Why you should NEVER write your own résumé.
Sure, there are plenty of templates and do-it-yourself software applications out there to help you do your own résumé, and writing your own résumé can seem like an economical way to go.
A résumé, however, is the first impression a prospective employer will have of you, and should be your best possible representation of you and your skills. Unless résumé writing happens to be one of the skills you’ve perfected, here are a few things to consider before you decide to launch this venture solo:
- Writing a résumé requires good writing skills. If this has never been your strong point, your own résumé is not the place to start practicing.
- Few of us are good at bragging on our own accomplishments, skills and traits. When we try, we tend to either downplay our assets out of shyness or modesty, or overdo it with as a result of our discomfort with the process.
- It is very difficult to view ourselves objectively, from a third-party perspective. Yet this is exactly the perspective the potential employer will have, and the résumé needs to relate to that perspective.
Well, that’s great, you may be thinking, but what part of “I just lost my job and money is tight” are you not understanding?!
In the past, professional résumé preparation was expensive. A lot of the cost was in the printing, especially if you chose the “spray and pray” method of bombarding every employer you could find who might have job openings in your field with a résumé and cover letter.
Technology, however, has helped bring down the cost of preparing and distributing a résumé. Companies are increasingly posting job openings online and requesting applicants to submit electronic version of their résumés. Low-cost printing is available many places, and in this market, some companies are even offering free résumé printing and faxing, thus separating the cost of résumé preparation from the printing and distribution process altogether. This means that you can easily handle the printing yourself, and you need help only with the writing of the résumé and cover letter. This can save you hundreds of dollars.
But what if you really and truly cannot even afford to pay the $99 to have your résumé printed professionally? You still have options. Résumé services sometimes provide free critiques of your current résumé, which will help you gain that third-party perspective you’re needing on a résumé you have written yourself. If you have a friend who is familiar with the industry you’re desiring to work in, you might ask that friend to take a look at your résumé and help you tweak it. You might also set up one or more informational interviews to gain additional objective perspective and advice.
Bottom line: We may be our own best critics, but we aren’t our own best agents. Third-person objectivity is a great asset in making the best first impression of ourselves in writing.
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I found that there are a couple of things that really increase the chances of getting a job, even now with an economic recession the basic rules still apply.
* Use Titles or Headings That Match The Jobs You Want
* Use Design That Grabs Attention
* Medium Size Resume and The Use Power Words
* Identify and Solve Employer’s Hidden Needs
* Sell the Benefits of Your Skills – it should be pretty obvious for the employer why not hiring you would be a loss for their company