A resume is not just a piece of paper meant to list the jobs you’ve had or the education you’ve had. It is your introduction to a prospective employer and represents the essence of your career, capabilities, and skill sets. When you’re interested in a job, you have one opportunity to catch the eye of a potential employer, and it’s done when you submit your resume. Within minutes (or more likely seconds), someone will visually scan your resume and make a determination of your potential candidacy for an open position.

The person who will do this assessment of your qualifications may not know the details of the job you have applied for beyond the actual job description and, for better or worse, that means your resume needs to stand out in a way that ensures you can Go beyond that initial assessment. To achieve this goal, you need to have a well-designed, well-formatted, and well-written resume that markets your skills, experiences, and education in a way that creates a connection to the open position. Unfortunately, most resumes resemble DIY projects that are easily overlooked and quickly dismissed by recruiters. When you consider the highly competitive nature of most careers, you can’t afford to have a resume that sells yourself and/or your short career.

Why Consider a Resume Writer

As a professional resume writer with over 12 years of experience, I’ve seen just about everything when it comes to the style and type of resume most people try to develop on their own. And just because someone has hired a resume writer doesn’t mean their work is the same or of the same quality. People generally look to a resume writer when they don’t get the results they hoped to get. Someone who really wants to help their clients won’t take an existing resume and just rewrite or reformat it. That can be helpful for someone who just wants to update their resume, but most people need more help than that, as a truly effective resume won’t be needed for long because a good resume is immediately noticeable. And while I have potential clients who need a new resume and are willing to consider hiring a resume writer, there are still a lot of misconceptions that need to be addressed before they’re willing to take the next step.

Misconceptions About Resumes

One of the first misconceptions is that a resume writer should have samples and templates available to share with potential clients. I can describe the method I use, but I cannot share the resumes I have completed due to a signed confidentiality agreement. More importantly, I don’t have samples, as every resume I write is custom developed and designed for each new client. Another misconception is that a resume should be limited to a single page. What happens is that people who take this approach will use small font sizes and/or try to fill the page with so much text that it’s almost impossible to read, and for most resumes, the person’s career falls short. For those candidates who have developed significant professional experience, it is not unlikely that your resume will consist of two or three pages of content. The caveat, of course, is that these shouldn’t be pages full of verbose text and hard-to-read paragraphs written in a small font size. A resume should be easy to read and highlight the best of a person’s career, from their skills to their accomplishments.

Reasons for misconceptions

Another misconception has to do with the cover letter, which is often written in multiple paragraphs for people who believe a lot is required on that first introductory page. But that defeats the real purpose of a cover letter and minimizes the time a recruiter is likely to spend reading your resume. A cover letter need only express interest in a position and generate a desire within the recruiter to read the attached resume. The underlying reason for these misconceptions is due to the unlimited number of online articles and posts written about resumes, along with easily accessible templates and samples. Whenever someone starts sorting through all of these resources, the end result is often a patchwork of various themes and styles. What makes this worse is that there are few people who can objectively write about their career and the jobs they’ve had. For example, I’ve written resumes for sales professionals and even professional writers. Also, many people lack exemplary writing skills. It’s not uncommon to see resumes with irregular font sizes and errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and other mechanical errors. I’ve also looked at detailed writing, jobs written like a standard job description, and clichés (thinking outside the box, being a team player, etc.).

Make an investment in your career

When you consider all of these aspects of a resume and how easily it can become ineffective, you begin to realize that an investment in a professionally written resume is actually an investment in your career development, whether you need a new job now or are passively watching. Consider this perspective: If you wouldn’t walk into an interview in worn-out, old clothes, then you shouldn’t be submitting a resume in the same condition, looking professional, nothing less. A resume represents you and your career, and your potential job prospects depend on how well you can convey the best of yourself and what you can offer to a prospective employer. If you are not comfortable with any aspect of writing a resume, it will show up in the final product. Also, if you can’t convey your thoughts well, it will also be reflected in the overall tone that is projected on your resume.

Contact a resume writer

If you decide to contact a resume writer, take the time to learn about their background, their approach to resume writing, and their general willingness to help their clients. A certificate from a resume institute or something similar does not automatically guarantee that they are proficient with formatting and editing. And if a resume writer charges excessive fees and makes promises about the results you can expect, also be careful as the resume is only the first necessary step when trying to secure a new job, and it’s a very important starting point. If you don’t have a chance to talk to someone about your background, your prospects with that employer are diminished. This underscores the importance of hiring a professional to develop her resume. You can’t afford to wing it on your own, so to speak, especially if the timing for a new job has become critical or you’ve found it difficult to get noticed by recruiters and potential employers. An investment in your resume becomes an investment in your career, which can result in helping you find and acquire a new job. If you have any questions about submitting your current resume, now is the time to contact a professional.