Your resume is a marketing tool that should effectively sell your skills, experience, and educational qualifications to prospective employers. When developing your resume, there are two different types of resume formats you should consider: a chronological resume and a functional resume. Your decision to choose one format over another should be dependent on your career background and personal circumstances. The ultimate decision will be based on that format that allows you to most effectively present your qualifications.

Chronological Resumes

Q. What is a chronological resume?

A. In a chronological resume format, your employment experience history is organized in reverse chronological order so that your most recent job position is listed first. This type of format emphasizes your job titles and employers, as well as your dates of employment with each employer. Your responsibilities and accomplishments should be described in detail for each individual position.

Q. What are the advantages to using a chronological resume?

A. Chronological resumes are easy to read, use a logical flow, and can effectively highlight career growth. Since this type of resume emphasizes the details of each position, using a chronological resume will draw attention to impressive titles and prestigious employers.

Q. What are the disadvantages to using a chronological resume?

A. Because of the format of a chronological resumes, this style easily undercover gaps in your employment history and frequent job changes. It also draws attention to the fact that you may be relative experienced in the workforce or in a particular career.

Q. What types of candidates should choose to use a chronological resume?

A. Chronological resumes are best suited for those individuals whose job history reflects steady career growth, those who are remaining in the same field, and those whose career goals are clearly defined and in alignment with their work history. This type of resume is also suitable for candidates who have prior employment with a prestigious employer that they want to highlight.

Functional Resumes

Q. What is a functional resume?

A. Functional resumes have often been referred to as problem solving resumes in that they allow you to organize your resume by functional skills as opposed to purely chronological order. This allows individuals to make sense of their work history by matching up skills and accomplishments from different jobs that might otherwise be overlooked by an employer in a more traditional chronological formatted resume. The goal is to highlight specific key qualifications which have been demonstrated through a variety of work-related achievements. As opposed to a chronological resume, skills do not have to be presented in the order of accomplished in a functional resume, but instead may be presented in order of importance and relevance to the job for which you are applying.

Q. What are the advantages to using a functional resume?

A. Using a functional resume keeps the emphasis on key relevant skills you possess that make you a good fit for a position. It allows candidates to align accomplishments from several different positions for a more powerful impact, since these skills might otherwise be lot in the shuffle in a traditional resume. Functional resumes also minimize the impact of inexperience in the workforce or field, frequent job changes, and any gaps in your employment history.

Q. What are the disadvantages to using a functional resume?

A. The presence of a clear career progression can easily be lost in a functional resume, as can extended experience in your targeted industry or field. Impressive employers or job titles are de-emphasized, which is a disadvantage if these are strong selling points in your experience. Additionally, some recruiters and managers dislike functional resumes due to their perceived lack of logical flow.

Q. What types of candidates should choose to use a functional resume?

A. A functional resume is a solid option for individuals who are looking to change careers, returning to the job market after a long absence, trying to minimize fair-to-average career growth. This format is also appropriate for new graduates, candidates with limited work experience, and individuals whose work history is a mixed bag of unrelated experience.

This is probably the most common question I encounter when I meet people that have not previously used a Certified Professional Resume Writer. They are amazed that there is actually a service that can help them with writing their resumes. The easiest way to answer this question is by telling you what I discovered when I was recruiting in the biotech and pharmaceutical industry. I looked at literally hundreds of resumes every single day (at least 500 per week), and maybe- just maybe- one or two were very well written. Come to think of it, those were probably written by professional resume writers. The rest of the resumes could be put into two categories: mediocre (the majority of resumes fall here) and terrible (fewer resumes fall in this group).

Now, I know there are a lot of people that copy their resumes from resume books, or copy their friend’s resume format, and hope that will suffice. And sometimes, it should be fine. So when should you use a Certified Professional Resume Writer? At what point in life does it become worth it to leave resume writing up to the experts? Let me put it this way. I have a great background in anatomy, and I choose not to do surgery on myself. I leave that up to a pro. Nor do I change the oil in my car, because I can have a pro do it. Now, if for some reason financially it does not make sense to have your resume written by a professional (remember that they can be tax deductible), and you have a lot of time to read books, pour through plenty of examples, are capable of critiquing your work history from a hiring manager’s perspective, have experience proofreading, and have a great command of the English language, then you are a wonderful candidate for writing your own resume.

Realistically, for a Certified Professional Resume Writer to write your resume, it takes a minimum of 2 hours (for the most basic, “just graduated from college” resume). It can take well over 12 hours for higher level resumes. And this is for a professional resume writer, who does this day in and day out. Let me tell you what resume writers do: they scour through every accomplishment you ever made, they become private investigative to make sure all your dates add up and that school names / departments are still valid, they tailor your background to the exact job you are applying for, and they let you know where your weaknesses are (ouch). They also tell you where your strengths are, what to highlight, what to lowlight, what to totally drop from your resume, what the resume rules are, what the correct English should be, what needs proofreading again, and which way the watermark goes. The rules are endless in resumes, and professionals know them all. So if it takes that amount of time for a professional to write a resume, think of the time it should take the regular, job seeking person out there. And the problem is I think most people lose interest in their resume right about the time they have a few pages that “sort of” sum up their background.

