Taking The Resume Reader’s Needs Into Consideration

Before you write your own resume, examine professionally written resume samples to get ideas about writing styles and eye-catching resume formats. Then, write your resume with the reader in mind. If they are seeking someone with your background and skill set, be sure to make that the focus of your resume.

Do not use the resume templates that come with your word processor. They look like everyone else’s resume on the hiring manager’s desk.

Take the extra time needed to add visual appeal to your resume. If you are not able to do this effectively, you should seriously consider retaining the services of a professional resume writer. Be sure to ask them if they specialize in creating eye-catching resume formats in addition to their writing services.

Your goal should be to make a connection between what the hiring manager is seeking and what you have to offer in those select areas.

To get that message across at first glance, make your objective clear and highly visible. You can do this by creating a job title and positioning it prominently below your name and address. It tells the hiring manager what you are all about and sets the tone for the rest of the resume.

RESUME HEADING
Your resume heading should in bold and all caps such as this: REGIONAL SALES MANAGER

PROFILE
Your Profile or Summary section is a coutesy to the reader. It allows them to sum you up in short order. This important section sets the tone for the resume and highlights your key qualifications. This way the hiring manager can quickly get a sense who you professionally without having to read the entire resume.

Specifically, this section should list your number of years of experience, industry, credentials, and key attributes that are essential to the position you are targeting. For example, if the position is sales, your attributes would be strong communicator, strategic negotiator, and ability to establish and build key business relationships.

KEYWORDS
Keywords or industry jargon can be included in your Summary or throughout your entire resume (recommended) so you can communicate your select areas of skills by listing appropriate areas of interest specific to the job.

In the case scenario for a sales professional, these keywords might be as follows: relationship building, territory sales management, client consultation, public speaking, sales presentations, contract negotiations, value-added selling, client training and support. One of the best sources to find relevant keywords is in job ads.

ACHIEVEMENTS
This is no time to be shy and modest. You will want to toot your horn a bit by including your most impressive achievements. Your accomplishments should be presented in a factual or story telling way that gives the reader the sense that you do more than just your basic responsibilities and are not a clock watcher.

ACTION VERBS
Do not make the mistake of starting every sentence off with “responsible for”. That is understood. Try playing with action verbs such as led, directed, supervised, spearheaded, steered, guided, and executed. Instead of writing a sentence like this: Responsible for distribution operations throughout the Metro New York Area, consider revising it to read like this: Managed distribution operations throughout the Metro New York Area. Here is another example: Led the success of distribution operations throughout the Metro New York Area.

CONSISTENCY
Watch for consistency in present and past tense. If you are no longer with a company, be sure to make it past tense. Just as important, triple check for typos. Have someone else read your resume for misspellings, dates, missing periods and obviously poor grammar.

Again, review professionally written resume samples to get ideas about writing styles and eye-catching resume formats. But, make the effort to make it your own.

Information about the Author:

Career and Employment Articles: http://www.article-buzz.com

What Resume Writers Don?t Want You to Know!

I came across a fascinating statistic recently. Resume writers beware. This is information they’d prefer you didn’t know. Here it is.

Robert Half Executive Director, Katherine Spencer, said in Certification Magazine that it’s estimated that between 70 and 80 percent of all jobs are filled by people who first heard about the position through word of mouth.

Kinda shoots holes in the whole notion that your resume gets you a job. The amazing thing is this information is not new. We discovered along time ago that you don’t get a job with a resume. Why? Because today’s savvy employers rely on much more to make a hiring decision.

For example, they want to know that you’re interested enough in being part of the team that you’ve taken the time to learn something about the organization and its goals. They want to hear you discuss how you’re going to make a difference to their organization. Resume writers can’t provide that.

But the truly amazing part is that most job candidates who have acquired a face-to-face meeting with a decision-maker who could be their next boss did so because some person intervened–not a resume. That intervention could be information or referral provided by a relative, friend, neighbor, religious or political leader, service club member, someone they do business with, etc.

