How to Give Your Resume a Social Media Punch

Does your resume have a social media “punch?”

Few people will argue that social media has an impact in our lives—Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest have given us new ways to connect. LinkedIn offers an easy professional network that can be both independent and authentic.

The one thing to say about social media: the business world has certainly embraced it with a passion. With the ability to create “buzz,” social media has become the go-to stage for things like low-cost advertising, lead generation and connecting with consumers.

Perhaps the place where social media has had the biggest influence is talent management. Job searches, recruitment and candidate administration are all essentially social structures—a two way street custom-made for social media. Hiring has never been a one-sided proposition.

Your resume is no longer just on paper, it’s also online. Companies are just as likely to examine social media to learn about you.

In today’s job market, the questions persist: Do resumes have the social media “punch” to make it in the most competitive market in years.

Increasing interconnectivity means both candidates and employers can rely more on cross-functioning groups to make a hiring decision. This means casting a wider social “net” to increase your visibility to the right people.

Three tips to how to make your resume with a social media punch:

Make it public

The essence of having a resume with a social media punch is transparency. Limited—or overly private—accounts will only turn off recruiters and hiring managers. Openness shows that you have nothing to hide.

The person you are in your professional field should be who you genuinely are in real life. Being false doesn’t help you get a job. Distinctiveness is the best currency for an online presence—from your Facebook page, LinkedIn headline, Tumblr portfolio and tweets, always be you when on social media.

Make it shareable

Hiring managers usually won’t share your resume, especially if you are the candidate they want. Sharing it will give create competition for the job seeker’s talents, and that means more bargaining power. A good resume with social media punch will get shared to peers and interested parties

This shouldn’t suggest you should ignore sharing features. Having a sharable resume will show how skilled you are with current technology. Sharing a resume with social media punch will expand your reach to more business opportunities that simply responding to job boards or submitting emails. With social media, visibility is the key.

Incorporate your resume with social network profiles

Giving a resume the social media punch means linking your social network profiles—Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn. Everything needs to be clean, polished and ready to present to employers. No swearing or candid photos of your wilder days.

Have family-friendly photos on your profile—having a beautiful photo of you smiling with your mom wouldn’t hurt—as well as images that reveal your interests and hobbies, the things that show you as a well-rounded team player.

Social media badges are perfect to get a viewer to your social media profiles, where a hiring manager can gain a deeper understanding of you. They are shortcuts to put your best foot forward.

What are your top tips to create a resume with social media punch? Let us know in the comments below!