So in essence, people that have their resumes written by a Certified Professional Resume Writer have an edge over people that do not. Here is an example: If you are applying for a job, you are not simply one person applying to one job slot. You are competing against 10 other people that all saw the same job ad on the same day. If your resume is not as good as what your competition has (it does not matter if you are the best qualified or not), then a hiring manager will not give you a call. If your competition is using a Certified Professional Resume Writer, and you wrote your own resume, then your competition has a leg up on you. So, should you write your own resume? Yes, of course you can. But realistically, you can save yourself time, money (remember, time = money, and resumes can be tax write-offs, so talk with you tax advisor), and quite a headache if you go to a Certified Professional Resume Writer.

A professionally written resume might be just what you need.
On the other hand, perhaps you can easily write your own
resume using a resume template or commercially available
resume writing software. How do you decide which is right
for you?

Here are a few questions you can ask yourself to help you
decide.

* “Do I have the time to do the job right?”

If you want to create a resume that works, i.e. one that
captures the attention of a hiring manager during a 10
second initial “toss or keep” scan, you need to be willing
to invest some time. Depending on your comfort level, your
familiarity with resume design factors and how well you’re
organized, this can take anywhere from a couple of hours to
several days or more.

If you have the time, energy, focus and desire to learn how
to write an effective resume, you’re probably a good
candidate to do it yourself. If you’re really not ready to
devote the time and effort, you’d be better served by
allowing a professional resume writer to write it for you.

* “Can I afford the services of a professional resume writer?”

If you’re on a no kidding shoestring budget, writing your
own resume is probably the way to go. But most people are
surprised at how inexpensive and easy it is to hire a
professional resume writer who can write a truly effective
resume. Chances are good that there’s room in your budget
for a professionally written resume, especially considering
that the right career step could pay back your investment a
thousand times over (or more).

You’ve probably already spent tens of thousands of dollars
on your education, (not to mention incredible amounts of
sweat equity) to get where you are today. The small amount
of additional money you spend on a professionally written
resume may just be the best career advancement investment
you’ll ever make.

* “What makes a resume writer a “professional” writer?

There are several well known professional resume writing
organizations through which individuals can attain
professional resume writing credentials. These include the
National Resume Writers’ Association (NRWA) and the
Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career
Coaches (PARW/CC). Individuals who attain accreditation from
these organizations have demonstrated an in depth knowledge
of the resume writing process. The writers at
http://www.impressive-resumes.com are certified by one or more
such organizations.

* “What are some of the benefits of hiring a professional
resume writer to write my resume for me?”

There are many. You’ll likely save time and almost certainly
money in the long run. You’ll avoid making one or more of
the common resume writing mistakes that so many people make
when writing their own resumes. You’ll enjoy the peace of
mind that comes with knowing your resume was “done right”
from the beginning. You’ll be able to devote more time to
doing all the other things required of you when looking for
a new job. And you’ll have someone in your court who has
your best career interests at heart.

* “How do I work with a professional resume writer?”

Nowadays you no longer need to meet with a resume writer in
person or by telephone to conduct an interview. You can
order an online resume and complete your interview
conveniently on your own schedule. In fact, purchasing an
online resume that is written by a professional resume
writer is one of the nice things about the online world. The
whole process is built around YOU. You and the professional
resume writer working with you always have the option to
communicate by telephone or email if additional information
is required.

Why Use Resume Objectives

Before we can discuss the pitfalls you first need to understand the reasons for including your resume objectives and how they relate to your resume and interview selection process.

Including an objectives section at the beginning of your resume provides a brief introduction to the purpose of the resume, highlighting your career objectives and the type of job you are seeking.

It is very common for job-seekers to include a brief objectives section at the beginning of their resume
The objectives section can be an important part of a resume, and might be the first thing employers looks at. Therefore you should put considerable thought into constructing focused and clear objectives.

Look At These Resume Objective Examples

A resume objective does exactly what the name suggests; it highlights your objectives and states the type of job you are seeking.

Here are some examples of career objectives:

· To obtain an elementary education teaching position with upward mobility to a principalship.

· To obtain a position in manufacturing operations and development which will utilize acquired knowledge and collective experience.

· Public relations writer for a large metropolitan hospital.

· Auditor position in the public accounting field in the Philadelphia area.

As you can see, the objectives are short and sweet; meaning they are to the point in describing the purpose of creating your resume.

Doorway To The Interview… Resumes

What is a resume… usually it is the first contact you have with potential employers. It is also where you list your skills and create a marketable presentation so that companies understand the benefits of employing you.

