All Résumé Writers Are NOT Created Equal

More and more, professionals are turning to the services of professional résumé writers to give them an edge in the extremely competitive job market. As a professional résumé writer in a city like San Francisco, I meet with a wide array of clients each week. I certainly see the value in the service I provide to my clients, who hire me based on my expertise as a writer and my previous experience as a recruiter. As I speak to new clients or prospects, I often hear horror stories about bad experiences these people have had with other résumé writers. Clearly, all résumé writers are not created equal. So, how do you choose the right résumé writer to meet your needs?

If you do a Google search for professional résumé writers, you’ll end up with hundreds, maybe thousands of ‘hits’ of writers vying for your business. As is the case with most service professionals, these writers will be offering very similar services at similar rates, so making the final decision may seem daunting and very much on par with a crap shoot. Here are a few tips that might help you to make the decision a bit more easily.

1. The résumé writer should be willing to talk to you and answer your questions. I don’t know how many times I’ve won the business of a client merely because I answered the phone or returned a phone call. Take the time to ask the writer questions about his or her experience and writing process. Make sure you are comfortable with the manner in which the work will be done.
2. Be sure the résumé writer you speak with will actually be doing the work. Many résumé writers use ghostwriters. If this is the case, insist on speaking to the person who is actually going to be doing the writing.
3. Check out the résumé writers credentials. Some writers are actually certified résumé writers. I am not certified, but I hold a human resources certification (PHR) as well as a degree in English. Whether certified or not, the writer you employ should have some degree of formal training.
4. Find out about support “after the sale.” Will the résumé writer be available and willing to make edits and updates for some time after completion of the project? I suggest working with a writer who has a policy for updating the résumé for up to a year at no charge
5. Finally, find out what sort of guarantee the writer offers for his or her work, but beware. Some writers will guarantee that the document they create will absolutely, positively result in a job offer. Such a guarantee simply is not realistic and is most likely a gimmick to get a client to spend more money. Nonetheless, the writer should stand behind his or her work in some manner. For instance, I guarantee satisfaction and will happily work with a client through as many rewrites as are required to come up with an exceptional end product.

In short, before hiring a résumé writer, you’ll want to be certain that the writer is skilled and offers good customer service. As a résumé writer myself, I consider myself a partner and resource in the career searches of my clients.

Exploring the Professional Summary

In January , I was invited to speak for the San Francisco Professional Career Network (SFPCN) a Meetup group that has been around for a couple of years now. This group was organized to provide support and advice to job seekers and career changers in San Francisco, and the efforts of the group have been quite successful. I was thrilled to be invited to speak to the group (for the second time) on the topic of résumés.
One of the questions that I’m asked quite often, and one that was echoed by the participants of the SFPCN Meetup, concerns the Professional Summary as a key section of a well-written résumé. In previous columns, I’ve addressed the Professional Summary as one of the three key elements I consider important in an effective résumé, the other two being summaries of core competencies and career highlights. I have not, however, written about why I think the Professional Summary is so important or what purpose it serves in the résumé.

First, let me say that the Professional Summary replaces the Professional Objective, which was once the opening statement of a résumé. The problem with an objective statement is that such a statement tends to be heavily focused on what the candidate wants, what he or she is “seeking.” Quite frankly, the employer doesn’t care what the candidate wants; the employer wants to know what the candidate can do and how well he or she can do it. The Professional Summary, on the other hand, is focused on what makes the candidate unique. In essence, the summary answers the age-old first question of the job interview, “Tell me a little bit about yourself.” It is the opening statement of the résumé and might be thought of as an expanded elevator pitch. The following is a sample summary:

Results-oriented, team-focused HR professional with more than 10 years of management and operations experience. Solid business acumen and ‘big picture’ outlook paired with understanding of the value of dedicated HR departments. Proven ability to promote visibility, approachability, and availability of HR. Exceptional interpersonal skills. Great sense of humor and professional attitude. Capable of displaying a sense of fairness and openness in coaching and counseling employees. Strong communication skills, organizational skills, and documentation skills. Proven effectiveness in increasing reliability of HR files. Accustomed to managing multiple time-sensitive tasks.

