Online profiles could replace resumes in the future

When on the job hunt, the resume has always been an essential source of information. It contains your education, past working experience and other abilities that make you a perfect candidate for a position. With the new age of online profiles and social media, a change may be coming sometime soon.

Do you believe that online profiles will eventually replace resumes? When I say online profiles, I am referring to social and business networking sites such as Facebook or LinkedIn. Well, it seems that one-third of managers believe that online profiles are the way of the job interviewing future, according to a survey by OfficeTeam, a staffing service that questioned at least 500 human resources managers.

Although some managers expect to see a change in the coming years, most respondents (63 percent) say that it is not very likely that the resume will be replaced. But there could be a benefit to having an online profile in addition to your resume.

"The resume continues to be an important job-hunting tool, but it's also useful for professionals to create online profiles that highlight their expertise and qualifications," says Robert Hosking, OfficeTeam executive director. "As hiring managers turn increasingly to the Internet for information about prospective hires, job-seekers should keep their online profiles current and behave professionally in the digital space."

OfficeTeam provides suggestions to keep an efficient online profile:

n Keep pictures professional. If you display photos on your profile, please make sure they are appropriate. You should untag yourself in certain photos and set privacy settings to control who can see certain parts of your profile.

n Display beneficial qualities. Include information about work history and career achievements in professional profiles on sites like LinkedIn. If using a social site like Facebook, post your hobbies and interests.

n Use key terms. If you include key terms from your field to describe your abilities, it will be easier to locate your profile when searching online.

n Be aware of those in your social network. Hiring managers may contact people in your social network to use as references.

n Update regularly. Take the time to maintain current information on your profile.

These online profiles can be an added benefit to your job search. Just be careful to keep them professional and up-to-date.