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3 things to do before hiring a résumé writer
While the services of professional résumé writers are valuable to many jobseekers, there is also an investment involved. Take a look at the following three suggestions first before reaching out to a résumé writer. You might be able to tweak your résumé on your own, or you might decide it's too large to take on by yourself.
- Has it been proofread? Proofread, proofread, and then proofread again - and not only by yourself, but by a friend, a spouse, someone with a fresh set of eyes and a clear perspective. If you don't consider yourself a strong speller, then I especially can't stress this point enough. Take it from me—a former executive recruiter—typos anywhere on your résumé can send you straight to the trash can. In the process of weeding out candidates, many hiring managers assume the attention to detail shown towards your résumé directly correlates to your work ethic once hired.
- Are you highlighting relevant skills? Your résumé should highlight skills valuable for the field/position you are pursuing. For instance, if you are a new grad, this requires positioning yourself and your experience as a young professional. If you are changing fields, this requires identifying strengths valuable in the new field and downplaying skills that might have been valued in your previous line of work, and so on.
- Have you included achievements? Let's look at the big picture for a moment. The purpose of a résumé is to get interviews by showing why you are a strong candidate for a particular position. Including a laundry list of your past positions' responsibilities only shows what was asked of you. What you need to convey is how well you did your job, and what you did that went above and beyond. This is what makes a compelling résumé that wins interviews. This is what intrigues a hiring manager to want to speak with you.
Remember, an effective résumé gets you interviews faster, which is the first step in completing your job search. If you're unemployed, this means earning money faster or if you're looking to advance in your existing career, this means receiving a salary increase faster. In the end, the investment you make in a résumé writer's services should pay for itself. In a future post, we'll discuss how to decide which writer is best for you.
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