Executive Careers

Published: Thursday, 23 Jul 2009 | 11:01 AM ET

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“Skills: MS Office, Facebook, Twitter”

“Additional Interests: Social networking, Mets fan, and Steven Spielberg movies.”

“Objective: To become a skilled writer in the social media domain”

These are excerpts from some of the resumes that came my way this summer in response to an internship posting.

Resumes have always been considered the cornerstone of a job search but choosing what you put in and how you term it is equally important.

So when did Facebook and Twitter become skills important enough to emphasize on a resume?

AP

As publishers of the highly-acclaimed Vault Guide to Top Internships, we at Vault, regard internships as an important civic duty.

With more professionals looking at internships to keep earning that paycheck, we have for many months now written and blogged about this evolving trend as well as its multifaceted aspects. Our team of interns has been instrumental this summer in completing projects, brainstorming new ideas and contributing to the launch of our new website.

Caroline Ceniza-Levine, cofounder of SixFigureStart, discussed how employers look at social media last week on this blog . According to her interaction with recruiters, social media signifies quality and allows them to parse candidates qualitatively. She even cites the Adecco CEO as a frequent tweeter.

Then, is it fair game for the candidates I excerpt above to list Facebook and Twitter as important skills?

No.

Yes, it has become an acknowledged fact that using LinkedIn, Twitter, etc. to conduct your job search and network elevates your chances considerably. It has also become an unwritten rule for HR personnel to navigate through these channels for best candidates while using the traditional route of resumes received through email, etc.

However, to list Tweeting as a skill is still not okay.

If you used Facebook to land your present job, it’s okay to mention that in the interview to show your networking skills.

But it is not okay to list it as your foremost skill on a resume.

As executives, Generation Y resumes probably don’t come across your desk as often as they do for your team and subordinates.

Eventually though, as they gain experience in the workforce and begin their corporate climb, these resumes will begin appearing on your desk. Would you consider it acceptable, then, to interview “an excellent Facebooker” or a “highly skilled Tweeter”?

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• Today's Riskiest Jobs
• Executive Career Strategies

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Aman Singh is an Editor with Vault and works with Fortune 500 companies on reporting their diversity recruitment strategies and initiatives.

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