The Web 2.0 Resume: Why, How, Now!

Getting carded... online

Why students need a professional I.D. for job search!

Internship and job search for students just got way tougher. The depressed global economy, Googling of students by employers, invasion of Facebook by recruiters... what’s a student to do?

 In the age of Web 2.0, employers want more than just a paper resume. Getting a professional online identity (a.k.a. your online resume portfolio) is a new avenue for students to market themselves and get hired. Think of it as being carded online and "getting in.” Your professional online identity includes your blog, articles, portfolio, online resume and even testimonials.

 According to ExecuNet.com, 83 percent of recruiters used search engines to check out prospective employees last year, and 43 percent eliminated candidates based on the results. So what are recruiters going to find when they Google you?

 Here are the top 5 reasons you need an online resume portfolio, followed by the top 5 ways to craft your online identity ASAP!

5 Reasons to Get a Professional Online Identity Now:
 

1. Stand Out. Yes, we all know its tough, but we’re not going to take it lying down. Take a virtual stand for yourself and get noticed. Build a professional online page with a portfolio and custom URL in your e-mail signature to boost your credibility when sending out resumes and job apps.
   
   
2. Google. Recruiters scout the Internet every day for an inside look at the next generation of eager grads, and they're influenced by what they see. Let your professional resume be what recruiters see first.
   
   
3. Economy. The scare of a nationwide recession simply means you need to be more aggressive about marketing yourself. As an employer's stack of resumes grows, you need a way to jump off the page in under 6 seconds. A URL on your resume automatically buys you more of a recruiter's attention span.
   
   
4. Networking. Social networking may help you find friends, but it’s professional networking that’ll help you find your next gig. Marketing yourself as an employable, career-minded individual means maintaining professional visibility and transparency online to build those career-friendly relationships.



5. Recruiters are looking for you. The game of sending out dozens of resumes and watching paint dry as you wait by the phone has hit a new low level. Web 2.0-snazzy recruiters are on the prowl to purge non-professionalism from their applicant pool, and transparency is key. If you’re not listed online you can’t be found. It’s that simple!

So how do you start?

Google yourself. What comes up? An angst-filled LiveJournal entry you posted a few months ago? Don’t be the student getting picked last in the game of “fill this job.” It's time to build your online resume portfolio.

5 Ways to Craft your Professional Online Identity:

1. Get Your Resume Online. Professional networking sites such as NuResume.com and MyResumeOnline.com offer both students and professionals a career-minded profile and custom URL for your online resume. Social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace have a spot for work experience-related information, yes, but these should be supplemental, not primary homes to your online credentials.



2. Add a Portfolio. Videos/photos/audio of your work, experience or other professional output instantly boosts your employability. Aspiring film director? Upload your projects to YouTube or MySpaceTV. Experienced Web designer? Showcase images of your best work with links to your contact information. Good at public speaking? Post a video that showcases your voice. Check out my video resume here. You get the picture, and so do employers.
   
   
3. Get Testimonials. Let somebody brag to the World Wide Web about you! While it's good to list references on your online resume, testimonials speak immediately. You can plug yourself all you want, but the most competitive online resumes show what other people have said about your work. Take a look at a real testimonial for business student Jesus Huerta on his student resume page.
   
   
4. Post Position Wanted. Post an ad for your ideal job or internship! Companies won't know what you're looking for unless you tell them. NuResume, for example, allows you to post "Internship/Project Wanted" ads directly to your profile, making it easy for recruiters to find you. You can also post custom "looking for" ads on Craigslist.



5. Write a Blog. Making your voice heard online is one of the fastest ways to catch an employer's attention. Free blogging sites like WordPress offer you a space for a simple, paragraph-per-week entry to write about your career interests and learnings. Read a fellow student's blog on her online resume.

Now's the time! 

Go ahead and take the first step on the road to career success with your professional online identity. A new site, NuResume.com, has popped up as a one-stop professional spot for students to house their resume, portfolio, testimonials, position wanted and blog, all under a custom URL.

If you have a handle on basic Web design and blogging, consider building your own site or start logging your daily professional experience on WordPress or other blogging service.

If you're still not convinced, check out what Dan Schawbel's Personal Branding Blog has to say. Because just like the good Lady Justice, the Internet is blind when it comes down to you. So let’s give them something to talk about!