In fact, Ms Spencer’s statistic, which should give serious pause to resume writers, is an authentication of the “alternative job search” and “non-traditional career advancement” movement. That’s because we discovered many years ago that the job market follows the same marketing rules as the business market.

You don’t seriously grow a business by shot gunning and mass distributing untargeted information randomly to lots of people in the hope that someone will buy what you’re selling. Businesses don’t do that if they want to stay in business. Or they’re willing to burn up their budget while waiting to see who calls in.

Businesses succeed through person-to-person contact. It’s called sales. And the same thing is true of finding a job. Resume writers cannot provide a substitute for personal intervention. Nothing is going to happen for you based on a resume–unless you’ve got weeks and months to wait for results from this crapshoot.

But the good news is there’s a systematic approach that takes advantage of the real way the job market works. It uses 21st Century strategies and techniques to accomplish the goal of getting you a job offer . . . and in record time!

It’s built on the credible statistic that most jobs are ultimately obtained through word of mouth. This amazing system is really a simple, step-by-step approach using proven marketing principles. They’re easy to master. And you see results almost immediately. In fact, you can be meeting face-to-face with your next boss in a matter of days. And entertaining a good job offer is as little as two weeks! Resume writers go figure.

Information about the Author:

Career and Employment Articles: http://www.article-buzz.com

Free Resume Examples — Are You Getting The Most Out Of Them?

Are free resume examples the answer to the jobseeker’s dreams? You’d think so, by the number of books on the subject to be found online or at your local library or bookstore. Just imagine: resume samples for almost any industry or profession, ‘before’ and ‘after’ versions with critiques by professional resume writers … manna from heaven!

Well, up to a point. Many resume examples are excellent models of design, presentation and technique — and there’s a lot to be learned by seeing what has worked well for other job applicants. But like most good tools, it’s important to know how to use them well.

Most well-designed resumes are the result of many hours of development to create a profile which uniquely represents its subject. This usually involves:

* analysis of the industry or job-specific requirements

* appraisal of the applicant’s attributes and work history

* promotion of accomplishments and skills to match an employers’ needs.

But when a job applicant is faced with the challenge of producing a quality resume in a short space of time, their first recourse may be to look through some resume examples to find a style that appeals. The trouble is, creating your own resume by simply rehashing someone else’s is unlikely to result in a document that sells you to an employer on the basis of your individual qualities and achievements.

So how do you get the best out of resume examples?

One of the biggest advantages of sample resumes is that they help to imagine what it must be like to be a recruiter. Faced with dozens — if not hundreds — of resumes, you’re likely to scan each one to pick out the few that match what you’re looking for. So when you stand for a few moments in your ‘employer’s shoes’, you get to assess the impact of different presentation formats: what’s aesthetically pleasing, what layouts are best for reading quickly, how to pack a punch with powerful language.

But the savvy reader can get a lot more out of a sample resume than just an appreciation of its style. The real value comes when you take the time to peel back the layers of the resume ‘onion’ — for example:

* Does the resume show how the employer will benefit from hiring the applicant?

* Does it sell this benefit by highlighting the value the applicant added in previous positions?

It’s an example of the ‘hidden gold’ in sample resumes — and the secret to one of your most powerful techniques: the ability to create and influence your reader’s perception of who you are.

So be proactive and take the time to dig up the buried treasure in those resume examples. You’ll be learning to select appropriate aspects of your unique skill set and present them persuasively to your prospective employer — marketing yourself, in fact!

Information about the Author:

Career and Employment Articles: http://www.article-buzz.com

Is A Resume Writer Necessary?

Some people think that Resume Writers are necessary only for executives. But is that true? Writing a resume does not seem like a big deal until you sit down to write it. After all, it’s just a list of your experience and education, right? Wrong!

Companies are looking for applicants who have strengths and abilities that will give them an advantage over their competition. Your resume is your first introduction to such a company. You need the first impression to be excellent.

The goal of a resume is to be called in for an interview.

Very few people can write a good resume. Most can put together one that is an organized listing of their education and experience, but being like most will not get you the job you desire.

