Should You Write Your Resume Yourself or Hire a Professional Writer to Do It for You?
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Job recruiting is an administrative nightmare for businesses. It means dealing with hundreds, even thousands of emails, faxes, and resumes. Companies are also required to maintain detailed records of the incoming interests.
To reduce the administrative problem, Human Resources departments, recruiters, and hiring managers have processes in place to expedite the flow of resumes. So, job applicants who prepare their resumes like an autobiography may be headed for the trash bin. As Huffington Post says, “Making a mistake is risky. So if you lack writing skills or don’t know how a proper resumé, cover letter, CV, or LinkedIn profile should look, you may be considering a professional writer.”
So, you should write your resume
You can write your own resume and cover letter—if you are confident in your language skills—and understand what the business wants to see. As Salary.com points out, “Resume writers are not just professional writers, but they’re experts in making your resume stand out from the rest of the applicant pool.”
But, if you lack the confidence, you can opt to build your paperwork with proven online templates. You can land your dream job using these templates.
Should write your resume yourself?
Professional resume writers have skills and experience, but it can cost you. So, to get yours right, you need some help. For example, there are some hints to make pop out:
Tip #1: Brevity is your friend.
The resume processors scan the resumes, so wordiness does
not impress them. They do not have the time for or interest in large blocks of dense text.
Tip #2: White space is your friend.
Judicious use of white space sets key elements apart, so you must respect margins and line spacing.
Tip #3: Match the keywords.
Inside the hiring process, they recruiters have a mental checklist of “do’s and don’ts.” The “do’s” appear in their ads and job postings, so you should include those keywords in your cover letter and resume. This is especially important because many recruiters can digitally scan the documents for those keywords and phrases.
Tip #4: Keep it simple.
Resumes read better if they use simple declarative sentences and bullets. You may need some coaching on bullet writing, but bullets speed the processing. So, processors prefer them to long explanations.
Tip #5: Customize your interest.
A job search is an 8 to 5 effort, so do not try to cut corners by mass mailing your resume. It really does not work. It is smarter to focus on certain jobs or certain employers. But, that means customizing each resume to that company’s public image, culture, and needs. For example, you can call the business to secure the name and job title of the hiring person instead of mailing “to whom it may concern.
But, this also means you must change the keywords and phrases to match their needs.
A final tip
The cover letter and resume should be flawless. This is your first impression. So, you cannot afford spelling or grammar errors. Even the most experienced executives can struggle with language mistakes. You must secure the best advice among family, friends, and online to fine comb your work.
Should you write your resume yourself? Sure, but you must know what you are up against and what resources to optimize!