Unlock the secret to startling job search results

Unlock the secret to startling job search results

Who wouldn’t love startling job search results? What if you knew you could make changes to your resume and LinkedIn profile and transform your results?

Startling job search results after revamping your resume

Number one error I find on incoming resumes is that there is no distinguishable formatting or branding. Almost all original resumes from job seekers have boring formats. The main cause may be that they all use similar formats or templates.

When I start with a new client, we review multiple resumes I created for other clients. After our show and tell time, I ask them to tell me what they would like their resume to look like.

They select particular characteristics for multiple items for the resume: color, bullets, line separation style, fonts, and more. But those items aren’t a clone of any one of the resumes they liked. Instead, they select each item they like and we build a plan for them.

Each resume I write starts with a blank document.

  • No templates!
  • Templates stifle originality and creativity.
  • Templates also are frustrating and annoying when the settings interfere with the goal of the resume.

Writing matters even more than formatting

Most homegrown resumes sound more like job descriptions than compelling resume stories that identify the attributes that make you the best candidate for the job.

  • Stop writing job descriptions instead of resume content.
  • Transform your resume by incorporating details and specifics that show how you succeeded.
  • Accent your unique contributions to your career by placing them in a Leadership section at the top of the resume.

For more than 30 years, I have helped thousands of clients articulate their resume stories and differentiate themselves from the competition. Today the task of making a job seeker stand out is much tougher than when I started writing resumes. Careers are much more complex and capturing the intricacies that employers seek is more difficult than in the 1990s or 2000s.

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Resume Design and Job Seeking Tips

Here are Design Resumes' latest articles on job search, resume design, resume writing, and Linkedin optimization articles I've written.

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Julie Walraven, Design Resumes

Julie Walraven

Professional Resume Writer

Here are ways I can help you land your dream job.

You may be halfway across the country or the world. When you work with me, we share coffee, laughs, and concerns. This turns the scary job search into creative, consultative writing and learning sessions.