How To Use Storify To Make An Interactive Resume

When you're applying for a new job, there's a lot of ways to stand out in the applicant pool. Facebook and LinkedIn are always popular options. You could also try making an infographic resume or whittle down your resume to 140 characters on Twitter. But have you considered posting your resume on Storify? Scott Kubie, who typically goes by Scott Rocketship, was recently laid off from his job at a mobile and web app technology startup. In his quest to find a new gig, the 27-year-old copywriter decided to use Storify to create a unique resume. In the five days since publishing, the Storify has gotten more than 1,150 views and been making the rounds on Twitter. Storify even shared it on its Twitter feed and Facebook page. Rocketship has been lauded by many for his innovation and creativity. He's received a few nibbles from interested employers. "I hope this online resume and storytelling experiment will help show potential employers how I think and how I work, and make for interesting conversations in 2012 as I begin to more aggressively seek work with awesome companies," he told 10,000 Words in an email interview. We spoke with him to get more information on why he decided to create a Storify resume. (The whole Storify is embedded at the bottom of this post.) Elana Zak: How/why did you decide to use Storify to create a resume? Scott Rocketship: Honestly, I didn't really go into it thinking "this is going to be my resume. I was getting ready to announce my job hunt to my Twitter network of over 1,200, and had drafted, edited, and finalized a series of five Tweets to send about it all at once. In this same text document I had headings in place already to write up a blog post about the same thing, a Facebook post about the same thing, and an email to send to my friends and family. After I had the Tweets written I realized that those 140 characters (x5) had already told the whole story, and that's when I had the idea to pull them into Storify and start building something there. EZ: Explain your thought process in making each section. It doesn't look like a typical resume. Why? SR: I don't find the traditional resume structure particularly useful. As someone who creates content on and for the web, not being able to embed and link to things I've worked on feels very archaic. I tried to include traditional elements from the resume and cover letter like education, portfolio pieces, references, hobbies, and skills in a new way. EZ: Why is it important for job seekers to use new media tools such as Storify in this current job market? SR: If you understand how to use a tool in a way that will give you a leg up, you should use it. Traditional advice is traditional for a reason -- everybody does it. If the objective is to stand out and prove your ability to communicate effectively and buzz around an idea, something like what I've done seems like a pretty smart bet. Ask me again in six months and we'll see if I'm right. EZ: How long did it take you create the Storify? Will you update it? SR: I spent about three to four hours total organizing the Storify before I first published it. I've done a little tweaking here and there already, and will continue to update it. I already have ideas for additional Storify threads to help me on my job hunt. EZ: What's your top tips to someone looking to do something similar? SR: There's only one tip, really, and that's this: Allow yourself the confidence to try something different. It's not about standing out for the sake of standing out, it's about demonstrating the way you think. Photo courtesy of Scott Rocketship View the story "Please Hire Scott Rocketship (@scottrocketship)" on Storify]

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How To Use Storify To Make An Interactive Resume

Elana Zak

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Elana Zak