As I go about the Internet looking at company web sites, learning more about them, searching for a job, I have noticed something. It was something that I was aware of before. It has just become way more obvious doing what I have been doing lately. I’m sure many of you have experienced the same thing.
I’m sick of creating a profile on just about every web site I visit. And then as I am looking for a job, companies want a copy of my resume (to only store, since they never look at it). This has become especially troublesome lately.
What happens if I update my resume? Each site that has my resume will not know about this change. And I realize this isn’t a problem that needs to be addressed immediately (my immediate needs include finding a job). Currently, I will update my resume on a site if I need to and I want a job bad enough from that employer. But if these employers want the best people, is their current solution the best way to go about it?
The same goes for every site wanting me to create a profile. I have created my share of sites where a profile is useful to each user and hopefully the site provided benefits to each of the users that went to the trouble to provide their personal information.
Let me give an example. When I first started my job search, I created a LinkedIn profile. I have been able to edit my profile, add contacts and have my contacts provide recommendations for me to be included on my profile.
Then last week I found Jobster. They have similar features once you create a profile. You are able to network with other users and have them added to your personal network. Although Jobster made it easy for me to import contacts, I noticed most of the contacts in my network on LinkedIn do not have a profile on Jobster.
I have already emailed some people to ask them to create a LinkedIn profile. Some have done so. Some I sure never will. But do you really think I want to do the same thing by emailing these same people to create a profile on Jobster and add me to the network? Not really.
I recognize that both LinkedIn and Jobster have very similar features, while some features are different. They both are trying to get me to use their network primarily.
What I am looking for is one place to be able to accomplish any task on the web. Ideally, it would be great if LinkedIn and/or Jobster provided an API to allow me and others to create a profile on my own web site and allow all the features that are provided on their own sites.
So when somebody is searching for a Java developer in Seattle, they are provided with my profile information that I updated on my own web site. Once they visit my site, they will also be provided with samples of my work, what I think about, perhaps a beautiful picture of myself. The point is I get to provide them with the information I want them to know and keep it updated on one site.
I know that many sites are starting to implement OpenID into their sites. For those who don’t know, OpenID provides a decentralized single sign-on system. This would make it so I don’t have to register on every site I visit. But not a lot sites support OpenID yet.
Back to the resume problem. It might be cool to have some kind of resume API or tagging system to provide to employers. They can then add it to their tools when trying to find somebody to fulfill a current job opening. I would just have to update my resume on my web site and I would still be found by those employers that need somebody with my skills.
Is there an opportunity here? Possibly.
I have heard a lot about people using their own web sites as a resume. I will be blogging more about that in the future.
Let me know what you think. Why does every site want my resume/profile? Why can’t I keep that information on my own web site?
I could not agree more. I have literally lost track of some of the sites that my resume is on and I have frequently found (usually by stumbling onto my own resume on a site) that I have not updated my resume somewhere and frequently the delay has been in the term of _years_!
Of course, I am also sick of receiving inquiries that have been generated from, for instance, Monster.com (where there is sufficient information to answer most initial contact questions, including with regard to relocation) and having the recruiter start of my asking me to answer a series of questions including my expected rate/salary (which is on Monster), whether I am authorized to work in the US, whether I will relocate (on Monater), my skillsets (on Monster), whether I will relocate for a perm placement (on Monster), my address and phone numbers (on Monster), and for my resume (which they alread extracted from Monster!).
Other inquiries require me to go to an individual company’s web site to fill out an application . . . as if I walked in off the street instead of their contacting _me_.
As for the job sites, is the job site or the job poster responsible for removing the job listing when it is filled?
Yeah, I’d LOVE to have a standard format that I could post on my web site and link other sites to it.
Wonderful blog. I came across your page doing searches for Java Developers looking for work. I’m trying to use some newer methods of searching, rather than resorting to Monster or CareerBuilder where thousands of other recruiters are fighting over the same resumes. This also allows me to send my clients “fresh” resumes that they haven’t seen 20 times from 20 different recruiters. So, yes, I do think it’s a great idea to have a website of your own with your resume. I think you’ll have a lot more serious inquiries.
Best wishes,
Laura Rico
PDS Technical Services
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