Hire a Professional Resume Writer?

Friday, March 7, 2008

Free Resume Examples Articles : Hire a Professional Resume Writer?

I am a professional resume writer. Nevertheless, I do believe that you can write your own resume. It would be false to assert otherwise. Not even a professional resume writer should deny you the challenge, if you are up to it.
I also offer resume help of another form. I teach people how to write resumes. I teach career coaches who sometimes lack the expertise required to craft a compelling resume.

I believe - in fact, I am certain - that a resume is one of the most important documents of your professional life. It impacts the jobs you get, your career path and your salary. And that is just the beginning.

When considering whether to seek out professional resume writing assistance, keep in mind some basic key facts regarding a resume. Then you can make an informed decision. The question shouldn't be whether to hire a professional resume writer. Instead ask yourself: How can I get the best resume possible?

It's essentially a marketing device. It's a biography too, but a very special one: brief and almost all highlights.

Think of it as an argument. Your thesis is: I am the person to hire. I'll give you the best payoff. The entire nature of the resume flows from that.

Here are basic guidelines:

Tailor the resume to the audience. One size won't fit all, here or with any marketing device. To persuade-in fact, to communicate effectively at all-you must shape the message to the recipient. So adapt your resume to the position and company. Go back through past jobs, highlight accomplishments that are relevant to the employer, and prune back those that aren't. For instance, while you would normally omit the person you reported to, include it if you know it will interest the company. Whatever you do, don't create a archeological resume, by simply layering new jobs and achievements atop the old ones. Be flexible.

Focus on your benefits to the company, not yourself per se. See yourself from the company's perspective. Ask yourself what you'd look for if you were hiring. Sell the scent, not the rose.

Highlight your accomplishments, not your titles and duties. Why? Anyone can warm a chair. And many people carry out their duties in a perfectly respectable way. But you are competing and you must stand above others.

Suppose you can say one of the two below:

1. Was responsible for managing supply chain and allocating store space.

2. Increased operating profit by 38.4%. Improved the return on invested capital 42.5% by streamlining supply chain and exiting unprofitable product areas.

As an employer, whom would you prefer?

The first approach describes the baseline of the job: the obligations. It indicates the minimum to keep the job. But it says nothing about how much you exceeded that minimum, or whether you even met it.

The second highlights performance. It reveals how well you did the job. And that's what matters.

There are other key differences between the two. The second describes benefits to the company. It is active, and its tone suggests that you will be a dynamic executive. It is also more specific and informative.

Your most important accomplishments can have greater meaning and even dramatic interest if phrased as: problem, action, resolution. It's one thing simply to say you increased operating profit 35%. It's another to say that the company was facing a crisis, revenues weren't increasing, and you solved the problem. You underscore the impact-and engage the reader.

As much as possible try to provide a result at the bottom line. Some results are simply milestones on the way, and you want to focus on the end benefits.

Don't overdo it. If you describe your accomplishments in excess detail, the resume can become tiresome. You can also appear to be laboring too hard to prove yourself and the resume can suggest poor communication skills. Ironically, it can imply that you are not effective.

When you sit down to write your resume, or when you place a call for some professional assistance, keep in mind that it's the end result - the best possible resume - that matters most. Then you will be ready to make the right decision.

Source: http://www.freeresumeexamples.net/do-it-yourself-resume.html