Your resume must be excellent to give you an advantage in your job search. The best way to get that advantage is to hire a professional resume writing service to write it for you.

Resume writing services specialize in taking your list of accomplishments and tailoring them into a showcase of your talents. This is essential to make you stand out amongst all the other applicants.

You do not need to pay a high price for your resume. Remember, though, that you are hiring a professional, so you need to be prepared to pay for the service. Always keep in mind that a better resume will mean better pay for you.

You do not want to go for the least expensive resume service and end up with a cookie cutter resume. Your goal is to stand out, not blend in with the other applicants. Your experience and skills need to be the things that get employer’s attention, not fancy graphics or pictures.

Your resume is an essential part of the whole interview process. No matter how you found out about the job, your resume will make a statement. If you are answering an advertisement, or working through someone you know your resume must represent you accurately.

You must have your resume prepared at the beginning of your job search. If you wait until you have begun applying for jobs, it will be too late. You want to prove that you are prepared and a good choice for the company by having your resume at hand.

You could spend hours preparing your resume. A practical alternative is to hire a resume writing service and use your time preparing for job interviews. That would be a much better use of your time. Resume writers will open the doors for better jobs. When you have an effective resume, your career path will be easier to follow.

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Resume advice for executives by resume writer sherri thomas

Resume Advice for Executives by Resume Writer Sherri Thomas. provides career coaching tips for a fast career change to professionals and executives. Visit the website today to grab 3 free career tools!…

Professional resume tips by resume writer sherri thomas

Get professional resume tips by resume writer Sherri Thomas. provides career coaching tips for a fast career change to professionals and executives. Visit the website today to grab 3 free career tools!…

Can You Really Afford To Write Your Resume?

Why would someone pay a professional resume writer to write their resume when they have a computer, can use resume templates, and can find resume samples online and in books to get ideas on setting up and composing their own resume?

The answer lies in what type of position they are targeting and their level of resume writing skills. Whether basic or complex, a resume must be attractive, focused, and interesting to read. Failing to achieve these objectives means failing to make a good first impression. Many things need to be taken into consideration in order to accomplish these goals. Here are five things to consider:

1. You must understand the technical aspects of resume development. This includes resume design (what fonts to use and spacing), use of industry specific key words, career synopsis and company profiles, appropriate resume style and formats (reverse chronological, functional and combination), and page length.

2. You must have good word processing skills!

3. You must understand what the hiring manager is looking for and what you’ve done so you can make a match between their needs and your qualifications.

4. You must have grammatically correct, creative writing skills to communicate what you have done in the positions you have held using a reasonable amount of detail.

5. You must avoid wasting the reader’s time by listing too much irrelevant information or going back too far if the position does not warrant it.

Some positions such as waitress, car wash attendant, and cashier might not require a resume. If they do, it would be a general resume with a traditional objective statement and chronological listing of jobs held with a sentence or two under each to indicate responsibilities, along with job-specific skills, and education.

In a word: simple. However, sometimes a resume needs to be strategically developed to emphasize the value you offer a company, especially if the position is very competitive and you need to stand out from the rest of the potential candidates.

Often, a job seeker finds himself or herself in a pickle because they have held many different positions over the years and do not know how to keep the resume focused for a particular position. Maybe you are returning to the workplace after raising your children and are concerned the gap will put you at a disadvantage.

Maybe you are just starting out in your career and do not think you have enough to offer a company. Or, maybe you are ready for a career change and do not know how to create a presentation that will position you for a new field.

If you have done your homework (which we believe you have since you are reading this article!), you know that a resume is often referred to as a “marketing tool.” No different than a commercial advertisement, your resume needs to entice the reader to buy the product (you) by grabbing their attention, listing the product’s benefits (your qualifications), and compel the reader to make a move – in this case, to invite you to an interview.

