Is the resume going the way of the dinosaur?

With the rise of technology and the inevitable decline of paper and pen, long gone are the days of hand written applications. The resume has always been a staple source of information for employers when it comes to hiring, but it is possible that this once vital tool is now going the way of the dinosaur and becoming extinct?

Over the last few years, the continued growth of social media and increasingly tech savvy applicants has seen employers starting to look at other mediums to gain this same information. While still looking for the standard experience and education that is found in a resume, employers have started searching for a process that offers a little more insight into the candidates personality which is not easily translated in a traditional resume.

First seen in the introduction of the cover letter, employers are now digging deeper still, asking tailored questions to really get to the point of an application at the very beginning of the process so as to save both candidate and employers from interviewing people who are completely the wrong fit for a role.

e-Recruitment software such as Scout, offers employers the ability to take full control of their application process. With a suite of full customisable application questions taking the place of the standard cover letter, employers are easily able to not only get answers to the questions that really matter to them up front, it also allows for easy screening of applicants. Feedback from both employers and candidates alike for this revolutionary way to recruit is overwhelmingly positive, with applicants knowing exactly what they need to address instead of hoping they hit the mark in a cover letter, and employers having access to all the information they need at their fingertips.

Another trend that is seeing an increase is the rise of YouTube videos and the use of social networking for recruitment (such as Twitter and the resulting ‘Twesume’) where candidates pitch their talents to prospective employers. Fueled by an ever-competitive labour market, job seekers are searching out ways to stand out in the crowd.

Recruitment marketing expert and Employment Office Managing Director Tudor Marsden-Huggins has weighed in on the topic of online videos as a legitimate recruitment tool, saying, “It’s an approach that’s seeing a lot of take-up for frontline jobs in the more personality-based industries at the moment – hospitality, retail, marketing and customer service – but it’s got far more potential than that.”

One of the highest profile recruitment campaigns in recent years utilized video recruitment to the highest level, proving that it’s a method suited to anyone who owns a digital camera. Queensland’s Best Job In The World received thousands of applications from a broad cross-selection of people, of all ages.

“A written application will always serve a vital purpose, but in just a few moments a video can show an employer about a candidate’s presentation, communication style, creativity and potential cultural fit,” Marsden-Huggins said.

Despite all of this though, perhaps it’s not quite time to throw the resume away for good. Employers will still continue to rely on them as a quick reference guide for some time yet, however used in conjunction with these emerging and rapidly growing technologies, programs and ideas, it’s certainly a more cost effective and efficient way to recruit.