In a recent blog post on his site, The Social Executive, Ryon Harms posted an article titled: Your resume is dead, long live your blog!

The article created quite an interesting amount of feedback from job seekers, recruiters and other career-minded individuals. In fact, it sparked so much interest that Harms wrote a follow-up to the original article, titled Round II: Your resume is dead, long live your blog!

The feedback on both articles was interesting and opinions varied greatly. While I think blogs can be a great tool, I disagree with the comments made by Harms. And it’s not just because I am a professional resume writer. It’s because well, I know from talking to many recruiters and hiring managers over the years, that they hardly have enough time to thoroughly read a candidates resume, let alone a blog.
Although, after doing some research, I did change my opinion on how a blog can be a boost to one’s career and show them as an expert in their field. However, that is often the exception. Blogs take time, and if not maintained or done professionally, they can cause more harm than good.

But instead of rely on my own opinion, I decided to ask a few recruiters and hiring experts the same question:

When it comes to needing a resume or writing a blog – what will be more valuable in the future? Is the resume dead? Is a blog the wave of the future?

Here is what they had to say:

Tony Nelson, TBN Consulting
“Comparing apples to oranges here, resumes and blogs will both have their place within the job search/hiring process,” says Nelson, president of TBN Consulting LLC, a Minneapolis-based search firm for professionals within the marketing profession. “However, I don't see blogs replacing resumes or resumes replacing blogs at anytime.”

Nelson continued: “A resume should be used as a one-to-one selling tool set up to inform a specific potential employer of your specific skills that are relevant to their specific employment needs. It should cover relevant experience, employers, successes, education, interests and may even reference a relevant blog. But it should also be easy to follow and concise (KISS theory). The hiring manager should be able to pick up a resume and immediately determine if the candidate has the background needed for a specific job and then used as a reference guide during an interview.”

A blog is a communication vehicle in regards to a topic of interest to a broader group of people, says Nelson.

“A blog may help display your knowledge and passion toward a specific job or topic of interest. A blog may also be useful in allowing potential employers to find you and get you invited to the table for an interview. However, when it comes time to actually apply for a position a resume will still be the tool used throughout the process to provide an outline of your past work experience, employers, education and success.

Nelson finished by saying resumes and blogs are “two great vehicles that can be used during a job search, but two tools that should be used for different purposes.”

Steven Rothberg, Founder of CollegeRecruiter.com
“I do not believe that resumes will be replaced by blogs anymore than resumes have been replaced by interviews, executive search firms, job boards, or other sourcing tools,” says Rothberg. “They are not mutually exclusive. Blogs when well written, contain voluminous amounts of information about a candidate. That very trait is why they are helpful because recruiters doing keyword searches are more apt to find a blogger than someone with only a faint digital footprint but no recruiter is going to read every word from a potential candidate's voluminous blog as it is simply too time consuming.

Rothberg continued: “Resumes are sales documents that summarize a candidate's past accomplishments to help recruiters gain a quick understanding as to whether that candidate is likely to be well-qualified for certain work to be performed in the future. They take seconds to scan while well-written blogs take hours to read. In short, they serve different purposes and compliment each other.”

Lissa Weimelt, Principal of The Hiring Experts
Lissa Weimelt, Principal of The Hiring Experts, a Twin Cities Retained Search firm, says that although blogging is rapidly gaining in popularity, blogs aren’t able to replace resumes in most companies. Most large companies store resumes in an applicant tracking system (ATS) which retains them through name, job title, salary or key words. Smaller companies store resumes in Efiles or simply print them for a current or future vacancy.

“Blogs cannot be stored in this manner,” says Weimelt. “A candidate solely relying on a blog instead of a resume might be noticed once, but the risk not being stored or found again is high.”

There are ways to draw an employer’s attention to your blog, says Weimelt. Provide a link to it on your resume. On your resume, under activities or memberships, note that you read blogs that are relevant to your career or interests. That also signals you are tech-savvy.

But Weimelt issues a caution on blogs or resumes: “Blogs by nature are chatty, a bit irreverent, or have content that makes them stand out from the crowd,” she says. “In the serious world of employment, that can backfire. Make sure your blog, just like your clothes for the interview, or your message on your cell phone, is appropriate to any employer who wants a risk-free hire. Also, blogs take time. An employer who doesn’t blog doesn’t want to wonder how much time you will waste at work blogging on their dime.”

What’s your thought? Will the resume be replaced by a blog? I say no, never. What do you say and why?

At the top of the resume is the applicant’s name and contact information. This includes current address, telephone or cell number, and email address. If any of these changes, so must the information at the top. Nothing is more frustrating for a company than rejecting an applicant simply because the person’s contact information is not up to date and they cannot contact the person.

Education on a resume is an important thing to list so that the company can see what degree(s) the applicant holds and from what college or university. If the applicant does not have a degree or if the degree is in progress then the applicant will choose to either leave this blank (which is acceptable for the applicant without a degree) or list the degree desired and then list that this degree is in progress. Commonly, the applicant will list the year of graduation and the GPA.