As you know, time is money. The more time that passes after sending your resume out, the more money you lose if it is not generating responses. If you cannot afford to be out of work for several months, you should make the decision to have your resume professionally prepared. Here is a quick quiz to help you put things into perspective:

Client A: wanted to save money, so she prepared her own resume. She faxed and mailed her resume to over 50 companies over a period of six weeks, but nothing happened. While she kept her fingers crossed, she depleted half of her savings. She eventually landed an interview in the seventh week through someone she knew.

Client B: understood that having her resume professionally developed was a good investment. Without one, she knew she could not launch her career in the right direction. She faxed and mailed her professionally prepared resume out to ten companies over a two-week period. By the end of week two, she landed a great interview that resulted in a fabulous job.

Quick Quiz: who came out financially ahead in the long run?

If you answered the job seeker that invested wisely in consulting with a professional resume writer, you are 100 percent correct! So, in summary, the question is not whether or not you can afford to write your own resume. The question is whether or not you can afford not to have it done properly.

Information about the Author:

Career and Employment Articles: http://www.article-buzz.com

Can You Really Afford To Write Your Resume?

Why would someone pay a professional resume writer to write their resume when they have a computer, can use resume templates, and can find resume samples online and in books to get ideas on setting up and composing their own resume?

The answer lies in what type of position they are targeting and their level of resume writing skills. Whether basic or complex, a resume must be attractive, focused, and interesting to read. Failing to achieve these objectives means failing to make a good first impression. Many things need to be taken into consideration in order to accomplish these goals. Here are five things to consider:

1. You must understand the technical aspects of resume development. This includes resume design (what fonts to use and spacing), use of industry specific key words, career synopsis and company profiles, appropriate resume style and formats (reverse chronological, functional and combination), and page length.

2. You must have good word processing skills!

3. You must understand what the hiring manager is looking for and what you’ve done so you can make a match between their needs and your qualifications.

4. You must have grammatically correct, creative writing skills to communicate what you have done in the positions you have held using a reasonable amount of detail.

5. You must avoid wasting the reader’s time by listing too much irrelevant information or going back too far if the position does not warrant it.

Some positions such as waitress, car wash attendant, and cashier might not require a resume. If they do, it would be a general resume with a traditional objective statement and chronological listing of jobs held with a sentence or two under each to indicate responsibilities, along with job-specific skills, and education.

In a word: simple. However, sometimes a resume needs to be strategically developed to emphasize the value you offer a company, especially if the position is very competitive and you need to stand out from the rest of the potential candidates.

Often, a job seeker finds himself or herself in a pickle because they have held many different positions over the years and do not know how to keep the resume focused for a particular position. Maybe you are returning to the workplace after raising your children and are concerned the gap will put you at a disadvantage.

Maybe you are just starting out in your career and do not think you have enough to offer a company. Or, maybe you are ready for a career change and do not know how to create a presentation that will position you for a new field.

If you have done your homework (which we believe you have since you are reading this article!), you know that a resume is often referred to as a “marketing tool.” No different than a commercial advertisement, your resume needs to entice the reader to buy the product (you) by grabbing their attention, listing the product’s benefits (your qualifications), and compel the reader to make a move – in this case, to invite you to an interview.

As you know, time is money. The more time that passes after sending your resume out, the more money you lose if it is not generating responses. If you cannot afford to be out of work for several months, you should make the decision to have your resume professionally prepared. Here is a quick quiz to help you put things into perspective:

Client A: wanted to save money, so she prepared her own resume. She faxed and mailed her resume to over 50 companies over a period of six weeks, but nothing happened. While she kept her fingers crossed, she depleted half of her savings. She eventually landed an interview in the seventh week through someone she knew.

Client B: understood that having her resume professionally developed was a good investment. Without one, she knew she could not launch her career in the right direction. She faxed and mailed her professionally prepared resume out to ten companies over a two-week period. By the end of week two, she landed a great interview that resulted in a fabulous job.

Quick Quiz: who came out financially ahead in the long run?

If you answered the job seeker that invested wisely in consulting with a professional resume writer, you are 100 percent correct! So, in summary, the question is not whether or not you can afford to write your own resume. The question is whether or not you can afford not to have it done properly.

