by Kathie McCloskey, OI Partners - Quest Management Consultants
In a world of LinkedIn and other social media sites as well as personal web pages, what role do traditional resumes and cover letters now play? The answer to that question is complex.
While it is true that social media and personal web pages are changing the landscape of job search and providing additional avenues for recruiters to learn about job seekers’ skills, what remains constant is the need for a good, basic marketing strategy. Marketing terms like Reach, Frequency and Message apply, not only in the world of advertising, but also in the job search.
A job-search marketing plan will include ways to Reach as broad an audience as possible with job seekers’ Message on a Frequent basis.
Let’s define the audience. The audience is any recruiter, hiring manager or potential networking contact. All 3 of these groups will want insight into job seekers’ skills/competencies and value-added accomplishments over the course of their careers.
LinkedIn, Facebook Google+ and other social media profiles, as well as personal web pages, will Reach any of the above groups who actively participate in those platforms and are there looking to engage with candidates. Profile updates that automatically Reach a target audience achieve the Frequency objective, as well.
But candidates can’t forget about recruiters who, perhaps because of their comfort level or maybe because of the size and sophistication of the hiring organization, tend toward more traditional approaches to learning about available talent. They are often part of organizations whose recruiting methodology includes web-based talent acquisition and recruiting software. Such software provides candidates the opportunity to extend their Reach and Message by typing in their employment history and uploading both cover letters and resumes.
Cover letters and resumes are very often the ...