Many job seekers write their own resumes when they're on the hunt for a new job. This makes sense because you know your own career better than anyone else. When the job search doesn't lead to as many interviews as you like, consider hiring a professional resume writer to help create a masterful document that catches the eye of applicant trackers and HR managers.
Turning your resume over to a pro can help bring out your best accomplishments, highlight your most relevant experiences and even hide some flaws that HR managers could perceive as negatives. Check out these five reasons why you should hire a professional resume writer.
1. Covering the Gaps
You have a gap in your employment and you're not sure how to make it look like you weren't just slacking off during your unemployment. A professional resume writer might show you how to mitigate short-term employment by leaving off the months of employment and just including the years. You might also see how to list major freelance clients that filled the gaps between full-time work.
2. Objectifying Accomplishments
Perhaps you don't feel comfortable bragging about your best accomplishments, and that's a good thing. A third party observer can take your work experience and turn it into several points that bring out your most pertinent accomplishments. Staying with a job for three years may not seem like much, but a resume pro can take that experience and make it into something an employer can investigate further during an interview.
3. Knowing the Trends
The best resume services keep up with the latest trends because it's their job to do so. You may not have time to keep up with cutting-edge trends. Therefore, it makes sense that a professional resume writer can keep you up-to-date.
4. Telling Stories
Resume pros can create a cohesive story out of your experience, accomplishments and skills. All of these facets should point to how you can take your new employer and your career to the next level. A narrative with a start and finish shows a hiring manager how you accomplish this.
5. Focusing on Formatting
A professional knows how to format your resume for an applicant tracking system and for human eyes. The document must be clean, concise and readable at the same time. If you have trouble making your resume look appealing, you might consider hiring a resume pro.
What to Look For
When you shop for a resume writing service, look for several things that help you find the best ones for what you need. Does the website look neat and professional? Does the person have a sample or two for you to examine? Can you contact this person readily for an estimate? Look for credentials, such as "Certified Professional Resume Writer," somewhere on the website so you can verify this person's ability to turn your resume into a compelling story. Keep in mind that if you put your resume in the hands of a professional, this frees up time for you to network and target your job search to positions you really want.
The ultimate test of hiring a professional resume writer is your return on investment. Did the money you invest get more interviews? If so, retaining the services of a resume pro was a great idea.
Photo courtesy of jessica mullen at Flickr.com
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