A traditional resume is so limiting. It doesn’t allow you to really tell your story. So why not supplement your resume with a presentation or “presume.”
Here are some more reasons to consider supplementing your work portfolio with one.
- You build online content, which is search-able and find-able on the web.
- You demonstrate your creativity and communication skills.
- You differentiate yourself.
It is a noisy world, filled with distractions and short-attention spans. I am not suggesting that everyone who sees your presume will click through every slide, but…just maybe, it catch the attention of the right person!
Plan Your Story
You don’t need technical skills to create a stunning presentation. Basic PowerPoint familiarity is all you need. What you do need is a plan. In my new book, The Infographic Resume** (McGraw Hill Education, 2014), I include how tips for creating a memorable presentation and include a couple of different story-telling formulas.
Before you start throwing words on a slide, create a storyboard or outline of how you want your presentation to flow.
Remember, the story you tell isn’t about YOU. It is geared towards your future employer. So think about what their problems are and how you’ve solved similar problems. What makes you special or different from the thousands of other people with your qualifications?
Create Your Presentation
You are going to put this presentation up on SlideShare. Here are the types of files/programs SlideShare accepts.
Finding great visuals is also important. You will find 3 great resources for photos here.
Next, pick 2-3 fonts that aren’t boring.
And finally, make sure you include a link to your LinkedIn profile and other profiles you want to feature.
Naming and Keywords
Now you need to name your presentation appropriately. Obviously, your name should be included. Job title would be nice too. You could also include presume or resume, but that isn’t vital information. Here is what the settings will look like.
Naming is Critical
Selecting the right category ensures it hits the right audience. I would recommend Business over career.
Your Description has to be compelling and keyword rich. You have 3000 characters. Use them well.
Use **Tags **reinforce keywords, search terms you want to be found for. You can use up to 20 tags.
As a free user, your SlideShare upload will have to be Public.
Sharing
Embed your presentation in your LinkedIn summary! And share across every social network you belong to! Make your status update interesting, don’t just say, “Here’s my presume” or “check out my new resume.” Instead, ask for feedback from your network or ask them to share it if they like it!
3 Examples That Rock
There are many examples of these presumes on SlideShare. So feel free to search for more, but these three grabbed my attention.
Example 1
What I liked about this presume was the simple impact of the graphics and the questions asked up front. He’s done a very nice job showing his impact in previous jobs. The bonus is his video at the end. Video can be tricky. Though he sounds a little stiff, you still get a sense of his professionalism. Obviously this presentation and video took a lot of work, which shows his dedication.
** Creative and visual Resume Presentation or presume ** from Sergey Kryukov
Views: 1,169 (not bad, but you’ll see better)
Shares: 2 on LinkedIn (there is room for improvement here)
Example 2
His presentation is fun and conveys personality. It is loaded with photos of himself, which is Ok. He includes the types of problems he solves and overall, his slides kept me clicking along! By the way, he missed the opportunity to describe his presentation. I think this would help.
** Chris Shade Presume: What do I do? ** from Chris Shade
Views: 454 (This has only been up since June of this year, let’s give it some time)
Shares: 29 on Facebook (he’s tapping his personal network) 1 on Twitter. (Sharing as a status update on LinkedIn, assuming he’s active there, would be a big bonus)
Example 3
Learn from this marketing maven. Michelle’s title is compelling and keyword dense! Great job! The story she tells, her message, focuses on the needs/wants/desires of the potential employer! Plus, her title, description and tags use keywords she wants to be known for and employers would search for.
** 7 Outstanding Reasons to Hire Michelle Chance-Sangthong. My Visual Resume. ** from Michelle Chance-Sangthong
At last count, this she had over 3,519** views. **This could be because SlideShare chose the presentation resume as “featured.” (A possibility for any presentation shared here)
Shared on Facebook 20 times, LinkedIn 27 times and Twitter 2 times.
Did I Say These Were Share-Able?
Who cares about you most? Your network. Instead of asking them to circulate a boring resume, ask them to share your presume instead!
Re-Cap
- Tell a great story with great visuals.
- Focus on your target audience (needs/wants/desires)
- Use the right keywords in the title, description and tags.
- Embed it into your LinkedIn profile and share, share, share!
