Zolio, a free resume building web site that transforms the traditional resume into a complete multimedia profile, launched this week.
“The launch of Zolio.com is a historic moment for traditional job seekers. The standard text resume has been stagnant for decades and does not let candidates present their best impression,” said Todd Goldstein, CEO of Zolio, LLC. “Zolio.com is cutting-edge technology that closes the gap between job seekers and potential employers.”
A rep from Zolio said they are specifically targeting college students and young professionals because many don’t know how to build a resume.
The site also links seamlessly with a variety of social networks.
Zolio’s technology is built on Adobe Flex Technology. They are also utilizing Ruby on Rails, an open-source web framework that’s optimized for programmers. The combination of these two Web 3.0 technologies, the rep added, allows for a better searchable site.
Popularity: 12% [?]
November 14th, 2008 at 11:19 am
I give it 3 months tops…
And when did we enter the Web 3.0 era???
November 17th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
Another great site that has made huge headwinds with its simple user friendly interface in the world of Virtual Resume creations is http://www.uBoast.com
November 17th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
Vanessa, this article causes me some problems. First of all, you do nothing to quantify why you used the brand name VisualCV in the title of your post. For those who don’t know any better, they might actually think your headline has some accuracy when in fact you don’t provide any evidence that Zolio is an easier-to-use tool. There should be a degree of journalistic integrity regarding a headline and article content.
Next, as far as Zolio & uBoast go, I have examined the end result of both sites and sadly, they just cannot hold a candle to the original VisualCV.com. I’ll gladly stick with mine at http://visualcv.com/kristicolvin and the access to somewhere around 50-60,000 professional members and 700 or more companies accepting them right now, and I would definitely recommend job seekers do the same. Not to knock these imitators, but if you’re going to imitate a technological innovation, the product should expand upon the original design and make it better or offer significantly different features. I don’t think either company mentioned here has met the critical factor of giving me something my VisualCV doesn’t.
Do you have examples that prove they do? Because you did make the comparison in your headline. You should follow this story up by making a CV/resume at all three sites and posting the samples here. Then people can get a better idea of what all three products offer.
November 17th, 2008 at 9:49 pm
Ms. Colvin, thank you for the advice. I appreciate your feedback and will examine a more in-depth follow-up story for readers who aren’t familiar with the three products.
November 18th, 2008 at 12:32 am
Vanessa, I’m sure I overreacted to the headline and I apologize for being harsh. I do think it’d be an interesting comparison to make, as people seem to be dissatisfied with the long-standing career options these days. The traditional resume/cv just feels antiquated when you see everything else we can do online. That’s why I instantly fell for the VisualCV product when I found it (so much so they hired me to do some work with them) and I link to it often to communicate my work history. I like the one-page aspect of it, even though I have a site, blog, Linked In profile, etc.
I hope you will consider a follow-up piece that includes all these companies and any others that might exist… it would be very educational for your readers. Unfortunately, with thousands of people being laid off right before the holidays, the information would be very timely as well. Thanks for considering it. :-)
November 18th, 2008 at 12:59 am
No problem – I always appreciate the advice of an expert. If you would like to contribute to the follow-up, feel free to email me at vanessa@cheezhead.com. Perhaps we could collaborate on the piece since you have worked with VisualCV and have a better understanding than most.
December 19th, 2008 at 6:55 pm
Zolio is the Myspace of the online CV world: looks like garbage and targeted to kids; although unlike Myspace will probably turn out to be a HUGE bomb. VisualCV all the way…