Information about the Author:

Career and Employment Articles: http://www.article-buzz.com

What Resume Writers Don’t Want You to Know!

I came across a fascinating statistic recently. Resume writers beware. This is information they’d prefer you didn’t know. Here it is.

Robert Half Executive Director, Katherine Spencer, said in Certification Magazine that it’s estimated that between 70 and 80 percent of all jobs are filled by people who first heard about the position through word of mouth.

Kinda shoots holes in the whole notion that your resume gets you a job. The amazing thing is this information is not new. We discovered along time ago that you don’t get a job with a resume. Why? Because today’s savvy employers rely on much more to make a hiring decision.

For example, they want to know that you’re interested enough in being part of the team that you’ve taken the time to learn something about the organization and its goals. They want to hear you discuss how you’re going to make a difference to their organization. Resume writers can’t provide that.

But the truly amazing part is that most job candidates who have acquired a face-to-face meeting with a decision-maker who could be their next boss did so because some person intervened–not a resume. That intervention could be information or referral provided by a relative, friend, neighbor, religious or political leader, service club member, someone they do business with, etc.

In fact, Ms Spencer’s statistic, which should give serious pause to resume writers, is an authentication of the “alternative job search” and “non-traditional career advancement” movement. That’s because we discovered many years ago that the job market follows the same marketing rules as the business market.

You don’t seriously grow a business by shot gunning and mass distributing untargeted information randomly to lots of people in the hope that someone will buy what you’re selling. Businesses don’t do that if they want to stay in business. Or they’re willing to burn up their budget while waiting to see who calls in.

Businesses succeed through person-to-person contact. It’s called sales. And the same thing is true of finding a job. Resume writers cannot provide a substitute for personal intervention. Nothing is going to happen for you based on a resume–unless you’ve got weeks and months to wait for results from this crapshoot.

But the good news is there’s a systematic approach that takes advantage of the real way the job market works. It uses 21st Century strategies and techniques to accomplish the goal of getting you a job offer . . . and in record time!

It’s built on the credible statistic that most jobs are ultimately obtained through word of mouth. This amazing system is really a simple, step-by-step approach using proven marketing principles. They’re easy to master. And you see results almost immediately. In fact, you can be meeting face-to-face with your next boss in a matter of days. And entertaining a good job offer is as little as two weeks! Resume writers go figure.

Article Source: http://www.articlesauce.com

Paul Megan writes for EEI, the world-class pioneer in alternative job search techniques and non-traditional career advancement strategies . . . since 1985. Grab our stunning FREE REPORT: “How To Find A Job In As Little As 14 Days!” Click on RSS for instant info! www.fastest-job-search.com

How to Choose A Resume Writer

Resume writing is a skill and profession just like any other professional service. Unfortunately, many people are hanging up shingles, running ads, and showing up in cyberspace claiming to be resume writers when they have no writing skills, little experience, and no knowledge of their profession. There are no specific licensing requirements or even a complete educational program to train someone in resume writing. This means that anyone with the inclination can put up a sign, print up business cards, or post a web site, and claim to be a resume writer.

I am amazed that many individuals claiming to be resume writers don’t work at their craft. Many resume writers I’ve met have a wooden, sophisticated, anti-marketing style of writing. These writers don’t know that a job search is a sales and marketing project and that, beneath all the style and formalities, resume writing is copywriting. Just because someone can write a newspaper story, write a novel, or teach an English class, doesn’t mean that he or she can write a resume that sells. Be careful when considering hiring a resume writer. I have been writing resumes and teaching resume writing for a living for many years, and I’m going to tell you that you that there is a huge disparity in quality. The purpose of this report is to give you some insight and tips in finding high level, quality services. Keep the following in mind:

In a job search, resumes rule!

I’ve been accused of putting too much emphasis on the resume. My response to that: In a job search, it is next to impossible to put too much emphasis on the resume. If you can’t communicate with potential employers in writing, you’re in trouble. Nothing fancy, nothing outrageous. Just words on paper that cause an employer to respond or move on. Job hunting with a resume that doesn’t communicate well is like job hunting in a foreign country without knowing the native language. Your words alone need to make your message come to life in the reader’s mind. In the job search, resumes rule!

