Is It Better to Write Your Own Resume or Hire a Professional?

In a very competitive labor market, hundreds of people might apply for one job. Of those applicants, only a few typically land interviews. Your resume gives interviewers a first impression of you, and you only have a few seconds to capture attention with this document. Some people may hire a professional resume writer to spruce up their document, but that idea has caveats.

When You Should Hire a Professional

Your resume serves as snapshot of your career, and sometimes, people simply do not know how to correctly document career information. A professional resume writer generally understands the current trends with respect to formats, how to get noticed and what keywords to include. What matters most is that you have relevant skills. A professional resume writer can put your skills onto the page in a way that gets them noticed.

A professional can spot a weak resume and make yours better in ways you may not even think about. For example, the person you hire can effectively describe any tangible results you achieved in previous positions. They should also make sure your resume is polished and free of mistakes.

When you hire someone to write your resume, you may avoid the pitfalls of not meeting the standards of a hiring manager from the outset. A professional resume writer's job is to make sure your vital document is relevant to your industry.

When You Should Write Your Own Resume

Consider the benefits of writing your resume. Putting together a career summary, quantifiable achievements, a relevant job history and a skills section forces you to pay attention to details. Always use action verbs and attention-getting bullets to make your skill set stand out. As an added benefit, it's easier to memorize the facts and details of your resume during an interview if you created the document yourself.

Writing your own resume also lets your personality come through. Only you can inject your unique personality into your resume, which helps set you apart from other candidates. Professionals write resumes based on facts, but you can put your personal touch on the document.

Writing your own resume can hone your writing skills and demonstrate that you can communicate clearly and effectively. Proofreading your resume is also beneficial, as doing so requires a sharp eye, which is an important skill in the business world. Once you're skilled at writing and proofing your resume, you'll never have to worry about hiring a professional resume writer.

If you can't decide which option is best, do both. Write your resume yourself, and then take the document to a resume writer for editing and proofreading. That way, you have the best of both worlds as you try to land your next opportunity.

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