Are digital portfolios pushing résumés to the brink of extinction?

Unless you’ve been under a rock, you know that good jobs are hard to find and the competition is stiffer than ever. However, to say that the methods used by companies and potential employees to find one another have changed a tad in the last ten years or so would be a gross understatement. The birth and evolution of social media have shattered the antiquated process of carefully crafting a résumé on a typewriter (with a bottle of Liquid Paper in hand, of course) and then pounding the pavement to hand-deliver it to as many companies as possible. With all facets of the job/employee hunt shifting to the interwebs, does the old-school, paper résumé still hold any relevance in today’s world?

Is the Résumé Obsolete?

140722 - Blog - Resume extinction

If you put a résumé on a screen, maybe someone will actually read it!

Individuals who suddenly find themselves in the job market for the first time since the 1980’s or 1990’s are usually shell-shocked when they learn how much the game has changed since they were last in the job market. The old techniques that were formerly sure-fire ways of finding employment are archaic and ineffective. Applicants used to rely solely on the résumé to convey to a potential employer who they are, what they know, and what they’re capable of.

The problem with the résumé in today’s world is that it’s two-dimensional. It doesn’t interact and doesn’t allow the reader to click on a section they’d like to know more about. We are all so used to reading information on electronic devices that mindlessly tapping a word or photo in a magazine in order to learn more is something some of us just might have done out of habit. Online portfolios are living and breathing. They’re constantly updated and allow an employer to click on links to your past graphic design projects, for example, if they want to see a more in-depth view of your abilities.

The Internet: The Modern-Day Employment Agency

In pre-Internet days, the carrot that employment agencies and headhunters were able to lucratively dangle over the heads of employers was their coveted, mystic database. Employers gladly forked over cash and commissions in order to have access to the qualified job candidates that would have been completely undiscoverable to them without the agency. The Internet, coupled with social media, essentially removed the need for the middleman, allowing employers and employees to seek out each other directly.

Sites like CareerBuilder.com and Monster.com, which burst onto the scene as the job market equivalent of sliced bread, are already considered by many to be out-of-date with the introduction of newer, savvier sites. Elance.com, for example, creates a marketplace of sorts in which companies post projects (design, writing, programming, etc.) and freelancers tout their skills through online portfolios and have the opportunity to bid on projects. OPRésumé.com eliminates the need for an employer to sift though stacks of résumés by converting a candidates data and qualifications into digital snapshots showing only information deemed relevant by that employer. This concise blip of data allows companies to review, compare, and examine the qualifications of potential candidates and significantly streamline the weeding-out process. All of a sudden, whether you chose white or ivory paper for your résumé simply couldn’t be more irrelevant.

The Double-Edged Sword that Is Social Media

For employers, the digital buffet or worldwide candidates allows them to simultaneously see significantly more recruits than ever before while also being more and more selective thanks to sheer volume. Basic supply and demand here, folks. For job hunters, the Internet provides a huge platform from which to shout their own accolades and tell companies how wonderful and qualified they are. However, the best thing about the Internet is also the worst thing about the Internet; everyone has access to it. While your LinkedIn profile may flawlessly depict your unique skills, knowledge, and accomplishments, your drunken, scantily-clad Facebook photos may prove to be counterproductive, at least in the eyes of employers. And don’t think for one second they’re not looking.

Dramatic evolutions in the way employers and employees seek and find one another aren’t likely to subside in the foreseeable future. Ultimately, employers will use the latest and greatest technology at their disposal in order to glean the cream of the crop. As a result, job seekers need to conform to these changes and constantly modify their strategies in order to stay visible and competitive. How big a role the good-ole résumé will maintain in this process can’t be fully predicted, however this author’s guess is that they’ll be as prominent in employer’s offices as Liquid Paper.


Stephanie Jeffers is a redneck who miraculously learned how to spell.