Get Your Resume Noticed

Now almost more than ever, with the Internet as it's backbone, resumes are flowing in tsunami fashion across hiring manager's and recruiter's desks. What can you do to get yours noticed? That is the $64,000 question. Be smart is my short answer.

If you look at some of the results out there in terms of resume uploads from places like theladders.com, dice.com, monster.com and careerbuilder.com, there are collectively well over one million resumes uploaded in the last month alone. Talk about being a needle in a haystack.

I am currently reviewing several what I consider to be new trends in getting your resume noticed in 2009 and should have results posted by the end of Q1, but in the meantime, I am curious as to what the public may have to say on this topic.

In the meantime, let me try to elaborate a bit on my short answer of - be smart. First make sure your resume is up to date and in a professional format. Make sure your education and experience is easy to spot and review. Make sure that you are are applying for something that you are qualified for, educated in and even experienced with.

I would also strongly recommend getting references beforehand. Anything you can do to better prepare is a benefit. Having references on hand that show you as a quality candidate could help nudge you higher to the top of the mountain of resumes on that hiring manager's or recruiter's desk.

I am a big fan of using a recruiter and using one that specializes in your industry and your geographical area. The reality is that good, established recruiters have inroads to hiring managers through relationships that have been created for years.

On the digital front, I am also a big fan of LinkedIn.com and FaceBook.com. Though there are many other high profile social networks out there, these are the two that I consider to be the best.

Should you just blast your resume out to Monster.com or CareerBuilder.com and the like. My answer to this as well, is still no. In fact, it is no way! What is new about that process? Sure, Monster and CareerBuilder continue to tout how they can help you stand out but the reality is that your resume ends up being too public in my opinion. Your resume should be kept private and confidential. Read through previous postings on my blog to better understand why.

Best of luck and of course, I encourage your comments on this topic.