Do I own my resume?

DO I own my resume when a professional resume writer writes it?

When clients work with me, they often wonder if they can edit their own resume. With me, though the content is particular to the client and should not be shared with friends, it is your resume.

If I own my resume, can I share content or format with others?

While sharing is nice, sharing your resume content or format so your friends can use it on theirs is much like cheating on a test, only worse.

On a test, cheating is wrong because it means you really didn’t learn the lessons and you would get something you don’t deserve — a good grade!

Sharing your resume is another kind of cheating but your friend is the one who gets something for nothing.

If you either wrote your own resume or hired a career professional like me to write your resume, then your friend benefits without the investment of time or money.

The problem is that your resume doesn’t fit your friend, it fits you.

Since no two people are alike even if they work the same job, taking a resume written for someone else is not a good idea. It also becomes plagiarism because the content is not meant to be shared.

Editing if I own my resume

For the most part, you can edit your own resume and should. You need to fine-tune so that your resume fits a specific job target. As long as you understand how to edit and leave the formatting the same, you can edit your own resume.

This assumes you have the right software on your  computer. Most resume writers use Microsoft Word and deliver at least one of your copies in MS Word. This makes it easy.

Trying to edit a professionally written resume in the wrong program

Clients who use Microsoft Works, Google Docs, or are trying to edit a formatted resume in a text editor like Notepad will end up frustrated.

If you find that you are trying to edit in new positions or transition to a new field, perhaps you would be better off investing in having a professional do it for you.

Sometimes even a two-year old professionally-written resume has too many changes for simple updates.

The resume needs a complete change because you have been very successful. When you accomplish many things that would be an asset in your resume, or perhaps you are changing direction, you may need professional resume writing help. In these cases, it is hard to do it yourself without a significant time investment.

At Design Resumes, the answer is yes, I do own my resume. You can make edits but if you think about it, there may be times you don’t want to do it on your own.

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