The meat and potatoes of the theatre resume are a list of the shows, companies, and positions held at each production. It is best to use only the shows worked on in the past three years; however, if periods of inactivity make the list a little light, going back further may be necessary.
If it can be avoided, it is best not to include shows done in college or high school, unless the applicant just started college or just graduated from college. However, depending on the upcoming show, previous work on the same show with a different company can be mentioned on the resume so that the employer will see that you have familiarity with the script. This sort of familiarity is always welcomed even though each production of the same show will inevitably be different.

Mentioning other areas of involvement is important as well. If the majority of the resume is involved in lighting for example, but the applicant as done dramaturgy, sound, run crew, carpentry, etc, then that is just as valuable to the resume as the lighting experience. As any theatre professional knows, applying for one position may not land, however, if other positions for the same show are available and they see the applicant has experience in other positions needed, the applicant may be hired for a different area.

Listing related skills or special abilities in a theatre resume is also valuable. Mentioning skill like welding, working with a myriad of light boards, software, sound equipment, painting techniques, fight scene choreography, or any certificates or titles held are vital to informing the company of the scope of the applicant’s ability. Familiarity with Microsoft office suite, Outlook, a valid driver’s license or a CDL license, as well as model making or PR work are also things an applicant lists in a separate area titled other skills. The other skills area is an opportunity to list skills that are utilized in areas beyond theatre, or personal hobbies, which will assist in giving the company a well-rounded sense of the applicant.

Any awards, scholarships, fellowships, and internships are to be listed in the applicants resume. Acknowledgment for achievements made in theatre assist greatly in the applicant’s resume, as they create a boost in credibility and validity in the applicant’s quality. The applicant should list the internship or award, then, list when and with which company it was held.

Contacts and recommendations are necessary items in the tech theatre resume as well. These contacts should be persons with which the applicant as a great report. Recommendations, as requested, are sent via the postal service or via email as an attachment only. Contacts are listed as name first, title, company the contact works for, and phone number. The applicant an the contact are to agree on the most appropriate phone number to use, as not everyone is comfortable with giving out a home phone number or a cell phone number.

Every theatre professional’s resume will look slightly different and there is no cookie cutter format to follow. The resume will always have to be updated and changed around based on the desired jobs. Many theatre professionals are now making their resumes available for access via the internet on a website that they create. Websites are also an effective tool to use as a means of making the resume readily available to companies all over the world. No matter how the theatre professionals get around, the most important tool they carry is a resume.

(Sports Network) - Now just a half game out of first place in the National League Central, the St. Louis Cardinals try to put their best foot forward this afternoon as they take on the Kansas City Royals in the second of a three-game interleague set at Kauffman Stadium.

On Friday the Cardinals, who trail only Milwaukee in their division, climbed over the .500 mark on the road (16-15) by posting a convincing 10-5 victory on the road in the series opener. Ryan Ludwick, who is hitting just .234 at the moment, came up with one hit in the contest, a grand slam that was key in a six-run third inning that put the game out of reach.

"It's got to fuel the fire a little bit," said Ludwick of the Royals opting to load the bases prior to his at-bat rather than pitch to Albert Pujols. "He (Pujols) gets walked a lot, so that's been one of the big things here. Needing a guy to hit behind Albert. I know I really haven't done my job too well, so hopefully I could a better job at it."

Pujols still finished with two RBI and a run scored for the visitors, while Skip Schumaker and Colby Rasmus combined for seven hits at the top of the order and scored two runs apiece.

Starting pitcher Brad Thompson evened his season record at 2-2 by working through seven innings, allowing four runs on five hits.

On the other side, KC starter Kyle Davies wasn't as lucky as he was shelled for seven earned runs on nine hits in a mere 2 2/3 innings of work.

"It wasn't very good," Davies said of his short, unimpressive effort. "I had a good tempo and a good mindset going into the game. I just didn't make very good pitches."

Miguel Olivo, David DeJesus and Billy Butler all had home runs for the Royals, but it made little difference as the squad dropped its third in a row. Kansas City, which is a miserable 10-19 on the road, but a more respectable 19-18 at home, is fourth in the American League Central at the moment, 6 1/2 games off the pace.

In an effort to even his career record, which currently stands at 28-29, Brian Bannister heads to the hill for the Kansas City Royals this afternoon. The righty, who has a career mark of 3-1 and is already 1-0 versus the Cardinals this season, logged just the second win in his last seven appearances on Sunday with a strong outing versus Cincinnati.

Against the Reds, Bannister allowed just a single unearned run over eight innings, permitting four hits while striking out four.

As for the Cardinals, they have Chris Carpenter slated to hit the hill again this afternoon. A 12-year veteran who began his career with the Toronto Blue Jays, Carpenter suffered his first loss since last August on Sunday, bowing to Cliff Lee and the Cleveland Indians.

Against the Tribe the New Hampshire native made it through seven innings, giving up three earned runs on five hits, two of those being home runs. Through his first five games of this season Carpenter did not give up a single home run, but now in his last three he's been tagged for a trio.

The Cardinals captured two of three at home from the Royals back on May 22-24, and now lead the 2009 I-70 series by a count of 3-1.

