Digital CV- What is this and what are the Benefits?

For many years, paper resumes have been the way to present your skills and other characteristics to a potential new employer. But that is slowly but surely starting to change. Much important communication is now taking place digitally: why should this be different with the curriculum vitae? It is the reason why some applicants switch to a digital CV: a contemporary variant that is definitely appreciated by some employers.

More and more people are opting for a digital CV instead of or in addition to a paper curriculum vitae. But what is a digital CV? What are the different forms and what are the benefits? Is a digital CV a gimmick or a necessity?

What is a digital CV?

There are three forms of digital CV. In our opinion, a LinkedIn profile is not a digital resume. The three different forms are:

• Email resume: this is your normal (paper) resume in word or pdf format that you send to an employer or recruiter via email.
• Vacancy site cv: this is a cv in a format chosen by the intermediary. Because of this you are limited in some ways in your possibilities to make a personal document, in terms of both content and design. Furthermore, this means that you cannot be found online, your resume is at a protected location on the intermediary's servers.
• Visual CV: this is an online CV in which you can create links to presentations, videos, blogs, home pages or other sites that you want to include in your CV. You can create shortcuts and promote your resume on Hyves or Facebook. Furthermore, you can also be found online on Google.

What are the advantages?

A digital resume is very important for your future needs. With a resume you show who you are, what you have done and what actually you deserve. We know the first impression is the last impression so its also important to learn to write a resume in a proper format to increase the chances of being hired.

A digital CV, and in particular the visual CV, has a number of advantages: it is a unique, personal place where you can promote yourself. You have a personal homepage with your unique talents, experiences and characteristics it offers the possibility to show more of yourself by linking a presentation, blog, website or video you can be found online with it. You can send the resume link (the url link) quickly and you can also access it anytime and any where you will get a clear personal brand.

What should be the Format?

When you are planning to develop an online resume or CV, it is useful to know that there are multiple forms. We distinguish at least the following versions:

1. The digital CV on a specific website
2. The digital CV as a profile on a website
3. The digital CV on your own website
4. The digital CV in .PDF format

Is a digital CV required?

It may be a bit exaggerated, but it can certainly help you in your search for a nice job or assignment. For example, if you have been looking for a job for a while and you cannot find anything, then also make a visual resume. If you are a little handy you can create a site yourself. Not only will you be found online faster, but you will also be in control of what is online about you. And since recruiters nowadays quickly check someone's identity online, this is certainly not a luxury.