Recruiters and hiring managers get hundreds, sometimes thousands, of resumes a day. So, how can you make sure that your application stands out?

Try an interactive resume.

Interactive resumes, also called web-based resumes, offer several advantages of over traditional, paper-based resumes in Microsoft Word or PDF format.

• Easy updates for job seekers: Online tools make it easy for job seekers to update their resume anywhere in the world. If you send a traditional resume to a recruiter and later want to update it, you’d be out of luck. But interactive resumes allow you to update them whenever and wherever you want so that recruiters always see the newest, freshest version.
• Easy access for recruiters: Some company’s mail servers do not accept attachments. And sometimes even when they do, an attachment can get buried in the recipient’s spam filter. Then there’s the issue of file compatibility (for instance, if you’re on a Mac and the recipient is using a PC or vice versa, then it might not display the way you want it to). Interactive resumes eliminate all of these extra hurdles.
• Enhanced security options: With traditional resumes, you have no control over who sees your resume once it leaves your hands. Your contact information can get passed around the office or fall into the wrong hands if the human resources department isn’t careful. Interactive resumes let you restrict access to certain people, set a timeline on when your resume will expire, and bring your resume offline if you’d prefer.
• Most importantly, flexibility and custom options: A paper-based resume reduces applicants to a series of job titles and dates. Interactive resumes, on the other hand, allow you to list your educational and employment history in a format that plays up your strengths. Multimedia options like video, images, and audio bring your skills to life so that your application practically jumps off the screen.

If you’re considering an interactive resume, then consider FirstDialog™. This powerful online tool offers job applicants all of the benefits listed above and then some. Users can create videos using the video editor and create multimedia presentations incorporating text, images, and audio. FirstDialog™ hosts all documents and videos and uses a 256 bit SSL layer to give users bank-grade security! Other features include options for sharing resumes over email and online social networks, verifying professional and education credentials, and taking online tests to get skills certified. FirstDialog™’s combination of security features and online editing tools gives users a more flexible, secure, and persuasive option for displaying their skills.

As the Co-Founder of FirstDialog™, I am taking this as an opportunity to express why we started FirstDialog™ and what’s in it for a professional or a jobseeker

FirstDialog™, an Online Personal Branding & Social Recruitment platform, was conceptualized over a phone call between me and Nasr (Co-Founder), not that we were bored with the jobs we were doing but always had a passion to create something that we cherish for our lifetime and that the society can gain tremendously from. Being experienced in the domain we had been working, being acknowledged of our work in previous companies and even when we are connected with key people in the industry, we noticed that even when we approached right people for the next opportunity (job), or heard from our friends or colleagues, 95% of the times the discussion between us used to be that “we have sent emails for a job, attaching our word resume but it didn’t really help. Either we never heard from them or the response we got was that we do not have any open position.” On the other hand I knew that if we can present ouselves as a unique personality, that we must be hired considering as an asset to their organization and if we can get to meet the right person for just one interview, we can crack this. However, we were always held back with the choices available for the very first interaction (on email) with that person. We could only send a couple of paragraphs email with our word resume attached. Being limited with the set of articulated words we used in our resume, nobody cared much to read everything because word resume was too bland for them to even read further apart from the last company and designation in the document. Remember you have the initial two (2) minutes to grab the attention of an employer to get noticed and stand out and for him to say yes, I should meet this guy.

We took a step back, kept our minds working and thought that should we look for a new opportunity or should we work towards creating something that is needed in today’s world for everyone, a gap that needs to be filled and, if we can contribute to the society or not. It wasn’t easy as we had lot of responsibilities on our shoulders – family, loans and much more. We took a decision and the result of those setbacks and learning’s helped us develop FirstDialog™.

Read this – You send an Email to a prospective employer or for any new opportunity and in that email, you send a Link of your resume (ex: www.firstdialog.com/amit) and not the traditional word resume attachment. The very first thing an employer who receives this, out of 100% atleast 95% will click it to see what’s in it for me?

Once opened, your eye pleasing personal page resume opens (your FD resume), which is rich, multimedia, verified, endorsed and much more, it will engage right from the first look to any person that he will go on reading till it is appealing. Hence on the first instance I (Employer) see title of your existing job (Ex: Business Analyst at IT company). I see your photo and click on our Introductory Video….this gives an employer a feel of your communication and presentation skills, your personality etc. I continue further, most critical I see your employment and education history. All those are Pre-Verified with a trusted seal, verified online certificate and much more. Gives me more comfort to carry on with your profile.

Next I see all your school and college degrees, diplomas, certificates, and all those documents that you have gained in your whole career path. Remember even one Certificate from School that you have been associated or part of something for which you have been acknowledged, will makes a lot of difference when you showcase.

I develop more confidence in you profile. I continue, I see that the skills that you really possess, they are all tested and I can see your percentile card right on your resume. I see endorsements of your colleagues, clients or boss recommending you for your key achievements which helped you got acknowledged. I see all your Social Profiles at one place, if you write I can see your blog, if are well connected I can see your LinkedIn profile. Hence, all in all, I have now made up 75 to 80% of my mind to call you for a detailed discussion, may be only to negotiate on your salary and designation that would be the best case scenario. This all you achieved because you have showcased a complete deep down interactive resume for me to see that you are worth a lot and that I should consider you for my company.

Do you think you would have achieved this stage, if you would have just sent an email with your word resume attached? Recollect that how many places you have applied till date, and from how many of them you have been shortlisted for an interview. And in most cases even if you get called for it, you never get a chance to show all those above said unique identities of yours which could have taken you to the next stage of an interview. Believe me, this is revolution, market is too crowded, employers get 100’s of word resumes everyday from references, direct emails etc., you just have first two (2) minutes to grasp the attention and get called. Put yourself in the other shoe, would you have liked to see a traditional word resume attached in an email or a complete 360 degree Interactive and rich social resume with trusted and deep insight of an applicant like one from FirstDialog™. You will get the answer by yourself.

NETWORKING

Networking is the key in today’s world. You have to be connected. What is Social Recruitment? Any guess, I am sure most of you already know, but for those who don’t, let me put some basic light on it. Any recruitment that happens via references/connections precisely through Social Channels like FirstDialog™, Facebook, LinkedIn etc. is Social Recruitment. It is utmost important today and will grow even faster in the near future. You must have noticed yourself, in any medium to large scale companies and new opportunity of Job, is first circulated internally so that if you have any friends or acquaintances fit for that and looking for a job, can apply through you. And yes, you generally get awarded with that, mostly in many companies with cash incentives based on the profile and position of that vacancy. FirstDialogTM gives you full control of Social recruitment. Make new contacts, get connected with old friends or colleagues, post any internal or known vacancy to your network on FirstDialog™, and guess what, every connection of yours will see your update of new opening right on their interactive dashboard. Now if they are interested or if they know any 3rd contact which would be a fit, you get rewarded for that if he is shortlisted. Make full use of it and make a part of your routine. It is an awesome functionality, but needs to put in use friends.

My honest opinion is to try using this for applying for a new job, and do let us know if this helps or it doesn’t. My experience says it does help for you to stand out of the crowd and get noticed.

Wish you get your dream job through FirstDialog™ and don’t forget to let us know your experience. Signup at www.firstdialog.com today, limited invites available!