Posted by ResumeHelp on November 17, 2009
Getting proper resume help is the one step in your job search over which you have total control. It is your personal career marketing document. You will either be selected for an interview from among potentially hundreds of other candidates – or passed over; depending entirely on the strength of your resume.
The Resumes Function
The purpose of a Resume is not to get a job! Its purpose is to get an interview. The competition is fierce so the better this document is, the quicker you get hired.
Job recruiters spend approximately 15 seconds looking at each Resume. In that short time, they make a decision to place you in the “yes” pile or in the “no” pile. This decision can be based on the overall appearance of your Resume template, the format, and the three or four key selling points you have listed in your Qualifications Summary at the top of the resume.
If you make it to the “yes” pile, your resume will receive a detailed reading. From that initial pile of Resumes that come in the mail, the recruiter’s goal might be to narrow the list to only five, ten or twenty candidates who will be called for an interview. So even if you survived the first screening and made it to the stack of 20, you still have a 50/50 chance of being cut from the final selection.
Remember, this entire process happens solely on the strength of your resume. That’s why your resume format is so important. And if you survive this process, your resume then becomes the basis for your interview. The recruiter will use your resume as an outline to discuss your career history, accomplishments, and qualifications for the position she/he needs to fill at the company.
After the interview, your resume continues to represent you, as your qualifications are weighed against those of other candidates who have also made it through this interview stage. Assume that only the five or ten best and most qualified candidates were interviewed. The department heads involved will meet and discuss which candidates they want to consider. Even here, your resume plays an important role in reminding the company of your qualifications, the impression you made during the interview, etc.
Should You Write Your Own Resume?
Probably not – unless you are a skilled professional writer who can also honestly look at your own strengths and weaknesses objectively. While there are dozens of “do-it-yourself” resume books on the market, the truth is that if you do your own resume, it is being prepared by an amateur.
Does it make sense to spend four years and $40,000 to earn a college degree and then market that investment to employers with a do-it-yourself Resume? Or to have solid credentials and a salary level of $30,000, $60,000 or $100,000… and use a less than professional resume to represent you?
Think of a company like Coca-Cola. The executives who work for Coca-Cola know that product better than anyone else. Yet Coca-Cola uses a professional advertising agency to create the messages that are designed to sell us on buying Coca-Cola.
The Professional Resume Writer
Hiring a professional Resume writer serves the same purpose in selling you to a potential employer as Coca-Cola’s advertising agency. You’re getting the benefit of an expert who writes resumes every day and who knows how to present a client’s background and credentials to best advantage.
There are three options open at this point;
- do it yourself,
- hire a professional resume writer or
- use resume software.
I would never recommend to even my worst enemy that they write their own resume so that leaves #2 and #3. Number 2 is the best option but costs some money, sometimes $200 – $400, however it is an investment in YOUR future.
Resume software is a less expensive and was written by professional resume writers. Resume templates and Interview help is also available. Is it equal to option #2? Very close but not quite as good but still far ahead of writing your own resume.
I would recommend that if your budget will allow, go to the professional writer route. However if you have been out of work awhile then the #3 option makes sense. That’s why our site Resume On A Budget was created, to help people on a budget. By the way the resume software has a money back guarantee so you can’t go wrong.
Posted by ResumeHelp on November 13, 2009
Despite all the bad news, people are getting hired. We posted an article in August 2009 reprinted from CNN on 13 companies (by name) that were hiring. The news services are not reporting a lot on these things because good news does not sell.
People who are getting hired are putting together an aggressive plan. So here are some basic ideas. There are jobs, not as many as we need but there are jobs!
Have your resume prepared by a Professional
Unless you have written a lot of resumes and understand the significance of keyword density and crafting value propositions, this is the best investment you can make. Your resume is your most important document in your career. That’s why we emphasize the importance of having it written by a professional. Having a resume written by someone who does this for a living will give you a competitive advantage over the do-it-yourselfers. Employers receive hundreds of resumes and having yours prepared by a professional writer may just be the competitive edge you need.
A good professional resume writer will craft your resume to distinguish you from everyone else. They know the keywords, formats, skills and performance metrics for your industry and they know the kinds of resumes you are competing with. And many times they have inside-information of who is hiring and can point you in that direction. Having a professional writer will slash weeks from your job search and pay for itself in your first paycheck. According to About Jobs.com 77% of professionally written resumes get immediate contact from recruiters.
There is another option. If you know your resume could use some work but don’t know where to start, let me encourage to take a look at this option. We have excellent Resume Software available that will take all the guesswork out of writing your resume and it’s much less expensive. This too is an excellent investment in your future. And if you struggle with interviewing, (many people do), the same site offers help with that and resume templates as well. Jobs are scarce, you are scared and you need help. These are an Investment in your future!
Posted by ResumeHelp on October 14, 2009
That’s the question consciously or unconsciously running through the mind of someone looking through a stack of resumes. That person will often not find the answer if there’s no cover letter from you. Resumes list the information about your skills and experience. Cover letters pinpoint why you should receive serious consideration for a particular job. A cover letter helps readers see how your experience relates specifically to what they are looking for in an employee. Instead of making readers interpret your resume, your cover letter does the work for them. A cover letter says, “I know your company and what it does. Here’s why you should take notice of my qualifications.”
A planning advisor for a huge oil corporation who scans hundreds of resumes a week looks at it this way: “The more someone can tell me what attracted him or her to my company, the better. I try to get a feel for whether the applicant is interested in our industry, which is sometimes clear in the resume and sometimes not. That is where a good cover letter can make a difference. If I get 10 resumes with similar experience and skills, the cover letter prioritizes who I need to speak to. If the resume is strong, then I don’t need the cover letter, but lots of times resumes don’t answer the questions I have.”
Keep in mind that the people who read resumes and cover letters spend mere seconds on them. You could meet every requirement of the job you’re going for but unfortunately, your qualifications might be buried somewhere in your resume. The people who are considering you for a job don’t like to dig. That’s where the best cover letter can be a make or break proposition.
Resumes are a record of your past and current experience. A well thought-out cover letter selects only those skills and experiences that apply to a job description and company. It summarizes your qualifications for that particular job so the hiring manager doesn’t have to search for them on your resume. If your cover letter doesn’t showcase the main points of your resume that match their requirements, the hiring manager is more likely to move on to the next candidate. And in this job market, you don’t want that to happen. Many times it is helpful to have a professional resume writer prepare your resume and cover letter. It’s an excellent investment.
But you may be saying; “I simply cannot afford to hire a Professional Resume Writer”. What’s the answer to that statement? I cannot deny a professionally written resume costs at least a couple of hundred dollars. But there is an answer. Here is a website that will give you basically the same thing for much, much less. You do the work, they tell you exactly how! Most people stumble over Interview questions. They offer help for that too! And you save lots of dinero! Go to Resume On A Budget now!
Authors bio: Darlene Zambruski is the managing for Resume Edge. She has authored 10,000+ resumes/cover letters/CVs for clients at every career stage.
