Not Just Another Resume
Times are tough. Lots of people are competing for fewer jobs. And applying for jobs can be difficult at the best of times to begin with.
I recall when the economy was 'good' and I'd receive dozens upon dozens of qualified resumes. Ones that actually met the hiring criteria and didn't have any grammatical errors, typos or inappropriate profiles on social networks. (Yes, any employer worth their salt is going to Google candidates, check them out on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.)
But even with sufficient filtering a hiring manager will still be overwhelmed in a tsunami of resumes. So what do job seekers do? How does one differentiate themselves? How does one stand out from the crowd? What can they do that is innovative?
A friend of mine, Heidi Jackman, is the CMO at Sliderocket. The company was founded in 2007 with the simple goal of building better presentations because we all know how painful some visual presentations can be.
Heidi recently forwarded me an terrific story. Where an aspiring job seeker by the name of Hanna Phan put forward her intent of looking for position at SlideRocket. But she didn't do via resume. Take a look here or below.
Pretty impressive. As Heidi aptly commented "This is both such a great story, an amazing show of creativity and a bright spot in our tough job economy."
So I'm sure it's no surprise to you that Heidi hired Hanna. Here is an explanation in Hanna's own words of why she did something different. My point is not that everyone should use SlideRocket although I'm sure Heidi and Hanna would love it if you did.
Figure out as a leader, marketer or job seeker (agency side or client side) what you can do in a genuine and innovative way to stand out from the crowd. Odds are you can. And odds are it's not just another campaign or resume.
Sulemaan Ahmed
Twitter @sulemaan
>Twitter @sulemaan
6 Comments
Hanna Phan said
Thanks Sulemaan! Your title says it all: I did not want to be seen as another resume. And if you (reader) do not want to be seen as another cog in the wheel (aka sheep or drone), then don't sell yourself as such. Step out from behind the resume and show them who you really are - they want to be sold. We are very lucky in this webby-age to have a variety of social tools right at our fingertips to connect (and for the most part, they're FREE!). Take advantage of it.
May the odds be with you (job seeker) :)
Heidi said
Thanks for the post Sulemaan. While you are right, I'd love the whole world to use SlideRocket in all sorts of creative ways, I think the moral of this story is figure out what you want, target it and go after it with a passion. In other words, make your job search an incredibly targeted campaign where the hero is you and your prospect is your desired employer.
As a hiring manager, you can tell when someone is simply looking for a job rather than being truly passionate about working with your company. Hanna did her research and was brave enough to put herself out there in an unusual and creative way. She certainly got our attention. What do you want, where does your passion lie? And if you can use that company's product to show that to them, all the better.
Don Lange said
Another great read Sulemaan. I've always found that giving good presentation is much more meaningful if you have the skill to actually do what you say. I confess we've always been a little weak in presentations because we're just not as sexy as some other agencies. I like to believe that our strength is in the delivery. That being said, if you like this company I'm going to look them up. Man we'll be unstoppable! :)
Sulemaan Ahmed said
@Heidi - You make an excellent point where an employer can immediately tell who is truly passionate and who is going through the motions. Not to mention using the company's products to make a point.
@Hanna - Your presentation was one of the best I've ever seen in the form of a resume 2.0. It's inspiring.
@Don - I think it's a combination of sizzle and substance. We all deal with finding and maintaining that balance.
@Graham - Appreciate the kind words. This certainly is a great example of ingenuity by Hanna.
Graham Kingma said
Great article Sulemaan. To stand out these days means doing things creatively different. In the old days we might have changed the colour of our resume paper to get noticed. This is a great example of 21st century ingenuity!
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