The idea is that for Gen-Y job seekers (or really anyone else that may not have a traditional, linear resume), these ideas will prove valuable in convincing an employer to make a job offer. Brazen Careerist still offers the opportunity to list more traditional resume elements, as well.

Brazen Careerist isn’t the first to offer a social resume; sites like WorkScore have rolled out similar projects over the past year or so. But Brazen Careerist offers some clear benefits to its users. As a full-fledged social networking site, it’s already updated more than 100,000 times a month. It’s got a user base that is strong enough to bring employers to the table and employers are already paying attention to the value of social resumes on Brazen Careerist. Penelope Trunk, the founder of Brazen Careerist, says, “We know that employers are already seeing huge return on investment from using social media for recruiting, rather than depending on resumes. The biggest hurdle for companies to use social media for recruiting is to find relevant conversations online. Brazen Careerist provides a showcase of the professional conversations that are most likely to be useful to companies.”

Making use of Brazen Careerist’s social resumes is a surprisingly simple matter. Set up a profile on the site, and then just choose a few ideas you’re particularly proud of. Trunk suggests, “Join a few networks focused on topics that interest you. And then jump in and start commenting on questions people have posed. At first it seems hard if you’re not used to leaving feedback, but there’s no way to make a mistake. Employers will see what you want them to see, and the conversations are ways of you finding out what you’re especially smart and insightful about. So talk a lot in networks that interest you, pull out the comments you like best and put them at the top of your social resume.”

You choose each item listed among your top ideas and you can quickly shuffle it around, especially if you have the sense that an employer will be looking you up online in the near future. It creates a quick glimpse into all those things you do that wouldn’t show up on a resume but still make you a valuable employee, such as blogging about your industry or finding ways to make telecommuting a better fit for your job. “This is important because employers can Google you, and find random stuff about you, but really what employers want is a snapshot of the professional you from your online activity,” Trunk points out. “The social resume on Brazen Careerist allows you to give employers exactly what they want, because you control the content.”

Have you considered setting up a social resume?

The real value that employers need to be able to see is in a prospective hire’s ideas. That’s the focus of Brazen Careerist, Trunk’s startup. The site focuses primarily on Generation Y. Trunk points to generational differences as a motivating factor: “Generation Y is surprisingly hard to find and recruit online; Facebook doesn’t work as a professional tool.” Brazen Careerist offers a community that brings people together into a professional community, offering a level playing field for individuals with good ideas but lousy resumes, as well as access for employers.

The community and networking opportunities are at least as valuable as the opportunity for Brazen Careerist’s members to showcase their ideas and abilities. “You’re unemployable without a network,” says Trunk. She points to the fact that while Brazen Careerist started primarily as a blogging community, most members didn’t see as much value in developing traffic for their own blogs as in building connections. It is particularly important in the face of recruiters’ changing strategies. “The recruiting industry is now establishing relationships, so that they know people before a job opens,” she says.

Especially for web workers, Trunk recommends making connecting a priority. Just because you’re working online doesn’t mean that you don’t need to make personal connections. In fact, you may need to work at it even more. “Build flexibility,” says Trunk. “Become a part of the pipeline now, because you don’t know what the future will bring. A job hunt isn’t ‘I need a job now’ — it’s a safety net you build now, for when you’ll need it later.”

Trunk points out that connecting just for the sake of connecting won’t build the network you need. She says, “Social networking is about being kind,” suggesting that to build connections, a person should be looking for opportunities to help other people out. “Not everyone blogs or is a thought leader, but everyone can connect and be kind.”

Brazen Careerist just relaunched, focusing on career management. The site offers a way to aggregate ideas, letting users bring together blogs, Twitter, networking and other elements of their careers, which just don’t show up on a resume. The site also provides opportunities for recruiters looking to hire Generation Y employees. You can also find more information about Penelope Trunk on her blog.

Does your resume fit that traditional format?

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I know it has only been a week, but here are my first impressions about the impact reading feeds is having on my life and work.

1. They make me look smarter. Over the past week, I used Tweetburner to immediately post what I was reading when I was reading it to my Twitter page. On those mornings that I was immersed in feeds, I think I looked smart and informed. Either that or crazy or not busy enough actually getting work done.

2. They give me interesting fodder for breakfast conversation with my husband. Unfortunately “new media” is not his area of interest so he paid me back reading me articles about bears and other wildlife topics.

3. I read more blog posts in one week by Seth Godin than I had in the last several years. I don’t mean to neglect Seth. He’s smart. I like him. I learn from him. But I stray from reading blogs in general because I can’t seem to find the time. Reading feeds over eggs and coffee carves out time to learn from the masters.

4. I learned about new paths to productivity. Tracking the feed of Brazen Careerist led me to an interesting blog post from Penelope Trunk and one that I need to read again. Productivity is my obsession. The information in her post is like giving a compulsive hand washer more soap.

5. I learned more about Twitter apps which can only increase my Twittering effective. From Twemes to Hashtags to Twidgets, I devoured this short and snappy post and still wanted more. Increasing my Tweet effectiveness is actually important to my work since I use Twitter to source story ideas, to get answers to my burning tech questions within minutes, to market projects (both mine and my clients’), and to connect with my peers on a regular basis.

6. What I read in feeds last week had either a direct connection or impact on what I do every day for work. I discovered some interesting blogs and sites such as: Brand Tags – an experiment in the 1-word associations people make with brand logos (branding is an important aspect of the work I do to market companies and nonprofits online); the post Social Media FAQ#5: How Do I Takl to my Executives About Social Media (always interested in seeing how people communicate social media to non-tech types – helpful in my pitches to potential clients); and Drop the Excuses and Start Participating (interested in the impact of social media on traditional PR as I’ve moved from the traditional to the “new PR” over the last 10 years and into social media in the last few years.)

It remains to be seen if I can keep up with my feed reading over time. In the meanwhile, I’ll absorb as much knowledge as I can to expand my understanding of this ever-changing industry and to improve what I do and how I do it.

What was the latest thing you read via your feed reader that has had an impact on the way you work?

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• Why iPad 2 Will Lead Consumers Into the Post-PC Era
• The Near-Term Evolution of Social Commerce
• Content Farms: The Players, The Benefits, The Risks