Is your resume selling yourself or your short career now?
A resume is not just a piece of paper intended to list the jobs you have held or the education you have acquired. It is your introduction to a potential employer and represents the essence of your career, capabilities, and skill sets. When you are interested in a job, you have a chance to get the attention of a potential employer and are ready when you submit your resume. In a matter of minutes (or more likely seconds), someone will visually scan the resume and determine your possible candidacy for a vacant position.
The person doing this assessment of your qualifications may not know the details of the job you have applied for beyond the actual job description, and for better or worse, that means your resume needs to stand out in a way that ensures you can Go beyond that initial assessment. To achieve this goal, you must have a well-designed, well-formatted, and well-written resume that markets your skills, experiences, and education in a way that creates a connection to the vacant position. Unfortunately, most resumes resemble DIY projects that are easily overlooked by recruiters and quickly dismissed. When you consider the highly competitive nature of most careers, you can’t afford to have a self-selling resume and / or your short career.
Why Consider a Resume Writer
As a professional resume writer with over 12 years of experience, I have seen almost it all when it comes to the style and type of resumes that most people try to develop on their own. And just because someone has hired a resume writer doesn’t mean their work is the same or of the same quality. People generally look for a resume writer when they are not getting the results or the results they expected to receive. Someone who really wants to help their clients won’t take an existing resume and just rewrite or format it. That can be useful for someone who just wants to update their resume, but most people need more help than that as a really effective resume won’t be needed for long because a good resume is immediately noticeable. And even though I have potential clients who need a new resume and are willing to consider hiring a resume writer, there are still a lot of misconceptions that need to be addressed before they are willing to take the next step.
Misconceptions about resumes
One of the first misconceptions is that a resume writer should have samples and templates available to share with potential clients. I can describe the method I use, but I cannot share the resumes I have completed due to a signed confidentiality agreement. More importantly, I don’t have samples, as every resume I write is custom developed and designed for each new client. Another misconception is that a resume should be limited to a single page. What happens is that people who take this approach will use small font sizes and / or try to fill a page with so much text that it becomes almost impossible to read, and for most resumes, the person’s career is sold short. . For those candidates who have developed significant professional experience, it is not unlikely that their resume will consist of two or three pages of content. The caveat, of course, is that they should not have pages full of detailed words and difficult-to-read paragraphs that have been typed in a small font size. A resume should be easy to read and highlight the best of a person’s career, from skills to accomplishments.
Reasons for misconceptions
Another misconception has to do with the cover letter, which is often written several paragraphs in length for people who think a lot goes into that first introductory page. But that defeats the real purpose of a cover letter and minimizes the time a recruiter is likely to spend reading the resume. A cover letter only needs to express interest in a position and generate a desire within the recruiter to read the attached resume. The underlying reason for these misconceptions is due to the unlimited number of articles and online posts written about resumes, along with easily accessible templates and samples. Whenever someone starts sorting through all of these resources, the end result is usually a mosaic of various themes and styles. What makes this worse is that there are few people who can write objectively about their career and the jobs they have held. As an example, I have written resumes for sales professionals and even professional writers. Also, many people lack exemplary writing skills. It is not uncommon to see resumes with uneven font sizes and errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and other mechanical errors. I’ve also observed detailed writing, written jobs like a standard job description, and cliches (think outside the box, be a team player, etc.).
Make an investment in your career
When you consider all of these aspects of a resume and how easily it can become ineffective, you begin to realize that an investment in a professionally written resume is actually an investment in your career development, whether you need a new job now or yourself. same. they are watching passively. Consider this perspective: If you weren’t entering an interview in old, worn clothes, then you shouldn’t submit a resume under the same conditions, nothing less than professional-looking. A resume represents you and your career, and your potential job prospects depend on how well you can convey the best of who you are and what you can offer to a potential employer. If you are not comfortable with any aspect of writing a resume, it will appear in the final product. In addition, if you cannot convey your thoughts well, it will also be reflected in the general tone that is projected on your resume.
Contact a resume writer
If you decide to contact a resume writer, take the time to learn about their background, their approach to writing a resume, and their overall willingness to help their clients. A certificate from a resume institute or something similar does not automatically guarantee that they are proficient with formatting and editing. And if a resume writer charges excessive fees and makes promises about the results you can expect, be careful too, as the resume is only the first necessary step in trying to land a new job, and it’s a very important starting point. If you don’t have a chance to speak to someone about your background, your prospects with that employer have been reduced to a minimum. This underscores the importance of hiring a professional to develop your resume. You can’t afford to improvise on your own, so to speak, especially if timing for a new job has become critical or you’ve found it difficult to get the attention of recruiters and potential employers. An investment in your resume turns into an investment in your career, one that can result in helping you find and acquire a new job. If you have any questions about submitting your current resume, now is the time to contact a professional.