Comprised of seven to five lines of block text, the Professional Summary is the place to introduce the prospective employer to who you are as an employee. This is the place for outlining your “soft skills”—your ability to build consensus within a team, your problem-solving and troubleshooting skills, and your ability to cultivate and leverage relationships with strategic partners. In the summary, you might consider highlighting a unique combination of education and skills. Essentially, the summary is like the blurb on the back of the book jacket, compelling the reader to dig deeper and invest in reading the entire novel.

A good Professional Summary will define the job seeker’s career objective, but in a much more organic way. In fact, I would be remiss if I did not mention the importance of writing a résumé with a clearly defined career objective in mind. It is always of paramount importance to know what you hope to accomplish with the résumé. Having a career objective front-of-mind during the writing process ensures that your résumé has focus, and it will, indeed, inform the creation of the summary.

As always, I wish you the very best of luck in your career search. And, I highly recommend checking out the San Francisco Professional Career Network on Meetup.com. Groups like SFPCN are one of the very reasons I love living and working in San Francisco.

When It Comes to Bullets--Less is More!

Because I am a professional resume writer, I am often contacted by job seekers for resume writing tips or a quick resume review. As a former recruiter, I cannot help but look at the resumes I see from the perspective of a potential employer. When I was working in staffing, it was my job to make sure the candidates I presented to my clients were successful in landing a job. For the candidates I represented, having an effective resume was an essential factor in opening the door to employment. My current work as a Career Coach and Resume Writer has been informed in large part by preferences that I developed as a staffing professional.
One of my pet peeves in regard to resume writing is the over use of bullet points throughout the text. It is not uncommon for job seekers to write resumes in which literally every line is set off by a bullet. I suppose that many people have the mistaken belief that bullet points create ease in reading. Certainly this belief has resulted in a trend which has become a very common practice. In fact, some of my clients are so convinced that using bullets throughout the resume is the highly preferred format for a resume that I am hard pressed to convince them otherwise. Let me set the record straight about bullet points in a well-written resume. Less is more!
Bullet points have one purpose in a resume: to highlight important information. That's it. Used sparingly, bullets lead the reader's eye to the information the job seeker wants the potential employer to notice. As I have mentioned in other articles, an employer spends only 10 to 15 seconds in the initial review of a resume. If every line of information in a resume is set off by a bullet, the resume becomes a sea of bullets. If, on the other hand, bullets have been used to highlight key information, such as career accomplishments or core competencies, this important information suddenly jumps off the page.
Use bullets to highlight information like:

• Core Competencies
• Career Achievements
• Other Critical Information

If the use of bullet points is limited to key information, the rest of the resume is presented in block text or paragraph form. Now, I'm guessing that some of my readers are feeling a bit uneasy about the possibility that the text will seem too wordy or difficult to read. Let me assure you that most of us are accustomed to skimming text. In fact, I suspect some of you may be skimming this article. Employers do the same when they read a resume, and most can quite easily skim text that is presented in a block format. Of course, it is still important to make sure that information is presented in the most concise and streamlined manner possible. And, clearly delineating resume sections and using a format that is easy to navigate is always important.
I challenge job seekers to revisit their resumes and give it the 10-second test. In that very quick review, what stands out? Do the eyes easily fall on the information that you most want an employer to notice? Or, is the document busy with bullets? If the bullets are distracting and taking attention away from your best skills and accomplishments, take the time to revise the resume.

Taking the Scary Out of Resume Writing

Every profession in every industry has its horror stories. And, when we have those rare opportunities to spend some down time with our colleagues away from the office, the scenes are very much the same regardless of how different our respective careers may seem. Without exception, I’d be willing to bet the gatherings include both “adult beverages” and the recounting of our favorite and best horror stories.

After working as a recruiter for five years, I have my share of stories, some of which would seem completely incredulous save for the fact that they actually happened to me. My former colleague and I still laugh uncontrollably about a candidate who called to tell us she would be late for her interview because she could not take BART into the city until she had had her “morning bowel movement.” During the interview, she showed us photos of her cats and her puppet creations. She didn’t get the job.