But the problem doesn’t stop there. There exist an old school mentality that says the resume is merely a formal list of past jobs and schools, and should be about as exciting to read as a laundry list. While this old guard is crumbling and changing, there remains a loud, grouchy, narrow-minded group of “experts” who shake their finger at you while spouting outdated resume rules, such as “a resume must be one page,” “use short bulleted phrases,” “start each line with an action verb,” yada, yada, yada . . . . Unfortunately, some of these dinosaurs double as resume writers. They will often give themselves away by pointing out that resumes are nothing more than a necessary evil. Don’t swallow that baloney. In a job search, resumes rule!

Find a writer who is a big fan of resumes. One who understands that your resume is your personal sales representative that sells you when you can’t be there. If a resume writer shows the slightest bit of cynicism about his or her craft, you can do better. Keep looking. Resumes rule! Don’t put the writing of the most important document in your career in the hands of someone who doesn’t agree with that.

Determine if you are dealing with a writing service, a typist or a copy shop.

The first thing you need to do is sort out the confusion between:
1. Professional resume writers
2. Typists
3. Copy shops / quick print shops
4. Employment services that do resumes on the side.

In the big city, and even in some small towns, if you look up “resume services” in the Yellow Pages you will find copy shops, quick print shops, and secretarial services among the listings. To someone who has never sought out resume writing services, this can be misleading.

Print shops and copy shops can help you if, and only if, you have your resume already written verbatim. Typist and secretarial services may do some editing and proofreading, but they are not writers. What a typist, print shop and copy shop can do is make your resume look nice. While having a nice looking resume is important, with today’s technology, nearly everyone has a nice looking resume.

You might ask: When I am checking out services, what if it’s not clear whether a service is a writer or a typist? Well, what you need to do is ask them two things:

1) Can they write your resume from scratch? If they respond with anything less than an absolute, unqualified ‘Yes!,’ they are probably not a professional resume writer.

2) Are resumes their first and foremost product and service? Again, you want an unqualified “yes”. You don’t want a secretarial service that does resumes on the side.

Employment agencies and recruiting firms will frequently offer resume services. I recommend shying away from such offers. Resumes are not their primary product and are often treated as a mere formality in the job search.

Determine If He Or She Has Extensive Real-World Experience

Before you hire an expert, determine that his or her expert status comes from direct experience writing resumes – and hopefully lots of it. I am constantly amused by resume writing services that present their experience in human resources as their primary source of expertise — I’d never hire such a person on that basis. There is a night-and-day difference between writing resumes and reading resumes.

Get this! There is a book on writing resumes written by someone who is not even a resume writer! He calls himself an expert on writing resumes because he has read and evaluated a lot of resumes. You need to beware of people like this. The implication is that if you worked in human resources you have special inside knowledge of what employers want. Well, I’ve hired lots of people in my career and I’ve got news for you, there is no inside, super-secret knowledge that gets people interviews and jobs. Selling yourself on paper is done through content and organization that comes from solid resume writing experience and a good understanding of copywriting (selling on paper).

Am I saying that you should you never hire someone with a background in human resources? Absolutely not. But I am saying: Don’t be impressed by credentials in human resources. There is absolutely no connection between human resources experience and ability to write an effective resume. Certainly some human resource staffers can write good resumes — but the best resume writer I ever met was ex-zoo administrator turned resume writer, another excellent one was a former teacher, still another owned a small machining business, and so on.

But My Resume Writer is Certified!

As I write this, the two primary organizations that will certify resume writers are the Professional Association of Resume Writers out of Florida and the National Resume Writers Association out of New York. In recent years these organizations have grown significantly in size and credibility. They are great resources for resume writers and membership demonstrates a certain amount of professionalism and credibility. And while I am sure that many, perhaps most, members of these organizations are excellent writers, you still have to do your homework. Members are not automatically better resume writers than non-members.

Finally, one needs to ask: who certifies the certifiers.

