How can a Resume Writing Service help you?

Executive ResumesProfessional ResumesResume WritingResumes

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In the current economic downturn, more and more Americans are joining in the hunt for jobs. Positions that once received ninety resumes are now seeing applications in the hundreds.
Industry standards that once applied to resumes are now doubly, even triply true. You’d heard that employers skimmed through resumes before? You can only imagine how quickly they toss through the pile now.
With your resume as a single sheet in that huge stack of paper, creating a pertinent, easy to skim document is more important than ever. So more and more people are taking steps like hiring a professional resume writer to aid them in their job search.
Some people question the ethics of enlisting this type of aid, implying that you cannot present yourself in a genuine manner with the use of such a service, or that the need for help is a manufactured need, or even that the type of help provided leads to a non-accurate representation of one’s skills.
However, these statements seem to stem from a misunderstanding of what it is that the professional resume writer does.
To start with, what is a resume, exactly? It’s a marketing tool that advertises your skills and experience.
In your business, is it unethical to hire a marketing firm in order to sell your product? Probably not. It’s only logical to hire experts to help you in areas where their expertise is needed to improve sales.
A proper resume writer won’t represent you in a way that is not genuine. It is against our code of ethics, and would damage our reputations as professionals.
Let’s face it, in a consulting-type business, your reputation is really all you have. Not to mention that representing clients inaccurately would cause real problems for them, once uncovered.
What does a resume writer do? We take information, that you supply, of your past jobs and accomplishments, your education and experiences, your old resumes and supporting documents, job positions you are interested in and anything else you think we will need for resume preparation — and present you with a new document, tailored to the type of job that you’re pursuing while showcasing your strengths and promoting your value.
We have industry knowledge of certain words that will catch the boss’s attention in your line of business, and they know how HR filters documents. For one thing, did you know that these days, resumes are often scanned by computer for certain keywords?
Let’s be honest, the first thing we all do when faced with a huge stack of paper that we have to weed down to just a few sheets, is to get rid of as much as possible, as easily as possible. So, the first scan, whether by computer or an individual is for weeding out the chaff.
Industry hiring experts know what keywords are typically used in the computerized process and can ensure that your resume includes them. We also excel at aiding people in camouflaging gaps in history.
We are resume experts, and we know how to make yours clear and readable — after all, if those two attributes aren’t met, the rest falls by the wayside.

The Use of C OLOR on Resumes… dare we?

Folks, a new day has dawned.
I never thought I’d say it or believe it, but color is here. Hopefully to stay.
Way back when I started my resume writing career (10 years ago), color wasn’t used. I was trained by an executive resume writing firm almost 6 years ago, and at that time color wasn’t even something we would say out loud! It was only on resumes that most certainly WOULD NOT land the job.
But times have changed, finally, and color can come out of hiding and proudly show itself.
Now, when I talk about this, you don’t want to have every header and subheaders different colors. What I mean is, color in small doses is good. Perhaps a deep red or navy blue for bullets or subheading titles.
An example can be like this:
JOHN SMITH………….Business Development Executive
or in a branding statement like this:
John Smith
Provide Leadership through Innovative Marketing Styles and Strategic Business Sense
(see just a hint of Navy Blue?)

I will also use it to emphasize a value-added bulleted list. I never overdo it and use it sparingly. Too much of a good thing can be just that– too much.
So, good people of the job seeking world, REJOICE, and add a touch of color to your resume.
–Erin

Career Summary

Resume Writing
CAREER SUMMARY


Take a look at your resume. What does it say at the top? Does it accurately describe your strengths and skills? Does it grab you? If you were the hiring person, would you read it and say, “Wow! Who is this person?”, or would you put the resume in the circular file?

The top half of your resume needs to be fantastic in order to catch the attention of a hiring manager. If they have 200 resumes to look at a week, they will put aside the dull and uninformative ones to get to the more eye-appealing and exciting ones.

If you are still using an objective, say for example: “To obtain a position where I can use my education and experience to achieve a high-paying position with room for advancement”… BEEP! Wrong answer. If your resume says that, crumple it up and throw it out. It’s not doing you any good, in fact it is hindering you from landing a great position.

Your career summary needs to have action words and action phrases, along with a keyword summary of some sort, to stand out and put yourself above the competition. It needs to have tangible statements of what you’ve done and what you can do for the company.

The quickest way to land an interview is having an effective resume, if you haven’t been getting calls, you should consider having it rewritten… and watch the calls come in!

————
Erin Kennedy