In 3 Years Your Resume Might Not Matter, But This Will

How important is your reputation to you?

I mean have you ever really thought about what your reputation can do for you?

I never really knew how important my reputation or personal brand was until I started doing things to grow it.

I wouldn’t even say that I did it intentionally in the beginning.

It wasn’t really until I started to understand the impact that I was able to have by doing so.

It wasn’t until I started studying people like Gary Vaynerchuk, Lewis Howes, and Elon Musk that I understood how their personalities and perception in the public’s eye directly corresponded with the success of their businesses.

I became fascinated with the thought of branding and the stories around people, not a business.

Building a personal brand almost seems like it has become a phenomenon in the past several years, especially due to the rise of influencers and social media celebrities.

In my opinion, we all have a personal brand, but the reality is that everyone can’t be an Instagram celebrity and get paid to take pictures on the beach.

The average 20-35-year-old is working day to day trying to move up the corporate ladder and/or make enough money to get out of debt.

Millennial’s who are trying to move up the corporate ladder are now facing more competition than ever before and are desperately struggling to find jobs and ways to make their resume stand out among their peers.

Due to the advancement of the internet and personal branding, luckily they might not even have to worry about a resume anymore.

Why Resumes Won’t Matter

Think about this…

When you meet someone for the first time, whether it’s at a networking event, through a mutual friend or even on a blind date, what’s the first thing you do?

More times than not, I bet you look them up online at some point before of after your interaction.

We all do it. Google has provided us with an infinite database for finding information on almost any and every person in the world.

Do you think employers are any different?

The emphasis on building your personal brand has become so critical because it’s how you differentiate yourself in a world full of people with similar skills, degrees and years of experience as you.

In other words, what you say, do and portray on the social media shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Your resume will be null and void because a simple piece of paper won’t give people the insight that they need to vet if you’re the right person to hire, work with, etc…

If there is one career development tip that I’ll give any recent college graduate looking for employment opportunities or looking to do their own thing as an entrepreneur, it’s to start going hard on your personal brand now.

Like really hard.

I mean you have to consistently put out videos pertaining to your industry and expertise.

Write blog posts on Medium, LinkedIn and even your own blog (as I’m doing here).

You might even have to start a podcast just to reach people who prefer audio.

Get out there and talk about what you already know!

I’m doing OK with this personal brand thing and even I know that I’m not doing enough as is.

Presenting your expertise and knowledge to people in the form of content is 10x more impactful than any resume.

If you’re going out for a job, your potential employer will find you online and what they find is completely up to you.

I’ve literally heard stories of people who lost out on job opportunities simply because of what they posted on social media 5 years previously. Yeah, it’s that serious because employers don’t want to employ people who might portray their company in a negative light.

The internet has broken all barriers.

A resume won’t tell them who you really are, but an analysis of your digital footprint will.

What type of perception do you want to give off?

What do you want people to think of you when they come across your Facebook or Instagram page?

If you’re a professional and you want opportunities plus a viable career going forward, take this as a call to action to take control of your personal brand, online and offline.

Malcolm Lemmons is an athlete turned entrepreneur, author, and speaker. He focuses on helping athletes brand themselves to prepare for life after sports. To check out more from Malcolm, visit his website at www.malcolmlemmons.com or connect with him on Twitter & Instagram.