I also remember a young man who wanted to apply for temporary work as an administrative assistant. When I asked him about his proficiency with the Microsoft Office Suite, he explained with complete seriousness that he had never really used the programs. Without flinching he told me that he was always “sort of the token pretty boy in the office.” His resume was clearly a complete fabrication, and as I dug further with my interview questions, he essentially confessed as much. He didn’t get the job either.

I could go on and on, but this column is supposed to be about resumes. And, as you can imagine, I’ve seen my share of scary resumes. I’ve been handed resumes with handwritten corrections made throughout the document. I’ve received resumes that have been scribbled on notebook paper and mailed to me. I’ve also been presented with resumes that were crinkled, torn, coffee-stained, and even printed on scratch paper. Of course, these are extreme examples, but they do illustrate the point that some job seekers are still in the dark when it comes to resumes and job search etiquette. And, although it is Halloween time, a time when turning out the lights and telling scary stories is part of the fun, I cannot help myself. I must shed some light on the mysteries of writing a good resume.

When it comes to writing an A+ resume, you’ll do well to mind your P’s and Q’s, three P’s and two Q’s to be exact. For starters, resume writing requires preparation. Before you sit down at the computer, be sure to have all of the information you will need for your resume. This includes accurate dates of employment, complete job descriptions of your previous positions, and a brainstormed list of accomplishments and awards received. Keep in mind that employers are impressed by data that can be quantified and/or qualified (the two Q’s). Toot your own horn about those brilliant ways you were able to save a past employer time, resources, or money. Put your modesty aside and brag just a little.

Once you’ve written a first draft, proofread the document not once or twice, but three times. Your resume must be free of any grammatical or spelling errors. Finally, consider the overall presentation of the resume. Think about readability and visual appeal, and make sure that your best skills and qualifications are easy for potential employers to find. If you’re going to be presenting a hard copy to a hiring manager, make sure to use high quality resume paper.

As a job seeker, you must remember that everything you do leaves a lasting impression. Scary resumes and horrific interviews are the result of ill-preparation and carelessness. Admittedly, it requires a great deal of diligent effort to ensure that the impression you make is professional and positive. However, it goes without saying that the rewards of that effort are immeasurable when you land your dream job.

Resumes: Passing the Time Test!

Recently, one of my business associates was interested in hiring a part-time receptionist for a very modest salary, so he placed an ad on Craigslist. Within a few hours, he had already received more than a hundred resumes. In today’s competitive job market, such an overwhelming response to a job posting is typical. As the person who would be reviewing those resumes and selecting candidates to interview, my friend was significantly stressed by the amount of work that lay ahead of him. If he spent only five minutes reviewing each resume, he was looking at a project that would consume at least eight hours of valuable time.

This real-life example definitely sheds a light on one of the challenges that today’s job seekers must overcome. Hiring managers do not have time to spend five minutes reviewing each resume that comes across their desks. In fact, you’re lucky if your resume holds the interest of an HR professional for more than a minute. Knowing this, you must create a resume that will grab the attention of a potential employer in a matter of seconds. Your resume must pique the interest of the employer and offer a compelling reason for the employer to read further and ultimately pick up the phone and schedule an interview.

Do not under estimate the value of visual appeal and readability. Your resume must be easy to read quickly. Be careful as you select the size and style of font to use. Pay attention to the page layout as well. Do not fill your resume with so much text that there isn’t enough white space on the page. Our eyes respond to both positive and negative space, and paying attention to both is important.

Be careful not to bury critical skills and experience. Too often, job seekers attempt to include too much information in their resumes, and as a result key information ends up buried and difficult to find. Your strongest and most marketable skills must appear near the top of the resume. I recommend constructing a professional summary which truly highlights the knowledge, skills, and abilities which set you apart from every other candidate and placing this section at the very top of the resume. Remember, employers are most interested in what you bring to the table and your track record of success.

Finally, test your resume! Hand your resume to a friend and give them the opportunity to review it for 10 to 30 seconds, then take it away or turn it over. Then ask your friend to tell you what he or she remembers. If your friend cannot list three or four critical details, chances are your resume will not make the grade in the hands of an employer.

Your resume is your primary marketing tool in a job market that becomes more and more competitive every day. A good resume will convey a positive, professional image that leaves the employer wanting to know more. A GREAT resume will convey this message in a matter of seconds.

