There are 100's of resources out there to get help and advice on CV's -
We've already published a lot on getting a great CV and some of the things you can do to really improve not just the content but the overall layout and emphasis on the key factors to help you stand out.
Now - how about going a little further...
These alternatives certainly are not going to be for everyone. This is not a one size fits all opportunity for sure, but if you involved in social media / new media / design / programming etc these should be options you are considering.
1.) Put yourself out there online...more. Lets say you are a freelance writer, if your material is'nt being seen then nobody even has a chance to make a decision about contacting you for work (good or bad). Make sure your alias is available on the first few pages of google (you can also do this through google profile) and that you are available to see through all the other social mediums, audioboo, friendfeed, facebook, linkedin (and others) and inter-connect all your presences together.
2) Positivity. OK, so your content needs to reflect what you are talking about, and in which industry. What I really mean by this is having the kind of content that is'nt JUST having a go at your previous employer for being a narrow minded XYZ....sure drop that into a sentance if you must, but build a positive around it and talk about how you would do things differently and improve. Keeping a positive and non-slating blog still keeps the content varied and REAL.
3) Professional social networking. For instance, I personally have a private and professional facebook account. Not because i'm some kind of big star! but just I see that network as a place where the two need to be seperated. Facebook has always been about friends, people you know, family (and also old school friends that I really did'nt like whilst I was at school....so why are they my friends now??...anyway..).
This can get tricky. You are using facebook as a professional networking medium, and suddenly you get tagged by your friends in 'drunken-horrible-mess-saturday-stag-night' that you'd really like to forget, but for some reason your friends think its supercool to post everywhere.
By seperating these two areas you can have the best of both worlds. Facebook is one example but there are other social networks that have a very 'I already know these people' feel. Create another profile and meet new people and increase your professional network.
4) A Website. OK, so this is'nt the newest web 2.0 Phenomenon. What it is doing is adding more credibility to you and your 'brand'. Create a email address around that so you have 'dave@smith.com' - don't stop there. Keep this as your primary CV. You can upload a pdf of your CV, add downloadable documents and more information about your specialist areas that you cover, along with testimonials and resources to back up your statements.
Testimonials act just like references so are very important, keep them updated and fresh across the site.
Good luck.
Jason.
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