Writing your resume can be daunting, particularly when you aren’t sure of the best way to sell your strengths and experience to get the job. That is why so many people opt to have their resume professionally written by a resume writer.
Sounds good, doesn’t it? And they do it all the time anyway, so surely, they must be better at it than you, right? Completely wrong. The truth is no one will be better at writing your resume – or selling yourself – than you. Your resume is the first encounter a potential employer will have with you. Don’t you want it to be one that is genuine and one that will align with the person they meet at an interview?
Here are three really big reasons why you are the best person to write your resume:
1. It is a starting point for your interview
Employers will often craft interview questions or scenarios based on the skills and experiences highlighted in or alluded to in your resume. If a resume writer has oversold you through your resume, made you sound more experienced than you really are or exaggerated examples of your achievements, it will be evident at interview and will work against you.
2. It showcases your communication skills
A resume showcases your ability to communicate, follow directions, show initiative, prioritise and sell. All of which are essential skills to an employer. While a professionally written resume can help you get to interview, you can set unrealistically high expectations of what an employer believes you are capable of.
If your resume is written in a different tone or showcases your experience and skills in a different way to how you describe them at interview, it won’t take long for a potential employer to realise that you didn’t write your resume. You’ll let them down and you’ll let yourself down.
3. It proves your ability to interpret requirements and add value
Reviewing a job advertisement, interpreting requirements and updating your resume and cover letter to suit proves to an employer that you understand what is needed to succeed in the role and that you have the necessary knowledge and skills to pull it off. While a resume writer can put words eloquently, they don’t have your industry insight or ability to know what will be most relevant to an employer.
While it can be beneficial to get help with the formatting and layout of your resume, and a proofread at the end, it is your personality, knowledge, experience and passion that will make your resume stand out from the pile of other candidates.
Don’t let writing your resume overwhelm you; it is an opportunity to show potential employers exactly what you are capable of.
Not sure where to start? Download some of our free resources or jump into our Starting Out, Starting Over and Starting New online career coaching programs. Want to talk to a real person to find out more? Give us a call on 1300 27 83 45.