Your resume is also the first (and possibly the last!) opportunity you have to persuade your prospective employer to give you an interview.

Clearly… it is in your best interests to ensure your resume is compelling enough to leave the recruiter with no other option but to invite you to an interview.

If you want to learn more about writing resumes that get interviews, visit a site such as Top Career Resumes where you will find numerous articles and tips.

Or, if you prefer… a cost effective alternative is to use a resume writing service to prepare your resume for you.

Pitfalls of Using Resume Objectives

You may have noticed that all previous references to objectives focus on you and therein lies the pitfall !

Employers are not interested in what you want…

If your objectives fail to match those of the employer, you will not even get to first base ! So keep your options open until you find out more about their objectives.

Some people decide to omit the objectives section and use that space to highlight other abilities and accomplishments.
Whether you choose to use resume objectives or not will depend greatly on your particular situation.

Reasons Against …

A few experts feel that the resume objectives section can be limiting to job seekers. It makes you be very specific as to your goals. This may be constraining if you want to be general and leave your options open.

Employers on average take only 30 seconds to look at a resume. The objectives section is the first thing that catches their eye. If you have a specific objective written, for example to obtain a managerial position, the manager may pass on your resume if he was looking for some other position.

If you are thinking about getting a professionally written resume, now would be a good time.

However, remember that the objectives section can disqualify you for jobs different from your stated objective… if you are not looking for a targeted job you can skip the section without many negative consequences.

It would be advisable to skip the resume objective section rather than be too vague. Unfocused objectives will put off many hiring managers. They may not end up looking at your experience and skills, which would of shown you to be a suitable candidate for the job.

Reasons For …

If you do include your resume objectives, you should construct several different resumes, each specifically tailored to the job you are applying for. You will want to make your resume relevant to each job. The objectives section may be the best way to create job specific resumes.

A draw back of not including the objectives section is that a hiring manager may not be willing to search your resume to figure out your job objectives and goals… and may bypass your resume.

If you have a specific job position in mind and are clear about your objectives, this section can be useful in informing potential employers about your reasons for applying.

In either case, it may pay you to seek professional advice before you make your final decision. The modest cost of doing this pales into insignificance compared with the cost of making a poor career decision.

Stating Your Resume Objectives

This has greatest benefits for career changers and recent college graduates. Your objectives should be concise and to the point, to quickly inform employers about your background and goals.

Entry-level workers can state in their resume objectives that they are recent graduates looking for positions in their particular field. Career changers should state how they can use their previously earned skills to make a transition into their new career.

Be Employer Focused

An alternative to resume objectives might be the ‘Qualifications Summary’ section. This is a section where you can briefly discuss your skills and how you intend to use them.

This can make your resume more employer focused, as the employer wants to find out what you can do for them. This might be more beneficial than having a self-focused resume, simply listing what you want to do.

Many employers prefer to have employees that are focused on their goals and motivated to achieving them. A well presented objective can be just the high-impact tool that can get a hiring manager’s attention from the start.

Finally …

When writing your resume objectives you have to consider your career plans. If you have not already done so, now would be a good time to get assistance with career assessment and planning.

When you have completed your planning and taken some time to match your interests with your chosen career, your resume objectives should complement the results you obtained through your searches.

Resume Templates

Understanding the difference between a resume and curriculum vitae is more important before choosing a template. Curriculum vitae is used to for an academic education whereas a resume is used to apply for a job opening. Job aspirants should look out for a resume template rather than a curriculum vitae template. While selecting resume templates pick the one that matches the work experience and not the work profile. This information is based on a research conducted with top Indian companies. Once the right resume template is chosen, carefully search and delete if there are any watermarks or logos of the website were the resume templates were downloaded. The recruiters would have come across similar resume patterns in their experience, so it is very important to alter the resume template so that it looks different from the usual one. There are many websites offering free resume template without any watermarks or logos in them. It is advisable to use those websites to download the required templates for a better work. With a right resume template in hand the candidate can start editing the information precisely.

Resume Format

Resume Format is nothing but the layout or order of information. There are numerous websites featuring resume formats that are categorized as IT, BPO, Manufacturing and more. Very nearly every resume formats be full of the same set of information. Do not write resume based on a profession, but on experience. It does not matter whether the applicant is using a resume template or not, what matters more is the resume format. If the template is not in a suitable format there is no value of using it.

Resume Writing

Even with a resume template the candidate need to concentrate more on professional resume writing. Walk through the resume writing tips before editing the resume template. Using these guidelines a candidate can prepare a qualified profile even without a master of pattern. The below mentioned resume writing guidelines are provided by experienced HR professionals.

Career Objectives

Writing a career objective is too basic on a professional resume format. Candidates with good work experience need not have to write a career objective. It is more suitable only on a fresher resume. The career objective should explain the candidates focus on the job applied for.

