As the competition for jobs heats up (and as you can see from above list, there are jobs to be had), it's getting tougher and tougher to stand out from the crowd of applicants. Some of you may be toying with getting your resume written, and others of you are wondering if it's even really necessary.
To determine if your resume needs an overhaul, give it to a friend of yours-not someone who you worked with or spent a significant amount of time with discussing your prior jobs. Regardless of your industry, background or experience, they should be able-in no more than 5 minutes MAX tell you the gist of what you did in your past jobs, and why you were good at them. In reality hiring managers figure it out as they scan your resume in 60 seconds, so I'm giving them the full 5 minutes and assume they're not from your industry.
What will that prove? That'll show how well your resume is written. Is it full of questionable bullet points that are basically "resume fluff"? I can't tell you the number of times I'll be doing someone's resume and before we get off the phone I'll just go through their current resume to see if we missed discussing anything. I'll ask about a specific bullet point and they'll say "yeah, I just put that on there because it sounded good-I don't even know what it means." If you seriously have ANYTHING like that on your resume-for heaven's sake get it off! How can you expect that a hiring manager is going to understand it and you're really rollin' the dice that they don't ask you about it in an interview.
I can honestly say that I have NEVER brought anyone in for an interview because their resume "sounded" impressive, but I had no idea what they did. Who has time for that?
If they can't basically, correctly describe what you did back to you-there's a problem. Ask them what words or phrases gave them that impression. This is really useful information. They're not criticizing it, just giving you their opinion based on how they read it. Hiring managers and recruiters are real people, so it's
Resume pass this test? Fantastic! Then make sure that you've included all the key words that are in the position you're applying for to boost your odds of making it through their software.
A resume writer brings a different perspective to your experience. We see a good number of resumes per week and if I had $1 for every resume where someone said that they had good communication skills and were a team player, I'd be able to retire. If I turned it into a drinking game I'd die of alcohol poisoning. Seriously.
I figure out what is unique about people. A good resume writer will help you to relax and open up about your background and examples. That person will also look at the jobs you're applying for to identify buzz words, phrases, and what level of position you're aspiring for so you're on the same page with them, and even advise you when you're over or under shooting your target based on how the descriptions are written.
Another benefit of working with a writer is that they've talked to other people, seen their before and after resumes, and know how to position you relative to the competition that's out there. My background is Marketing, so it's all about how I brand you-how you come across on paper.
Do resume writers get it wrong? Yup! But that's why the first document I send is called a draft. It's based on your life, what I heard and understood from how you described yourself to me. I'm also naturally biased based on my background, experiences, and how you relate to other clients I've worked with in similar industries or for similar positions. Don't like how it's coming across on paper-then contact them and work with them to correct it. If resume writers were mindreaders we'd be, well, charging more. We have to be open to criticism, but should be able to fairly explain some of the points that you're taking issue with. I'd say that I agree with my clients on about 50% of their changes and make the change because something is a matter of their personal preference. And that's fine. The other half, I'll explain the wording I used or the format and we decide together if they're comfortable with it or reach a compromise that I think will work based on my strategy.
What if you send it out and it's not working? Go back to the writer. For all of my clients, I let them know that if at any time in their current search they're not getting a good response to the resume, I'll redo it without a charge.
Why would I do this? My business is my pride and joy-and just like you don't want people saying bad things about your family, I don't want people to say bad things about me. So I am happy to discuss a client's concerns and make some tweaks or revisions that solve their problems. I've only done this twice in 4 years, and one client has already referred a friend to me (the other client just got his revisions back today.) A good resume writer will stand behind their work and not leave you out in the cold to fend for yourself.
I actually got a nice call this week from a client who accepted a position in Charlotte, NC 6 months ago who credits his new job to the resume I wrote. I love to get calls like that!
Melanie Szlucha has been a hiring manager for over 15 years and a career coach for over 4 through her company Red Inc. She writes resumes, coaches clients for job interviews, and works with them to strategize networking opportunities and job search tactics.
She offers a packet of FREE job search articles--worth over $100, through her website: http://www.reallygreatresume.com/.
Following her on Twitter ( http://www.twitter.com/Red_Inc ) gives you one great job search tip per day for FREE!
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