When Seeking Resume Writing Advice, Focus On Results Rather Than Opinions
I recently read an article on LinkedIn entitled THINGS YOU SHOULD REMOVE FROM YOUR RESUME IMMEDIATELY. If you want to read this article, simply click on the article title. I provided the hyperlink to take you to the article.
When I cut and pasted the text of this article into a Word document so I could read it later, it came out to 12 pages. While I agree with some of the article’s points, I don’t agree with every point.
Instead of arguing over opinions, know that my resume writing opinions come from results, results and only results. Here’s what you need to know about what I teach my clients about resume writing.
Why Can't You Write My Resume...I Gave You My Last 3 Job Descriptions
Your last 3 job descriptions describe what you were hired to do in your last 3 jobs. If a resume writer could simply compile the descriptions of what you were hired to do to create your resume, there would be no skill involved in the process of writing a resume.
A great resume is far more than a record of what you signed up to do in past jobs. A great resume shows a record of what you signed up to do, what you actually did and the value that was created as a result of your efforts.
It is your Accomplishments, Contributions and Results that need to be demonstrated on your resume in a language that aligns with the language of your resume’s audience.
While your resume is always about you, it is for your audience 100% of the time.
What you were hired to do in previous jobs should actually be allocated the least amount of real estate on your new resume.
Resume writing is difficult because when it is done strategically and correctly, it is a mix of technical writing, business writing and creative writing. Many people do well with the technical writing piece. The business writing piece of a resume is still within the grasp of some. It is the creative piece of writing that is outside of most of my client’s skill sets. Too much of any one of these elements will upset the delicate balance of a great resume.
Finding just the right balance of Technical Writing, Business Writing and Creative Writing is required to build a resume that will be most appreciated by the resume’s audience.
Jeff Snyder Coaching, Resume Writing, 719.686.8810
I’m a Director, She Wrote…That’s Great News, I Thought in My Mind
My Resume Writing Service
I have been assisting people with resume writing since 1990. In 2008, I turned my pro-Bono work into an active part of my business. I didn’t go out and study other people’s approaches to resume writing. Rather, I collected thoughts from several of my clients as well as from many of my colleagues and peers; people who have reviewed tens of thousands of resumes in their careers.
From there, I set out to build a resume writing methodology from scratch. I started with my own thoughts, the information I’d collected from my colleagues and peers as well as information your audience told me they wanted to see in a resume and began building from the ground up.
What I created is a proprietary resume writing methodology that has opened interview doors for my clients around the globe since 2008 and continues to open interview doors today. My clients have included Analysts and Engineers, Architects, Managers, Directors, VPs and “C” Suite Executives.
Hiring a Resume Writer
Here are a handful of suggestions with regards to how you might want to go about selecting a resume writer or a resume coach.
- Hire a resume writer who understands your profession and the audience you’ll be sending your resume to.
- Hire a resume writer who can demonstrate client results as a result of their clients using their resume writing approach.
- Be ready to roll up your sleeves to partner with your resume writer or resume coach.
- Don’t approach a resume writer with this mindset:
“To be frank, I was really looking for someone just to write my resume. I was not looking for guidance. As you may have noticed, I am Director of Information Security and have very little time to devote to resume writing.”
You’ll Have To Participate
Understand that you are the only person on the planet who has walked in your shoes. Nobody knows why you are unique or special other than you. Nobody knows how to tell your stories of Accomplishment, Contributions or the Value you’ve created for previous employers other than you. The best any resume writer can do is to meet you half way. If they claim to be able to do more, I suggest that you turn around and run away.
A great resume is a forward leaning document. This document cannot be written by you handing a resume writer your last three job descriptions. Job descriptions talk about what you are hired to do. They never talk about what you did or how you did what you did. This by the way is what employers told me they want to see in a resume.
You have to participate in the resume building process.
My Resume Writing / Resume Coaching Options
I offer a 1 Hour Resume Coaching program for my clients who are confident in their writing skills. These clients are people who want to learn my proprietary resume writing methodology. I’ve boiled this knowledge transfer down to a 1 hour coaching call.
For my clients who are not as comfortable with their writing skills, I have a service that I refer to as my Full Resume Writing Service. My 1 Hour Resume Coaching program is so effective because it addresses both auditory and visual learners, so I deliver this program to my Full Resume Writing clients before I take over as their editor.
I my Full Resume Writing clients to the drawing board to build their raw resume material based on the methodology I have taught them. When my clients are ready for me to jump back into their resume writing process, I do so as their personal editor. I take their raw material and turn it into a polished, professionally written resume that is then ready to open interview doors.
Conclusion
Nobody on the planet can write your resume for you from start to finish. Regardless of how busy you might be, you have to slow down to participate in a knowledge transfer process.
There is no other way to end up with a great resume.