Experience Summary

The experience summary is where the recruiter mainly concentrate on a resume. Always begin the resume with a nice experience summary. Keep in mind that resume writing is not about the past, but for the future, so never go too deep into the previous job details. Just brief the work experience with roles and responsibilities and mention the key achievements accordingly. The awards and promotions gained on the previous company add high value to the profile without doubt.

Education Details

Education details should be mentioned on the resume in an inverted pyramid style. The highest or most recent qualification must be mentioned first. Schooling details can be furnished only if the school is well recognized. Other qualifications like computer courses, languages or other valuable curriculum can also be mentioned if they are relevant to the position applied for. Awards and merits earned during graduation will definitely put on usefulness to the resume.

Personal Details

Personal details should comprise the age, gender and other additional languages the candidate can read write or speak. A descent personal profile includes the candidate name, age and gender which is more suffice for the recruiter to understand the candidates esteem. Never mention father name, religion or blood group on the personal detail which is immaterial and immature.

Extracurricular and Hobbies

Extracurricular activities and other interests can also be mentioned on a professional resume. Never mention watching movies or listening to music as a hobby. It is better to leave the resume without mentioning hobbies as they are not required for a recruiter to select a candidate. A qualified resume format will only feature experience summary, Key achievements, qualification and personal profile.

Other implications

Before writing a resume go through the advertisement posted for the job opening and use the keywords used in the advertisement on the professional resume. Always use Serif fonts for the heading and sans serif font on the content for a fashionable look. The “verdana” font is mostly preferred on the content with a font size of 10. If you maintain a descent linkedin profile do not hesitate to mention your profile url in your email note while forwarding your resume to the HR professional. These are the additional information collected from HR professionals. One should not necessarily follow these guidelines, but knowing this information may have a very good impact on professional resume writing.

First, a little background by way of a brief case study of how I improved how my candidates resumes were written.

The year was 2005 and I was recruiting for a top 15 Fortune client who was very specific about the resumes they accepted, and they had every right to be just that picky.

I’d won the opportunity to be among the very few external recruiters who was allowed this privilege and I received that opportunity because of my high standards of candidate referrals.

Yet, despite that reputation and all my years of experience, I was experiencing a higher rate of candidate rejection at the resume review stage than I was accustomed to. While the client was satisfied, I wasn’t… and I determined to improve.

How I Started Getting Three Times More Candidate Resumes Accepted For Interviews

The secret was the resume writing method that I developed. My criteria were that the resume had to be 100% honest and factual. I never, ever knowingly do anything to embellish my candidate’s resume and you shouldn’t do that to your resume either. That’s a recipe for disaster!

I’m not only an executive recruiter with over 40 years of experience, I also certify recruiters in the Adler method of interviewing. That means I have access to many, many internal corporate recruiting departments. I used some of those contacts along with my many years of experience to begin the development of my resume writing process. I conducted a survey among the top companies to see what they want in the resumes they review.

Simultaneously with that process, I started to incorporate selective marketing principles from direct, consumer-based marketing. That meant I had to study some of the top ad writers work and see what I could use in writing a resume that gets a higher rate of acceptance. After all your resume is your own personal marketing document.

The Resume Writing Method I Came Up With

When I put all that together, I came up with a better way to show my candidates how to write their own resumes in order to increase the odds of getting the interview.

Let me emphasize, my purpose and strategy was to share my resume strategies with my candidates so they could re-write their resume; not to write their resumes for them. My role was to approve or disapprove of the resume and offer advice during the re-write process. If my candidate was unwilling to re-write their resume, I refused to move them forward in the process.

Here’s my point. Actually there are only three fundamental reasons that you don’t receive an invitation to interview after you submit your resume.

1. Number One – the job may already be filled.
2. Number Two – you’ve sent your resume to a job that you aren’t qualified for.
3. Number Three – the job is a great match, but your resume didn’t convince the reader – in other word you have a resume failure.

How to Improve on Resume FailuresThe key, “secret sauce” became how to “get inside the head” of the recruiters and hiring managers that were reviewing my candidate’s resumes. In other words, what is going through the mind of the reader when first reading the resume?

Using the information developed in the above step, I developed a 15 point resume strategy that I still use very effectively today. Obviously there isn’t enough space in this overview to provide all the details, but here is a quick summary of three key things I did.

First, I eliminated the Objective Statement. I never, ever for any reason include that on a resume and you shouldn’t either.

Second, I primarily use a two page resume template format that is simple, easy to read with plenty of white space. Occasionally, I’ll use a three page format, but I have strict criteria for that. I also conducted marketing tests and discovered that three pages didn’t hurt my acceptance rate, if I watched when I used it. I did find out that anything over three pages substantially increased the rejection rate. I highly recommend that you stick to a two page resume; but never more than three pages.

