The Collide
Rebecca Ryan has a great blog post about the Establishment vs. the Movement. As you can probably guess, the Establishment is used to refer to the old guard, who has the money and connections to get things off the ground and make them successful. The Movement is the renegade group of folks who have great ideas and energy for the next big thing. Ideally, these groups need to work together in order to get things done.
I bring this all up, because the collide of these two groups is interesting to watch. When they don't get together, they seem to have some sort of unhealthy animosity. But, when they can get together, the result is awesome. Rebecca cites Good Magazine and Cleveland’s Civic Innovation Lab as two good examples.
In today's economy, these groups will be meeting one another more and more. Sometimes, the meeting will be subtle, and at other times, you'll sit up straight and take notice.
Today, I had to submit a resume for some award thing. I don't really have a resume. I mean, I've worked places and done stuff, and I have put it all on paper at some point. In fact, just a few short years ago, I was firing off these puppies to any job opening I saw that looked halfway palatable as I desperately tried to escape my hotel gig. But since I landed in the nonprofit world, and especially since I started CoolPeopleCare, the search for work has ceased.
But, if for some reason I needed to begin applying and interviewing, I would hesitate to get the resume in order, unless I was applying for a gig that couldn't be showcased with the current tools of technology that serve as evidence of who I am, what I’ve done, where I’ve been, and what I could do for an organization.
Instead, I'd simply point them to what I’ve created. I'd send them links to my blog, my MySpace, my Facebook, and my Newsvine. A quick half hour spent looking at these sites will give someone an idea if I'm right for a creative position (again, if you want a rundown of my AV skills, you will need a resume).
So, because the Establishment (the award) and the Movement (me) were meeting, which would it be? Would I send a resume? Or would I send four links and possibly disqualify myself? Fortunately, the application allowed for bios, so that's what I sent. I told the story of where I've been, where I'm headed and why it matters.
From time to time, folks ask us as CoolPeopleCare if we're hiring. It's a funny question, because we're not exactly at a point where we can (or necessarily need to) expand staff. But, we're open to the possibility of any given moment and the reality that a very talented person could come across our path who can make us better at what we do. So, we usually tell folks to tell us more about themselves, send a resume if they want, and direct us to their Facebook and MySpace pages.
Employers already look at social networking sites (read Thomas Friedman's article in the New York Times today). And, many applicants get canned because organizations don't like what they see.
And, while many are quick to judge the Establishment for not understanding the Movement, the bigger reality is in the positive collision of the two. Instead of being upset that someone looked at their MySpace, the Movement needs to realize that their MySpace is their new resume (which is want a lot of them want anyway). So then, use the free tools of today to get that job or gig. The Movement isn't the Movement just because it complains about the hand the Establishment dealt. It's the Movement because it knows how to leverages its chip position to go all in.
And then the Movement wins the pot and becomes the Establishment, but we'll leave that for another post.
I bring this all up, because the collide of these two groups is interesting to watch. When they don't get together, they seem to have some sort of unhealthy animosity. But, when they can get together, the result is awesome. Rebecca cites Good Magazine and Cleveland’s Civic Innovation Lab as two good examples.
In today's economy, these groups will be meeting one another more and more. Sometimes, the meeting will be subtle, and at other times, you'll sit up straight and take notice.
Today, I had to submit a resume for some award thing. I don't really have a resume. I mean, I've worked places and done stuff, and I have put it all on paper at some point. In fact, just a few short years ago, I was firing off these puppies to any job opening I saw that looked halfway palatable as I desperately tried to escape my hotel gig. But since I landed in the nonprofit world, and especially since I started CoolPeopleCare, the search for work has ceased.
But, if for some reason I needed to begin applying and interviewing, I would hesitate to get the resume in order, unless I was applying for a gig that couldn't be showcased with the current tools of technology that serve as evidence of who I am, what I’ve done, where I’ve been, and what I could do for an organization.
Instead, I'd simply point them to what I’ve created. I'd send them links to my blog, my MySpace, my Facebook, and my Newsvine. A quick half hour spent looking at these sites will give someone an idea if I'm right for a creative position (again, if you want a rundown of my AV skills, you will need a resume).
So, because the Establishment (the award) and the Movement (me) were meeting, which would it be? Would I send a resume? Or would I send four links and possibly disqualify myself? Fortunately, the application allowed for bios, so that's what I sent. I told the story of where I've been, where I'm headed and why it matters.
From time to time, folks ask us as CoolPeopleCare if we're hiring. It's a funny question, because we're not exactly at a point where we can (or necessarily need to) expand staff. But, we're open to the possibility of any given moment and the reality that a very talented person could come across our path who can make us better at what we do. So, we usually tell folks to tell us more about themselves, send a resume if they want, and direct us to their Facebook and MySpace pages.
Employers already look at social networking sites (read Thomas Friedman's article in the New York Times today). And, many applicants get canned because organizations don't like what they see.
And, while many are quick to judge the Establishment for not understanding the Movement, the bigger reality is in the positive collision of the two. Instead of being upset that someone looked at their MySpace, the Movement needs to realize that their MySpace is their new resume (which is want a lot of them want anyway). So then, use the free tools of today to get that job or gig. The Movement isn't the Movement just because it complains about the hand the Establishment dealt. It's the Movement because it knows how to leverages its chip position to go all in.
And then the Movement wins the pot and becomes the Establishment, but we'll leave that for another post.
Comments (2)
12:49 PM
Sam:
This is interesting. I would've never thought to use MySpace or Facebook as a "new resume," but I guess it's possible. I'd probably have to adjust the maturity level of my profiles since they're geared towards the amusement of my friends, etc.
As someone pointed out to me today, I guess the real challenge is getting hiring managers to spend the time looking at these things. Employers like resumes because they can read through a bunch real quick and filter out the winners from the losers.
It would be nice if they could acquire a little more patience and dig deeper into a potential hire, but right now I just can't determine how to do the convincing.
Another Movement vs Establishment paradox I guess...hopefully we'll adapt and move forward.
Thanks for pointing me to this post.
1:29 PM
Great post, Sam!
I clicked on this post through Employee Evolution and I think it's great that you're one of the few people who shows off your online profiles with pride and uses it for more than just BSing with friends.
Most people haven't realized how their profiles can harm/benefit their job searches. I'm old school and still use Friendster but I keep my professional portfolio at YSN.com.
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