Broadband penetration globally is increasing at the rate of knots, and oddly it is some of the more under-developed countries that are leading the way in take up. Whilst you may not use the internet or a computer at work, what's to say that the people you have mentioned above do not have home computer and internet access. After all, like most of us, we are hardly going to be able to sit at our desk and surf the major job boards for our next role during business hours.

I don't think the people you have mentioned above are all that common, apart from the grad student who normally wouldn't have any other use for LI, why would they. It is a networking site for professionals, and graduates haven't started down that path yet. So no real big surprise here.

It is more of a worry that the people you have mentioned above are afraid or not willing to enter the world of a simple computer or the internet. Try as they might to avoid it, be it a morale or ethical view point, there is no denying that “technology wins”. How many people have mobile phones today, Ipods instead of walkmans and how many HR people were against online job board advertising (yes still a few but we all agree they need to catch up).

Video may not be for “every” person. Be it that they are truly camera shy, are not comfortable with the concept or simply feel it's not for them, however it would be foolish to deny that video has no place in candidate marketing or personal brand building. I wrote this article recently ( http://bit.ly/5aXJdX ) on the hypocrisy of Employers who use video to attract and Brand and don't allow candidates to do the same.

The standard, traditional resume will never die. The word.doc format might, as we move to digital formats like http://www.visualcv.com and really nor should it. Cover letters however are at the breaking point, you said it yourself “Cover letters are a disappearing art”, there is a reason for that. Video allows for more creativity to attract and “imprint” a candidate to an Employer, if done correctly of course. The most important thing we need to do is be open to it, give guidelines and advice and use it as a tool in the kit bag, not as the ever lasting solution to everything. And if done well wouldn't this make you stand out from the crowd even more?

Justin Hillier
http://www.socialrecruiting360.com

I fall somewhere in the middle. I am interested from a business point of view, how I can use social media to my advantage, but in many other ways I am somewhat of a technophobe. I refuse to get a phone that does anything other than answer and make phone calls, I do not have a wireless set up purely so that I cannot work on the train or in a coffee shop and I refuse point blank to ever be seen with something clipped to my ear whilst walking down the street talking to some invisible being.

The world of technology is to be marveled at, but we're not all at the cutting edge. Equally not everyone wants to be. Yes, I will use twitter and linkedin for networking purposes and I have firm views on recruitment matters as that is the business I work in (advertising not consultancies), but, I have no desire to be out there with the big boys, eulogising on the future, positioning myself as an expert and turning my nose up at anyone who “doesn't even have a computer in their home”. At the same time I think it is wrong to suggest that candidates should make videos of themselves. it is unnecessary and just one more pressure on the already stressed job seeker who can often find it hard to see the wood for the trees when looking for a job. Let's not make it harder for them than it already is? Let's not give the confident ones a head start. Let them be judged as they always have been. At interview on the basis that their application was of sufficient merit (PS you can still reject the ones written in blood or made up from cuttings from newspapers. I actually wouldn't mind seeing what sort of video they would make!)

I would also state that an equally elitist attitude is to tell people that the status quo is okay because that is what people are used to. This is no time to coddle people. The real world? That is changing at a blindingly fast pace and if people do not adapt by learning new skills, then they risk losing out on opportunities.

The real truth is that the Internet is 40 years old, the HTML spec is 20 years old, and the first web based job boards started over 10 years ago. Whereas people used to go to the local newspaper to hear about job openings or through traditional networking, now they are searching corporate websites, posting their resumes on employment boards, applying online to jobs, using social media tools to enhance traditional networking.

Some of the examples you mention are truly disturbing. Some of these same people are going to have a real challenge ahead of them, and I hope you are able to help them understand the risks they face and assist them in adopting these newer methods and tools. Let's be honest, there is nothing scary or complex about posting a resume on a job board. While some industries and professions are slower in the technology adoption cycle, anyone in the information knowledge arena has no excuse.

Really, if someone is getting a graduate degree, is a whiz-bang spreadsheet guru, or worked at IBM, it is not unreasonable for these talented and obviously intelligent individuals to learn something new and to adopt new techniques. That would be a minimal expectation for any new hire, whether it is social media, new software, new processes, or new methods.

Harping on ways to tweak resumes and cover letters is not really helping anyone. That is not helping people to stand out from the crowd.