Third, I changed the first thing that appears on my candidates resumes. After the name and contact information I include a Summary section that uses my Power Accomplishment format and I tie that specifically to job requirements. There is more to it than that, but that is arguably the most important thing I changed. Think of it as the equivalent to a written elevator pitch.

You can learn to write a better resume and most people don’t need a professional resume writer. In fact, many, many of the resumes I changed had been written by these writers. They may be good at the written word, but no one understands better than an experienced working recruiter what really works best during the resume review because we are in a position to get the client direct feedback.

My recommendation is to learn how to write your own resume, but if feel you must use a professional resume writer, at least take the time to study what separates a great resume from a good resume and provide the writer with the proper information to write a great resume.

Are professional resume writing services, and professional resume writers, worth the money?

The phrase “where’s the beef” was first introduced in a Wendy’s television commercial in early 1984. It referred to the amount of beef that was between the two sides of the competition’s hamburger bun, and it has become a universal phrase that questions the value of a product or service. And, professional resume writing services, most of which are now web-based, certainly fall in the category of services the value of which many people would question.

So, let’s spend a few minutes exploring the question of the value of professional resume writers and professional resume writing services. Let’s find out if there is any beef.

First, from my perspective as an Executive Recruiter, I can assure you that most people have no clue how to write an effective resume, much less an impact resume. Over the course of my career which includes several “C”-level accounting and finance roles, I would speculate that less than 10% of the resumes I saw were at least of a “B” quality. And, now that I have been in Executive Recruiting since 2005, the percentage of at least good resumes is even less than 10%. So, from that perspective alone, I conclude that people need help writing resumes. As a result, even a small amount of “beef” produced by a professional resume writer is better than just air between the two sides of the bun.

Second, no resume writer can write a resume that will overcome “fatal” candidate issues. What would constitute fatal candidate issues? Fatal in this context might be a person applying for a safety or security position that has a criminal theft record. Or, it may be a person applying for a driving position that has already had his license suspended for driving infractions. No matter how good the resume, even a minimum background check will highlight these fatal issues. So, do not expect your professional resume writer to overcome these issues.

As an aside, as a recruiter I do not, for the most part, consider age to be a fatal candidate issue. That does not mean that age is not relevant – but it does mean that the resume for that person absolutely has to be an impact resume. Look for an article from me on this in the near future.

Third, even the best professional resume writer cannot overcome what I call systemic candidate weaknesses. What would those be? Job-hopping is a systemic candidate weakness. Continued poor performance is a systemic candidate weakness. Work ethic and attitude issues are systemic candidate weaknesses. Keep in mind, especially for a professional resume service that is internet based, systemic candidate weaknesses often are not disclosed by the candidate. And it is not the responsibility of the resume service or the professional resume writer to work to uncover those issues. But, if you, as a candidate, know that your work history contains one or more systemic candidate weaknesses, do not expect a professionally-written resume to overcome those on your behalf.

Fourth, for what I describe as the “viable” candidate (i.e., no fatal issues or systemic candidate weaknesses) , I believe that a professional resume writer who is working within a set of consistently applied processes put in place by a professional resume writing service can absolutely “find the beef” for that candidate. Why? As I note above, most candidates simply cannot put together a good resume, much less an impact resume. Candidates are good – maybe great – at doing their jobs. But their jobs are not writing resumes. Most resume writers are good – maybe great – at doing their jobs. But their jobs are not being accountants, or analysts, or engineers, or craftsmen. Their job is to professionally write resumes. So, the clear expectation is that professional resume writers can “find the beef” for almost all viable candidates.

Fifth, there are exceptions to every rule. I have a candidate who has a highly specialized skill in the area of
federal taxation. In her high school and college years she wrote and scripted plays. She is a highly skilled
writer in addition to being a highly skilled tax professional and those are complementary skills to each other. And, she has written a powerful resume for herself. I gave her three tips for her resume to bulk up the “beef” and the result is an outstanding impact resume. When the time is right for her to move out of her current employment situation, she will be a great candidate to work with.

Likewise, there are exceptions on the side of resume writers. Most importantly in my opinion is that the best
professional resume writers should possess complementary skills. I believe strongly that the best professional resume writers are people who either have been involved in, or are currently involved in, executive recruiting activities. These are professionals who talk with hiring mangers every day. They know what hiring managers want to see in a resume. They are also skilled at learning how resumes presented to a hiring manger in one industry should perhaps be different than resumes presented to a hiring manger in another. And, every successful executive recruiter spends hours weekly to work with his or her candidates to clean up and “find the beef’ in those candidates’ resumes. So, in order to become successful recruiters, they must be successful resume writers as well. In my opinion, the combined skill of executive recruiting and resume writing is too powerful to ignore when it comes to selecting a professional resume writer.

