Need to Revive a Resume?

Thinking about working with us at Metaverse Mod Squad? Have you updated your resume lately?

If you’re anything like me, you probably haven’t even thought about your resume in months, if not years.  But a resume, like any other skill set, is something that should be altered, tinkered with, and updated to reflect any new changes that come your way (be it a promotion, skill, or responsibility).

A resume is a reflection of your career: not only what you are and what you can do, but where you see yourself in the future.  With that said, it’s crucial to realize that resumes have come a long way from what they were only 5-10 years ago.  Today, a resume is no longer relegated to a sheet of paper.  Employers are all too aware of the proclivity of job candidates to play up his or her experiences on paper, often coming to realize, too late, that the new hire falls short of expectations.  It’s no longer just about saying you can do something, employers want candidates to demonstrate actual ability.

If you’re job searching and looking for a way to put your experiences into action, consider writing a business plan that outlines specifically the ideas you would bring to task if you were hired.  Not only does this give your employer an expectation and idea of the benefits you’ll be to the company, it also gives them the notion that you would be passing along your talents to the competition.  By outlining the goals of what you would bring to the company, you highlight your drive and initiative among a sea of applicants who have the same skills you do, only now you’ve got them hooked.

Likewise, on the employer’s side of the hiring process, it can be helpful to ask a potential hire to put their experiences into action.  Two companies have been on the forefront of bringing this process to reality.

• HireArt (http://www.hireart.com/) is a site that caters to companies looking for a more hands-on interview process.  The site offers templates which allow hirers to customize different “assignments.”  For example, if a candidate notes in their resume that he or she has experience with technical support, HireArt provides a template that a hirer can use to put their knowledge to the test.  While this doesn’t completely negate the interview process, it does provide a more substantial guarantee to an employer than a candidate will be able to perform the tasks that the job entails, while also giving them an idea of their quality of work.
• If you’re a programmer, a company called Hackermeter (http://www.hackermeter.com/) has now created a system that “grades” you on how well you perform in a series of coding challenges.  The challenges are based around different languages–the better you perform, the higher your score on the Hackermeter.  Employers can use this system to surf through coders and find the one that fits their company’s line of work, pairing developers with companies that will suit them the best.

With all the new formats job seekers are beginning to utilize in an effort to stand out from the crowd, it should be noted that a standard resume will never be the “wrong way” to present oneself.  Sean Weinberg, COO of RezScore (http://rezscore.com/), an online grading site which analyzes and scores resumes against hiring metrics, notes that “people have been saying the standard resume is dead for years, and it’s just not.”  Although technology may be moving us toward an age where social media and online presence dominate our existence, you’ll never go wrong with having a clean, thorough, and classic resume.  Resume writing services like Rapid Resumes (http://rapid-resumes.com/) can help even the most inexperienced of job seekers find a step up in their career search.

We’re always looking for passionate, dedicated, hardworking, thoughtful people to work with us here at Metaverse Mod Squad – could that be you?  Check out more information about Metaverse Mod Squad, and what possibilities await, at www.metaversemodsquad.com/about/careers!

Felicia Ho
Project Manager