Your Resume: A Play in Two Acts

For most of us, writing a new resume is a daunting task. The prospect of whittling five to ten years of work history down to one or two pages of text leaves many of us suffering from a healthy dose of writer's block. Deciding what to highlight and what to discard can also be confusing, especially when you are feeling the pressures of unemployment. You may begin to believe that your very life depends on writing a great resume. Here's some practical advice for writing a great resume.

Divide and Conquer
One very simple approach to determining what to include in a resume is to think of your resume in two sections: Assertions and Evidence. Your assertions are the claims or promises you make to a potential employer. Think of this as your sales pitch, explaining to the hiring manager exactly what you have to offer the company or organization. Are you an excellent communicator? Do you have stellar computer skills? Have you been described as the "PowerPoint Guru?" What knowledge, skills, and abilities are you selling to the employer?

The evidence portion of the resume is the proof that you have practical work experience and that you've actually used your knowledge, skills, and abilities in the workplace. Perhaps you received an award for outstanding customer service. Maybe you were solely responsible for managing a group of accounts. You might have even managed specific projects or supervised other employees.

As you are writing your resume, you will find that the assertions and evidence will overlap and intermingle. You will not format your resume in such a way that the assertions and evidence are in separate sections of the document. However, as you're considering what information to include in the resume, identifying each item as an "assertion" or "evidence" is a good check to make sure the information actually belongs in the resume.

With a little brainstorming and pre-writing work, you can craft a resume that truly sets you apart from all the other job seekers.
Best of luck!

Jerome Imhoff
jerome@TheResumeShopINK.com

Interview Tip: Don't Do Desperate

As a recruiter for a staffing agency for five years, I've had the opportunity to interview more job seekers than I can count. You can imagine that I've seen and heard it all--the good, the bad, and the ugly, as it were. Interviewing for a job has a way of placing the "interviewee" in an awkward situation, a sort of suspended animation or parallel universe. As the job seeker, you truly want to make a good impression and sell yourself, but you cannot help but feel a certain degree of anxiety because you KNOW you are being scrutinized.

Because I worked for a staffing agency that placed associates on temporary assignments, I had the opportunity to meet with certain job seekers on a pretty regular basis. I had a wonderful opportunity to observe the professional development of some of these associates. I watched as they grew in confidence and honed their presentation skills. Many times, I became a valuable resource for offering coaching and advice. I remember one such experience vividly.

I'll call this job seeker "Denise" to protect the innocent. Denise was likable, talented, and had a solid work ethic. She was the type of employee who would hit the ground running and roll up her sleeves to get a job done. But sadly, she wasn't having any success finding a job. She called one afternoon and asked if she could drop by my office to chat in hopes that I could give her some advice to help he be a bit more successful. I invited her to come in.

The moment she sat down and began talking, I diagnosed the problem Denise was desperate. She really needed to work. She was afraid that if she didn't find a job soon, she would be homeless. She was eager to find a job--too eager! She told me that she was getting calls for interviews and that she "really sold herself in those interviews." But, she never got called back for a second interview and never received a job offer.

Job interviews are like blind dates. While it's important to be enthusiastic and convey a sense of interest in the job, you want to avoid being too eager. "Needy" is never attractive. The line between honest excitement and positive energy and truly desperate is so fine that we can easily step over that line without even knowing it. If you've ever been on a blind date, you know what I mean. You have to know just how much selling to do.

Here are some valuable tips for selling--but not overselling!
1) Match the energy level of the person conducting the interview. Take that energy level up "one notch" but don't be "over the top." The interviewer will find you exhausting.
2) Answer the interviewer's questions thoughtfully and completely and then SHUT UP! Don't go on and on. Watch the interviewer's body language. If you see a glazed over look in the eyes, quit while you are ahead.
3) Keep the interview conversational. Be natural. Be yourself.
4) Don't do desperate. Convey interest in the opportunity. Be enthusiastic. But, never let the interviewer know that you desperately need a job.

In a nutshell, play a little "hard to get." Convey an air of confidence that says "I'm interested in this opportunity. But, I have other opportunities that are just as interesting!" With some work, you can go from being a "Desperate Denise" to a "Confident Connie."

Best of luck!