Last, most resume writers have a “model” which they utilize. Personally, I believe that the use of KSAs and MSAs, when combined effectively in a resume, can create a compelling Candidate Value Proposition that will make it easy for a hiring manger to “find the beef” and ask for the interview. I think that what is most important, however, is that you feel comfortable with whatever model the resume writing service has developed. And, if the website is not clear on that – if you have to ask the question “where’s the beef” when you look at their website – then there is less chance that the service will create a resume for you that keeps hiring managers from asking “where’s the beef”.

So let’s now ask the question again. Are professional resume writing services and professional resume writers worth the money? If you, as a candidate, have fatal issues or systemic weaknesses, it is probably not worth the money. But if you are a viable candidate, and you do not possess exceptional writing skills, and especially if you cannot be passionate about your own career achievements and cannot commit that passion to writing, then a professional resume writing service may be your greatest ally in your job search, and may be quickest path to having an impact resume.

To learn more about impact resumes, click here: Impact Resume

JOHN J. PETER CPA (inactive)
Owner, J. Peter and Associates and http://www.financeresumewriters.net

PROFILE: An experienced Executive Recruiter and seasoned CFO, COO, CAO, Controller and Chief Audit Executive for various multinational, national and regional companies, who has transitioned into the highly competitive staffing industry for senior level accounting and finance professionals.
HIGHLIGHTS OF QUALIFICATIONS

• Recruiting/Staffing
• Chief Financial Officer
• Chief Operating Officer
• Chief Accounting Officer
• Financial Management
• Internal Audit/Risk Assessment

Having an attention-grabbing resume is one of the most important parts of the job search. Your resume and cover letter are your introduction to a potential employer; and without a strong introduction, you may never get another chance to make a good impression. As a result, the success of your job hunt can hang on how well your resume is written.

Maybe you are entering the work force after graduating from college. Or maybe you just need to find a new job. Regardless of why you are looking for work, a skilled resume writer has the power to help you get your foot in the door.

Why Should I Use a Resume Writer?

Resume writing services are more than just a word processing or proofreading service. A resume writer takes your work experience, education, your strengths and weakness, and ties it all up into one little package. Although people usually think of their resume as a simplistic listing of their education and experience, it is actually more like a sales document. In order for your resume to effectively sell you, it not only has to be well written and visually appealing, but also has to present the goods – you – in the best possible light.

Sound easy? Of course not. Why is it, then, that so many people attempt to write their resumes on their own? You wouldn’t try to write a legal contract when the outcome could impact the rest of your life – you would hire a lawyer. By the same token, you should entrust your resume to a professional resume writer.

What Does a Resume Writer Do?

A resume writer’s goal is to convince potential employers that you are perfect for the job. In order to sell your strengths, a resume writer will:

• Discuss your career focus and gear your resume to your unique goals
• Choose the best format to highlight your strengths
• Write an attention-getting summary or list of objectives
• Use convincing language to maximize your strengths and minimize your weaknesses
• Personalize your resume in a way that shows you off to your best advantage
• Make your resume available in different file formats if needed
• Make changes as necessary

Of course, a resume doesn’t really stand by itself. Your career decisions, where and how you search for jobs, and the quality of your cover letter all impact how your resume is received. In other words, if you are looking for work in the wrong places, or don’t introduce your resume properly in the cover letter, it won’t matter how dazzling your resume is.Resume writing services often offer a whole package approach to resume writing. To ensure that you land your dream job, your resume writer may offer additional services, such as:

• Career consultation
• Job search consultation
• Cover letter writing
• Resume distribution
• Interview preparation

What Should I Look for in a Resume Writing Service?A good resume writing service is one that offers you everything necessary to get the attention of potential employers. When shopping for a resume writer, you should look for:

• Convincing literature on their services - Whether you are browsing a website or looking at an informational pamphlet, pay close attention to how convincing the literature is. If they can’t sell themselves, they likely won’t be able to do a good job of selling you.
• A good reputation - Don’t forget to Google! If a resume writing service is worth its salt, you should be able to find good reports from happy customers. Even more importantly, if they aren’t any good you are almost certain to find complaints.
• Experience - Your career is in your resume writer’s hands, so make sure you choose someone with experience. If your career is in a specialized field, you might even want to look for a resume writer who specializes in the field – a writing service that knows the industry will also know what its employers look for in a resume.
• Education - Submitting a resume with errors is embarrassing enough, but when you’ve paid to have it done right it’s downright tragic. Make sure your resume writer is educated and/or certified, so that you can be sure you’re getting your money’s worth.
• Personal attention - You don’t want someone who is going to simply plug your information into a resume writing program – you could do that yourself. In order for your resume to stand out, it needs a unique touch that can only be achieved if your resume writer has taken the time to discuss it with you.

Of course, when you are shopping for a resume writing service, don’t forget to listen to your gut. You will have to work closely with the writer during the creation of your resume, so it is important to feel comfortable with him or her.

