Put your resume on Medium
Don’t be limited by a piece of paper
Last year, I said “PDF is the only way to go” for your resume.
This year, I’m singing a different tune: put your resume on Medium.
No, Ev Williams isn’t paying me to write this. I’ve been prepping for another recruiting cycle, and I realized I really, really don’t want to update my resume.
Why? Because I’m constrained by the medium¹. Even when the content’s done, I have to spend hours making it look good on a sheet of paper.
If I spend less time on layout and more on content, everyone wins: I save time, and recruiters skim over better writing.
Pros
- Looks great
You don’t have to be a designer to use Medium’s beautiful text editor. - Easy to edit
Adding or removing something can mess up the entire layout of a paper resume. That’s not a problem on Medium. - Always up to date
Ever found a mistake after sending your resume? Whether it’s a minor typo or complete rewrite, it’s never too late change — even after it’s sent². - Fully responsive
Already taken care of. Thanks, Ev! - Get feedback directly via private notes
Mainly from friends, but feel free to do the same! I’m constantly revising things, and always open to critique. - Built-in analytics
With no effort on your part, you get view count, read percentage, and traffic sources. - Leads to discovery of my Medium articles…
…where I can show potential employers I know what I’m talking about³. In fact, I embed Medium articles directly into my resume.
Con
For many people — especially students — a PDF is unavoidable. A Medium resume doesn’t work at recruiting events, or job apps that ask for uploads.
Tip: Avoid applying online when possible. The ideal “application” is an email conversation with someone at the company. Do your Googles, people better at networking than me have written about it.
So unfortunately, you may still need that PDF. I still have one, just in case.
For everything else though? I’m sending a Medium link.
bryant peng📄 medium🐦 twitter👔 linkedin
Footnotes
¹ 😉
² Medium isn’t the only way to have an online resume, but it’s the simplest.
³ At least, that’s the plan.
