Have you been in the workplace long enough to remember the days when a hard copy resume was your primary calling card in applying for a job? While it’s increasingly common to create online profiles by entering details of our education, experience, skills and then our actual CV into a prospective employer’s electronic HRIS (Human Resources Information System), how many Executive Assistants (EAs), Administrative Assistants (AAs) and other administrative professionals also turn to LinkedIn for resume purposes?

Alexandra Samuel, Harvard Business Review (HBR) blogger and Vice-President of Social Media at Vision Critical, probes whether we even need to maintain resumes given LinkedIn’s presence.  Samuel considers that, traditionally, resumes have served us well in job searches and as a means of presenting our professional credentials; she reminds us, too, that regular updating of one’s resume has been a way of maintaining professional memory. In other words, regularly updating our resume enables us to maintain a record of accomplishments and experiences that we may wish to present in a future job search.

So: do we still need resumes in the LinkedIn era? While concluding that the digitally aware can readily fulfill all the traditional functions of resumes and more through use of blogs, LinkedIn and other online resources, Samuel offers a qualified yes, affirming that online resources have not negated the need for a resume. Logically, she observes that resumes continue to serve as gateways to interviews as job applicants are increasingly invited to paste resumes into employers’ HRIS/Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).

LinkedIn or not, have you dusted off and polished your resume lately? When it comes time to apply for a new opportunity, update your resume for that particular role.  Pay attention to the responsibilities and qualifications required and, to ensure your resume demonstrates the alignment between the employer’s needs and your qualifications, highlight the competencies you bring to the table. Ensure your resume reads cleanly without typos or grammatical errors as you articulate your value to the prospective employer, and refrain from assuming that others understand acronyms you take for granted. Be prepared to speak to how you can help the employer, and what it is you do well that will make them want to contact you for an interview.

For a look at Samuels’ thoughts on the benefits of maintaining a digital network and presence alongside your resume, have a look at http://blogs.hbr.org/samuel/2013/08/do-you-need-a-resume-in-the-li.html.

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• http://ca.linkedin.com/