Why I can't write your resume at the last minute

I get it. The job posting or the potential internal promotion comes up and you need a resume. You try to pull something together to write your resume at the last minute. You realize you just can’t do it. You suddenly realize there are experts like me, professional resume writers who help people get those job-winning offers but you need it in two days or one day or the same day.

Why I can’t write your resume at the last minute

I really feel for the person who wants to apply for that job posting they think is the perfect job but the deadline is tomorrow. I have learned to say no to last minute requests. First of all, most of the time I am booked at least a week in advance. Secondly, my process doesn’t work that way. When I write a resume, I work collaboratively with the client to dig deep to understand their career, their goals, and their success stories. The process takes time.

A few years ago, a gentleman called me who had met me a year or two prior at a Chamber meeting. He remembered that I write resumes when his company asked him to apply for a position. He didn’t have any time. I sadly said no. I told him I couldn’t do him justice and I will not just push together a second-rate resume for a deadline. He understood.

In fact, he understood so well, that when his friend needed to start a job search and had a position in mind, he told his friend to call me first. This executive did call me, at the encouragement of the man who never worked with me but knew my value, and he became my client. As we dug through his past, wrote his resume, crafted his LinkedIn profile, and coached through any questions he had, he understood why it would take time.

I later thanked the first gentleman and connected with him on LinkedIn. He never worked with me but our conversation about the depth of the process stuck with him and he remembered me when his friend needed me.

Why you shouldn’t write your resume at the last minute

Admittedly, my process is deliberate and it takes time but if you are going to write your own resume, you still shouldn’t write your resume at the last minute. It takes time to discover your best resume success stories and that is best done when you aren’t facing down a deadline. You want to position yourself as the best candidate. I understand that people feel they can do this themselves but only a few people actually can write a professional level resume. A person with a strong combination of self-analytical skills and superb writing skills who has researched their field, determined the best strategy, understands successful formatting, and how to create a resume that stands above the rest is certainly qualified to write their own resume. But even for that person, it is hard to get it right without preparation and planning.

Investing in professional resume writing is often a difficult concept for people to accept. However, the benefits of that investment pay back better than any other. You will be working somewhere for the rest of your life, landing the right job and being prepared for the interview is a huge part of your success in the future. Learn more about working with me here.

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