Determine Whether Or Not He Or She Can Sell On Paper

A resume should be as persuasive as you can possible make it. If you are timid or have a hard time writing good things about yourself, you especially need a resume writer who can help you to think of how to describe your skills and accomplishments. This is achieved through good solid writing skills, not from hype, puff, or being outrageous.

When you examine a service, ask the writer why he or she does things the way they do. They should be able to easily articulate the strategies they’re using and their reasons for what they included and how they organized the resume. It is an inept service that gives you blank stare when you ask about the strategy behind your resume.

Be on the Look Out For . . .

Being ripped off by “cookie cutter” resume services. When a resume writer takes shortcuts or to make his or her job easier, it is never to your benefit. For example, some services do not write new resumes for each client but work off computer templates by simply filling in the blanks with your information. These resulting resumes are too general to be effective; plus they lack information, marketing strategy, character and direction. They are waste of your time and money. When shopping for a resume writer you need to be aware that there are clear indications when you are dealing with a cookie cutter service. Red flags should go up when:

1) You see too good to be true prices. Because so little time and effort go into their service, they tend to charge far less than a good writer charges. This is a dead-bang giveaway of a cookie cutter service. Their target market is price shoppers and their advertising will focus on low price. They prey on people who think all resume services are alike. This is the main reason you find such a large price spreads between resume services. Cookie cutter services have a strong presence on the Internet.

2) The resume service exclusively uses forms to get the information from you. These forms will usually resemble job applications. If the writer does not interview you, run, don’t walk, from this service. You are dealing with a cookie cutter service or a typist. Good resume writers are also good interviewers. They get beyond the basic information you find in forms and will ask you about skills, abilities, accomplishments, personal qualities, and more.

3) The service tells you that they have an exclusive, market tested format that works better than any other format in the world and they use it for all their customers. This is nothing more than an excuse for a “one-size-fits-all” approach and an unwillingness to deal with their clients’ individual needs. Cookie cutter approaches also fail to recognize that different professions and industries have evolved their own resume style and character. If your industry has it’s own style and buzzwords, and you fail to reflect that on your resume, it will make you look like an outsider.

I Saved Five Bucks!

Finally, we come to money. If you hire a professional, expect to pay professional level fees for the services and, as a general rule, you get what you pay for (as I write this quality professionals start around $400). However, you cannot assume that spending more necessarily gets you a better resume. One thing you can be sure of is that the lowest price is rarely a bargain in the long run. There can be a high long-term cost of looking for a job with the cheapest resume you can buy. The cheapest services usually turn out to be merely typists, copy shops or cookie cutter services — although they rarely describe themselves that way. Would you rather spend $50 and spend weeks sitting out in the cold, or $500 and quickly get a $30,000 raise?

Future Considerations

Resume companies come and go, and if you want to make changes in your resume down the road, you want your writer to still be in business. There is no hard and fast rule, but generally the companies with a proven track record stand a better chance of being around when you need them. Fortunately, there are some very good Internet resume services that look like they are in it for the long haul. Other considerations: Does the company have multiple offices? Have they invested in a professional website? Older companies indicate a larger more stable clientele.

My Friend in Human Resources Hates It!

Expect to get every imaginable opinion possible on your new resume. While it’s perfectly natural to seek out feedback and approval on your new resume, I must warn you that most people are wellsprings of misinformation when it comes to effective job search strategies and resume writing. Some will tell you to make your resume one way and others will tell you exactly the opposite. Don’t call your writer a couple days later and demand changes made by teachers, relatives, or a friend who recently got hired. You invested in a professional for his or her expertise. Maybe your friend has a good idea, but don’t make changes without asking the writer why they chose to do things the way they did. In most cases, common sense suggest to leave it the way it is while trusting a resume writer with more than a few years experience under his or her belt.

No resume writer or career development service has all the answers for every person, but any service that has been in business 5 to 10 years or more should have pretty good grasp on what works in a job search and what doesn’t along with some tips and advice worth many times more than the price of the resume itself.

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