Why writing your own resume may not be the best choice
Maybe you are struggling to write your own resume. You’ve thought writing your own resume would be easy and you are just following what they taught you in school. But what you were taught in school isn’t even close to what a professional resume writer does to market you.
When a professional resume writer creates a resume, the philosophy is very different from that of the college who is using old school methods passed down since 1980. I would like to say it is not the fault of the career center for not knowing there is a better way but unfortunately, I can’t. The same training I have is available to colleges and universities, they just choose to stick with what they learned.
For a resume and/or cover letter to be effective, they have to tell the story of what talents the job seeker brings to the job. Most resumes and cover letters fall far short of explaining the value but rather focus only on a job description. This throws you into a job search without the tools to win the job.
What I do is create the story that tells the hiring manager why you should be the one hired. Why you fit the job. If you are not doing that in your resume, this is why your resume isn’t working.
Why a resume isn’t a litany of duties
The confusion lies in thinking a resume is a litany of what you have done, a list of duties, but that doesn’t prove value. Value is proven by capturing the stories that take the reader beyond the duties to what would make you a good fit. For me to find that value, I talk with the client, examine their past, figure out what job they are targeting, fit the resume for the job with the stories they tell me. The stories of how they solved problems, built business, created new products, gained new clients, fixed processes, helped clients, changed lives, or whatever they did that made them different.
It takes time. It takes thinking. It takes a willingness to leave behind old resume concepts, old job search concepts, and do it differently. Not everyone wants to invest that amount of time or thinking and not everyone is willing to trust that it will work. Are you?
Julie Walraven is a triple-certified resume writer whose interactive coaching style helps job seekers earn winning positions when she creates tactical resumes and LinkedIn profiles to market you for success. Learn more here.
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Julie Walraven
Professional Resume Writer
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