Putting Your Career First

Hiring a resume writer ensures that your resume looks professional and gets attention. Although the expense may seem unnecessary, consider that you have already invested thousands of dollars into your education so that you could simply get to this point. When your entire career is at stake, don’t throw it away over a typo or a passive verb! A resume writing service can help you make your dream job a reality.

Deciding on a resume format is the first major decision to be made when creating your resume. The overall look of your resume depends on the resume format, font and outline you choose.

The two main types of format in use are the chronological and functional formats.

When to Use the Chronological Resume Format

A Chronological resume is the easiest to create and it is also the most widely used format.

Chronological resume format allows you to list your job experiences starting with the most recent and moving back in time.

This allows employers to see your progression in the career field. If you are staying in your career field, this format will allow employers to see if you are qualified for the job you are applying for. It may not be beneficial for people changing career fields.

When to Use the Functional Resume Format

Functional resume formats are more difficult to create and are not widely used. However, they are suitable in situations where people are changing career fields.

The functional resume format is based more on skill development. The format is non-linear and the emphasis is on development and achievements.

You can list experiences other than paid jobs.

Employers will be able to see your progressive skill developments that qualify you for the job

Some people choose to combine the two resume formats to gain the benefits of each and avoid their shortcomings.

Scannable Resume Format

Another type of resume format you may have to use is the scannable resume. Many employers store resumes in electronic databases nowadays. Resumes are scanned into these databases.

This can lead to some problems, as old scanners can sometimes dramatically change the look of your resume.

It is beneficial to build both a scannable resume and a printed resume which you can bring to your interviews

To overcome this you can create a scannable resume. A scannable resume is a traditional resume, stored preferably as a plain text file and with little formatting.

How Long Should a Resume Be?

Another important decision you have to make about your resume format is the length of your resume. There are no specific rules on how long your resume should be.

Resume length can vary depending on your situation.

The length of your resume will depend on how much space you need to compactly and precisely list your relevant skills and accomplishments.

If you an entry-level candidate, you can have a one page, neatly typed, compact resume. For professionals with a lot of experience, a two or three page resume can greatly impress employers.

Choice of Fonts

Keep the font of your resume simple. Classic fonts such as Times New Roman and Arial are recognized by nearly all computers. If you use other font styles, there will be a risk that the employer’s computer does not support the particular font. Also if it is too fancy, it might turn off the employer.

Remember that …

The most important information will be listed on the top of the resume as it is the first to catch the employer’s eye. In the middle is the part which will get briefly scanned. The bottom part of the resume will not get much attention, unless you get the interview.

Your resume structure should take this into account.

If you are having trouble deciding on a resume format, you can consult free resume format sites on the internet. They can provide you with samples so that you can pick out a format that is best for your situation.

Resume format, font, length, etc, collectively will form the overall presentation of the document. The purpose of your resume is to market your services to employers. Resume format and resume style can tell the employer a lot about your communication and organization skills. Therefore the format is very important in preparing a proper presentation of your resume.

Before you circulate your resume, you will want to ensure it incorporates the basic characteristics of a powerful, interview-generating resume. When evaluating your resume you can follow the same basic steps as professional resume writers. This will increase the chances not only of having it placed into that “yes” pile, but also of helping it rise to the top of the stack.

STEP 1: Ask yourself, “Is my resume in the correct format to best showcase my career history?”

Is your resume the appropriate length, format, and formality for the position you are targeting?

Length: For someone with five or more years of experience, a resume will typically be one to two pages. It isn’t at all uncommon for executive-level resumes to be as long as three or four pages. If you are a recent college graduate one page may suffice, but don’t be afraid to go two pages, particularly if you have some work, internship, or volunteer experience under your belt.

Format: There are three common types of resumes: chronological, functional, and combination. A chronological resume calls attention to your employment history in reverse chronological order. It is most effective when your job listings are notable (position titles and/or company names) and are directly relevant to the job target.

A functional resume de-emphasizes positions, job descriptions, and employment dates. It organizes qualifications by related skills or experience. Job seekers who have gaps in employment or who are making a career change commonly use functional resumes. Think carefully before using this format as feedback from hiring authorities suggests that they don’t like them — they know that functional resumes can be used to minimize, or even hide, periods of unemployment and other flaws in your history.

A typical combination resume is just that — a blend of the other two formats. It begins with a powerful Qualifications Summary or Professional Profile that clearly communicates your functional skills. This allows your resume to be focused toward particular positions and/or industries, and provides a platform to communicate the your best qualifications. A reverse-chronological listing of employment experience (including responsibilities and, more importantly, relevant accomplishments) follows. The combination format is a popular choice among professional resume writers as it is particularly effective in selling their clients to employers.

A fourth type of resume, which won’t be discussed at length here, is the Curriculum Vita. A “CV” is a conservatively written and designed document that emphasizes educational credentials, academic research and projects, publications, presentations, awards, and honors. This format is typically used in scholastic, medical, and scientific fields.