If you’ve been out of work for some time or recently fired/laid off then this post is for you. As the time goes by and job fairs are posted it seems as though they can’t get here fast enough. You focus so much energy on shooting out as many resumes as you can in hopes that one recruiter bites. Well, not so fast, you’re literally competing with thousands of other people out of work with the same or better qualifications. So how do you get back in the game? How long will it take you to get back into work? Reader’s Digest gives us the following tips and pointers:

How Long Before you Get Back To Work?

You may need three months to get an entry-level position, but landing an executive spot may require a six- to twelve-month search, says Cheryl Lynch Simpson. In fact, one popular rule of thumb suggests you should expect to search one to two months for every $10,000 in salary you want (a $50,000 job could mean a five- to ten-month hunt). Employers are taking their time. In past years, they were willing to fast-track hiring before competitors could snatch up the best candidates, says Michael Erwin of career builder.com. But now employers scrutinize applicants in several rounds of interviews before investing money and manpower to train them.

This makes sense from a practical standpoint. Employers are getting more applications and resumes for one position and want to make sure they get it right the first time. This is also where making sure that your first impression counts. You have once chance- stand out from the crowd.
How To Stand Out

How do you stand out when you’re competing with literally thousands of other applicants? You’ll need to catch the recruiter’s eye and use the same buzzwords as the job posting. If a recruiter spends 30 seconds looking over your resume, that’s generous, the average is more like 3-5 seconds. If you don’t give them what they’re looking for in that space of time then your resume gets tossed. Same for the scanners that scan your resume for keywords, give them what they want!

* Place your objective and education at the top of your resume if you have a relevant degree or if one is required for the position. Please ditch the summary AND objective, takes up too much screen space. One or the other please.
* If you don’t have a degree and the job requires one but your experience and training fit the bill, then place your education (or lack thereof) on the bottom of the resume and highlight your accomplishments starting off with a summary. Then you can launch into your present/past positions making sure that you quantify each one. You’ll see this through the article, stay away from regurgitating your job description. Show them how you went above and beyond and what you’ve done that made a difference in your organization.
* Send your resume as part of the email and not as an attachment. This way recruiters see your resume without having to open an attachment. You can send as an attachment but be sure to paste within the email as well for optimum exposure.
* Look at your resume and scan the job post, how can you honestly and ethically marry up what they are looking for and what you have to offer. Describe your accomplishments, please don’t write your job description. Quantify your experience by giving the person reviewing your resume an idea of who you are within the scope of your position and not your job description.

* Flaunt Your Personal Brand.

Thanks to hosting sites like visualcv.com, coroflot .com, and carbonmade.com, you don’t have to be tech-savvy to create a digital résumé or e-portfolio. And you control access, unlike with a personal website. Start with your résumé, then add supporting information-examples of your work, sales charts, published articles, letters of recommendation, images, or videos. “It’s an opportunity to build your personal brand,” says Pierce Resler of VisualCV.

* Rev Up Your Resume and Quantify Your Experience



So What Test

If you say, ‘I managed six people,’ ask yourself, ‘So what?’ But saying ‘I managed six people with no turnover’ does answer the question. Résumés are all about results.”

You’ll also want to use strong, specific action verbs to highlight your results. “Worked, for instance, is a weak and overused word,” says Randall Hansen. “Use collaborated or led.” Here are a few more verbs that can help put the action back into your job search:

* accelerated
* accomplished
* collaborated
* constructed
* created
* designed
* developed
* devised
* drafted
* established
* expanded
* formulated
* generated
* implemented
* improved
* initiated
* launched
* managed
* negotiated
* operated
* presented
* produced
* streamlined
* supervised
* tracked
* wrote

Check back this week for 9 Recession Proof Careers.

Q: I am an independent consultant and have been fortunate to have had several long-term, and high-profile clients. In the past, I've also had part-time work running concurrently with a client project. I've got loads of experience, and would like to get a full time position with a company but what I am finding is that my resume (to some recruiters) looks like I am a job hopper, when in reality, its a series of back to back long term contracts (6 -12 months+), though I explain to screeners that its "the nature of the beast" so to speak, I can't get past the fact that my CV looks choppy. Is there a better way to highlight my experience and skills with these companies without it looking like I can't hold a job?

A: You ask a great question. It is probably a very relevant challenge for many job seekers right now. Independent contracting, free lancing and consulting are more often part of a professional worker’s employment history - now more than ever before.

One alternative to consider is the following format:

XYZ LLC (the name of your consulting business) 1999 – present

Experienced independent consultant working closely with a variety of
high-profile clients, including ABC Inc., QRS LLC, SSS Inc., and YYY Inc. Specific areas of expertise include public relations, media relations, web analytics, copy writing, event and tradeshow management. Projects include:

- Re-engineered …..
- Developed innovative method….
- Launched new system…

Using this format, it clearly demonstrates and articulates your areas of expertise. It also identifies your recognizable client names and describes sample projects that you have worked on. Perhaps most importantly, it presents your professional work history in a cohesive and logical manner -- without setting off those yellow flags. If you don’t have a company name to list at the top, consider using the name that you have used for your independent contracting assignments (think about what name you put on the invoice to your clients).