Why Shouldn’t You Write Your Own Resume?
So, you’ve tired of your old job, you can’t stand the boss, or you just can’t go any higher within that company. You’ve had a look at what’s available and you’ve spotted your dream job. You’re ready to dust off your resume, give it a spruce up, and go for it.
Hold it right there! When was the last time you were in the market for a job? Do you know it’s a lot harder now, with a lot more competition? Just getting an interview nowadays is a feat in itself.
Do you think your old resume can stand up to the scrutiny of your potential new employer, assuming, of course, that it even gets through the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) unscathed?
For most people, the thought of going through their resume to get it up to standard makes their eyes glaze over, and conjures up all kinds of ways to procrastinate and keep putting it off. Do you even know what the recruiters are looking for in an employee? Do you know how to market yourself and rise above the crowd?
A resume is a marketing document, not a work history or a list of your likes and dislikes. You have to market yourself to your new employer. Most people are bad at marketing themselves. They don’t know how to position themselves to persuade an employer to hire them.
A professional resume writer will tailor you new resume to your dream job, and use all the right keywords to get it through the ATS software, get it noticed by the recruiters, and get you an interview.
Most large corporations use applicant-tracking software. Because of the sheer volume of applications, it’s just not feasible to have people going through every application, so an ATS is used to weed out the unsuitable applicants and reduce the number of resumes that need to be read with human eyes.
And how does the ATS software know who is a good candidate, and who isn’t? Well, it doesn’t, it scans the resumes for the correct keywords and keyword phrases. If your resume doesn’t have the required information it is relegated to the reject pile and is never seen again. Even having your resume formatted incorrectly can cause the ATS to reject it. You could be the perfect person for the job, but they’ll never know, and you won’t get a second chance.
Do you really want to go it alone and hope your resume will make it through? A professional resume writer will format and write your resume so it doesn’t get lost in the system, and it does get noticed by the employer. Gone are the days of having your career objectives top and centre of your resume. Today’s employers aren’t interested in what you want, they’re interested in what you can bring to the company. They want to see results-driven data that shows you will be an asset to them.
If you want to make it to an interview to prove your worth, you need a professional. They know what employers are looking for and they know how to make you look your best. Employers will spot an amateurish, badly-written resume with the same tired old clichés and expressions, and they’ll immediately file it in the ‘round filing cabinet’.
Your unprofessional resume simply cannot compete against all the others. No matter how good you are, a bad resume will let you down every time.
As well as a great resume, you also need a persuasive cover letter. Never send a resume without a cover letter, in fact, you shouldn’t send anything without some sort of cover letter. It explains what you’re sending, why you’re sending it, and a well-written cover letter should pique the employer’s interest and make them want to read your resume.
So you’ve been shortlisted for an interview? You know the employer is going to Google your name to see what comes up. Will he see anything to make him change his mind? What about your Linked In profile? Is that up to scratch? Do you even have one? Will he read the major rant you had on Facebook about what a control freak your current employer is, and how you think a trained monkey could do a better job?
If you Google your own name you’ll find it’s your Linked In profile that comes up before anything else. A professional resume writer can also go over your profile and make sure it’s worth reading, and advise you on how to look your best when you’re Googled.
As well as your resume, cover letter and Linked In profile, there are follow up letters, selection criteria for government jobs and even coaching to get you through that interview. A professional resume writer offers all these services, and you can usually get a good price for a package deal.
Getting that new job is one of the most important things you’ll do in your life. Unless you’re an expert, don’t try to save money by writing your own resume and cover letter. Let a professional do it for you so all you need to do is focus on acing that interview.
And if you fluff that, you’ve only got yourself to blame.
KEEP THE FAITH