to JobSyntax about topics that should be of interest to our readers, and we'll write posts for different audiences on other sites.  It should be a fun experiment, and we hope you discover fun new content!

Our third guest blogger is Louise Fletcher of the Career Hub Blog (which we also participate in).  It's a great resource ... check it out!  And welcome, Louise!  It' s an honor to host you!

I run a career marketing company. My job is to help people spin their backgrounds and looks as good as possible so they get the job of their dreams.

I started out just writing resumes, but then the Internet came along, and recruiters and managers started to google candidates, and it became obvious to me that a resume alone wouldn’t work unless the candidate’s online presence was under control. So I began to offer web portfolios to help job seekers manage their image online.

Then blogs came along, so I started offering blog set-up and design for those who were willing to write ... then it was LinkedIn ... and My Space ... and Squidoo. And then there’s Zoominfo, which doesn’t just rely on user-created content, but which goes out and compiles a profile without your input. It never stops! Every time I think I’ve helped a client get control of his or her online image, something else comes along.

And I wonder what’s worse? Putting too much information online (this guy stays out late every night – he’ll be a whole mess of trouble if we hire him) or being invisible online not enough information (why isn’t this guy showing up in Google? Has he even done anything with his life?)

It seems to me that we are only just beginning to see a glimmer of the first hint of the beginning of the absolute seismic revolution coming our way as a result of this collection of tubes that make up the Internets.

I’m not tech-savvy enough to guess where it’s ultimately all going, but I do think that the days of controlling your own image are disappearing fast. With all this information online, it’s just not going to be possible to neatly package and present yourself with a well-written resume or a nicely designed web portfolio. Because employers know they have access to unfiltered information about you, and they will assume that unfiltered information is more accurate than the pre-packaged stuff you gave them.

In the end, more openness benefits one group of people – those who don’t need to spin their background because they’re doing a fabulous job. If you love what you do, and write a blog about it, or create a Squidoo lens, or answer questions on forums, or write articles, or play a key role on high profile projects, or speak at conferences, or take a leadership role in a professional group, or do any of the things that make you a leader in your field, you will be less likely than ever to lose out to someone less qualified just because they wrote a better resume. But if you don’t take an active role in promoting your self every day, a great resume alone won’t protect you for much longer.