Creating the First Impression

How Important is Your Resume?
When the time comes to looking for a job, your resume is by far the most important link between you and your potential new job. Once you interview and are given the two greatest words of “you’re hired,” your resume becomes a worthless document. That is, until years later when you decide you want a new challenge, and you reach back into the drawer, dust off the resume and start again.
In a recent college poll, over 90% of college students said they had no idea about how to write a good resume. Even more alarming was that 95% of the students interviewed did not list achievements on their resumes.
In the current economic climate, it is imperative that your resume is not only structured and formatted correctly, but that it is also easy to read and pleasing to the eye. For every single job you apply for, there are potentially 100, 200, and maybe even 300 other people with similar skills who are applying for the very same position. With so many applications it’s no wonder that a candidate who has written an incorrect resume is not getting the interview requests.
In my experience, the main reason candidates finds their applications continually rejected has nothing to do with their skills or experience (or even with the lack of skills or experience) – it is because their resumes are just not good enough to get them an interview.
Don’t let this happen to you. If writing your resume is stressing you out, think about using a professional resume writer. Many applicants these days use professionals to help them get a leg in front of their competition. Remember – your resume is the most important tool you have to get a job. A professional writer knows how to highlight your strengths and portray this on your resume. In the competitive world we live in, you need to be one step ahead of your competition. A professional writer can help take your resume to the top of the pile.
What Does Your Professional Resume Say About You?
When you hear the saying “a picture tells a thousand words”, this means that a picture can tell a story just as easily as a large amount of text. The same is true about your professional resume. Your resume can tell the reader a lot about the type of person you are and the type of worker you will be.
During one of my earliest roles as a recruiting agent, I was asked to find a shortlist of 5 candidates to fulfill a HR position. The position was an entry level role for a very well-known and respected investment bank and although the client had instructed several requirements that they wanted in the right candidate (e.g. Bachelor Degree), the most important aspect was to find a candidate that would be the “right fit” for this company.
We began our search for the candidate by placing a job advert in one of the online job portals. Within 3 hours we had over 150 resumes sitting in our inbox. By the end of the day we had another 400 (at that stage we decided to take the job advert of the Internet). With our client urgently calling us wanting to know how soon they would receive potential candidates, we had the task of trying to sort through the huge amount of resumes to find the top 5 candidates.

How to stand out from the competition:
First impressions count! It is estimated that a hiring manager or recruitment agent will spend no more than 15 -30 seconds reading through your CV before either deciding to continue reading or pressing delete. Unfortunately there is not one secret that will guarantee your CV will stand out from the competition, but there are many factors that will get your CV deleted. In my experience the first thing I look for in a CV is professionalism.
Spelling Mistakes and bad grammar:
It is an unforgiveable sin to have any spelling errors on your CV. Spelling mistakes and bad grammar send out a negative signal that that the candidate is careless, does not take pride in his or her work and lacks the professionalism that the client demands. Without even reading through more of the CV I would delete this CV.
Layout and Presentation:
It is an undisputed fact that if a hiring manager has two CV’s sitting on the table; they are instinctively going to be drawn to the CV that is professionally presented and easy to read. No matter what the CV’s say, the first impression is already made. If both candidates share similar skills and experiences, just take a guess at which CV the hiring manager is going to choose.
When you sit down to write your CV, remember one thing. Your CV is your representation. This 2-3 page document is all you have to prove to the hiring manager that you are the right person for the job. Present a professional picture and make sure that you stand out above your competition.
 
One Size Does Not Fit Everyone!
Each job seeker can benefit immensely from tips on professional resume writing, even if you elect to use a specialized service to do the job. It still helps to have an idea of what you’d like imprinted on your document.
There are many companies online that can help you compose and print your resume using pre-set templates. Be careful when using a template. Resume formatting, presentation and layout have changed immensely over the years. In this competitive world where a hiring manager may receive upwards of 200-300 resumes for one particular role, it is important that your resume shines above the competition. By using an online template that can easily be found through a Google search, you risk using an existing template that is outdated and will actually be detrimental when applying for new jobs.
Think about it. If you are using a free template that you found online, how good can it actually be? Writing the perfect resume is different for every job seeker and each resume needs to be tailored and specific toward that job seeker.
When it comes to writing the perfect resume, there is no such thing as “one size fits all”
For those who are confident enough to embark on the task of writing their own resumes, the tips below will assist you in composing a quality, professional-looking document that will show employers you mean business, and it will ensure that your application goes to the top of the pile!
The most common form of a resume is a chronological resume. This type of resume should start with your current or most recent employment. Use bullet points to highlight your duties. Personal information is a no-no – skip the birth date, age, weight, height and other irrelevant factors. Include strong key/ action words to enhance your skills, duties and achievements. Some potent words to consider are words like “balanced”, “cultivated”, “assigned”, “edited”, and “displayed”.
Include an equally powerful, eye-catching qualifications summary at the top of your resume. This should be a brief summary of your goal tailored and customized to the position for which you are applying.
And most importantly - include achievements. The difference between a winning resume and a resume that is going to be deleted is based on including achievements throughout your resume. Providing achievements is the best way to stand out above your competition. You need to prove to the hiring manager through your resume that you are the right person for the job. Mentioning only duties and responsibilities will not make your job application memorable in the eyes of the hiring managers. The only way to prove you’re the best candidate is to highlight all the fantastic achievements you have performed throughout your career.
Today’s economy may be tough, but if your professional resume is written, formatted and structured correctly and highlights your achievements values you can bring to your next employer, you’re well on your way to finding success! 

Why Job Seekers Require a Professionally Written Resume
In today’s society where job hunting has become tougher and tougher and being unemployed is so costly, there are many reasons why job candidates are increasingly turning to resume writing services to give them a greater opportunity to find success. With the growth of the Internet and access to experts in all professions, reaching out for expert assistance is easier than ever before.
Rather than trying to be their own experts, people are now more inclined to reach out to real experts to ensure that the job is done right the first time.
When your hot water tank stops working you call a professional plumber, even though you can probably fix it yourself. You can go online and research how to fix a hot water tank, and you can even pay a few dollars to get a step by step guideline to help fix the tank (I did this and the tank ended up costing twice as much to fix). However, as most people do not have the qualified skills to fix a hot water tank they call in a professional to do the job for them.
The same is true of a professional resume writer. Just like a plumber is trained and qualified to fix your hot water tank, a resume writer has the experience and skills to write a resume that will enhance your job application.
What will a resume writer do for me?
The hardest aspect of resume writing is knowing what actually belongs in the resumes and what type of information will make them stand out. In my past experience as a job recruiter, at least 50% of the candidates for each job shared the same type of education and skills. So the question is – what can a candidate do to highlight their resume? This is what a good resume writer can do. They have the ability to understand what needs to go into the resume and how to best present the information. No matter how good your education, skills or experience, if you are unable to present this information to a hiring manager, you will have very little chance of getting the job.
What is the difference between a good resume and a bad resume?
The difference is HUGE. It is no longer good enough to sit down for 20 minutes, type your name at the top of the resume, write down your work history (including a few bullet points about your duties or responsibilities) and expect to be called for interviews. It just does not work that way anymore. Not only does your resume need to be 100% completely targeted toward the job you are applying for, but it also needs to be written for that particular job market. An accounting resume is different to a mining resume and they both need to be written accordingly. Most importantly, highlighting achievements is the number one rule of resume writing. An average resume will focus too much on the day to day duties and responsibilities. These duties are expected of the job candidate and while they are important (and do need to be in the resume), turning these duties into achievements is how to make your resume stand out. This is what an expert resume writer can do for you! 
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