Formality: A good rule of thumb is to write using the same level of language that you would be expected to use in the job you are targeting. An entry-level resume can include brief sentences. If you are a manager or executive your resume will be more narrative — to draw a complete picture of your career successes and contributions — and include vernacular expected at your level of accountability.

STEP 2: Ask yourself, “Is my resume visually appealing and easy to read?”

Have you incorporated appropriate font type and size selections throughout your resume? Depending on the font choice, the size should fall somewhere between 9 and 11 point, 12 point at most. Section headings can be larger, of course. As for font type, the higher your level of responsibility, the more likely it is that you will use a serif font (such as Times New Roman, Garamond, or Palatino). It is acceptable to combine fonts, but never more than two (for example, Times for the section titles and Arial for the content).

Does your resume contain sufficient white space? Your challenge is to draw the reader’s attention to essential information. Using white space effectively can help you do just that. You’ll need to become familiar with some features of your word processing software that you might not normally access (such as the paragraph, line-spacing, and tab settings).

Does your resume implement appropriate design elements? Conservative use of lines, bolding, italics, and bullets can be very effective. When used consistently, they will help the reader along in your thought process and crystallize the organization of your resume.

For great ideas on contemporary formats, check out one or more of the recently released resume resource books at your local bookstore. One of the best out there is Resume Magic–Trade Secrets of a Professional Resume Writer by Susan Britton Whitcomb (JIST Works). For executive-level ideas, Wendy Enelow’s Best Resumes for $100,000+ Jobs (Impact Publications) or Donald Asher’s Bible of Executive Resumes (Ten Speed Press) are both outstanding.

STEP 3: Ask yourself, “Does my resume contain a powerful opening section that draws the reader in?”

Is the most relevant information you want to communicate showcased in a powerful Qualifications Summary or Professional Profile in the top 1/3 of your resume? At a minimum, you’ll want to include your total years of experience and encapsulate your core competencies and related hard and soft skills. Keep in mind that the remainder of your resume must substantiate what you include in this section.

Does your resume make clear what position, industry, or career you are targeting? Employers don’t have time to guess what you want to be when you grow up.

Step 4: Ask yourself, “Does my resume effectively communicate my value to the prospective employer in one or more of the following ways?”

Does your resume demonstrate how you can help an employer make money? Save money or time? Solve a specific problem? Make work easier? Build relationships? Be more competitive? Attract new customers? Retain existing customers?

Regardless of your level of accountability or industry these are things that all organizations want their employees to help them accomplish. Communicate your abilities to contribute in one or more of the areas mentioned and employers will want to talk with you.

Step 5: Ask yourself, “Does my resume contain powerful, concise, accomplishment-oriented writing designed to increase the reader’s interest and stimulate a request for a job interview?”

Is your entire resume targeted? Does it support your job or career goal? Does it speak the reader’s language with relevant industry-specific keywords? Did you use persuasive, high-impact statements that sell your qualifications as a superior candidate? Does your resume include specific accomplishments that highlight challenges, action taken, and results (quantifiable, if possible)?

Most importantly, do the accomplishments support your target? In other words, do they represent observable behaviors that are associated with the best in your field?

Step 6: Ask yourself, “Is irrelevant information excluded?”

There is no need to include any of the following: personal information (e.g. marital status and age), full address of employers (city and state is sufficient), personal pronouns (“I”, “He” or “She”), reasons for leaving jobs, reference information, and unrelated hobbies or interests.

Step 7: Ask yourself, “Does my resume present relevant content in an organized fashion?”

As a general rule, you’ll only need to cover the last 10 years of employment in detail, 15 years at the most. Anything prior can be summarized, but do attempt to keep the information relevant and accomplishment oriented.

Are your employment dates presented appropriately? There is no need to get specific — months and years are sufficient in most cases.

Did you include more than one source of contact information? At a minimum, list your home phone number and e-mail address. By the way, if you don’t have an e-mail address, get one…now! Listing it on your resume tells employers that you are technologically savvy.

Is your experience arranged in reverse chronological order? Are all other sections of your resume applicable to the types of positions you are pursuing?

STEP 8: Ask yourself, “Is my resume free of spelling, punctuation, capitalization, grammatical, and syntax errors?”

Feedback from hiring authorities is unanimous — a resume with errors is likely to be immediately discounted. They assume that your performance on the job will be sloppy and that you don’t pay attention to details. Proofread your resume. Ask a friend or colleague to proofread your resume. Ask your mother to proofread your resume.

Step 9: Repeat step 8.

Step 10: Repeat step 8 again!

Your resume is a material representation of you. It is a marketing document — not a simple work history — that tells organizations how you can contribute to their success. Ask yourself the questions above as you review your self-written resume. If you’ve covered everything, you are well on your way to getting companies interested in you.