When it comes to something as personal as a resume, it’s no surprise that some people don’t see any value in having someone else complete the work for them. After all, who knows you, better than you?
And the bigger issue for many here is that if you just do it yourself, you can save anywhere from $100-$2500 (depending the quality of the writer) and achieve practically the same result, right?
My name is Will Wegert — I am a professional resume writer and recruiter. Believe it or not, I think you’re right. Yes,I firmly believe that you CAN create an amazing resume on your own without hiring me or one of my resume-writing peers. I think you CAN do it without spending the money, and without having to put trust in someone else. Just because you CAN, however, doesn’t mean you SHOULD.
Why? Because either way, writing a resume is a significant investment, and it requires specific tools. After all, landing a great job is tough! According to ere.net …
- … There are an average of 250 applicants for each corporate job opening
- … 75% of resumes are immediately screened out without ever getting a second look
- … Only 4-6% of candidates get invited back for an interview
Okay, yes: it’s tough, but does that mean you can’t do it yourself? No … not necessarily, but if you want to write a really great resume without hiring a professional, then you need to do at least two things: a) INVEST the time, and b) Get the right TOOLS.
a) INVEST the time
A good resume writer would NEVER complete a resume overnight. In fact, many resumes I write take 5-10 man-hours to complete, and that is after using a
special speedy process built on years of training and lots learned skills to get a high quality result fast.
If you plan to take on this process yourself, do it right and start studying … I don’t mean to overwhelm you, but if you are not trained, I suggest a MINIMUM of 20 hours working on your resume: 10 for studying, and 10 for actual resume-building.
b) Get the right TOOLS
Here are a few we use in the industry that you might want to consider studying and using for yourself:
- ATS Tracking System Tester– Nowadays, most resumes go through computerized Applicant Tracking System software before ever being seen by a human. It would be good to have your resume tested for a similar job to get an indication of how it will perform. If you look hard enough you may be able to find a free one, if not,
hey-maybe a recruiter can help?” - Job Keyword Analyzer – This is very important in order to make sure that your resume has the right keywords for the job you are looking for.
- Word-Count and Density Scanner – This will help you make sure that you are not overusing or under-using the right keywords for the industry, and can help you get past the ATS computer-based resume tracking system.
Other general things you should aim for include accurate highlights of accomplishments with supporting examples, a fitting layout, simplification of complex ideas, graphic highlighting to draw the reader’s eyes to the right areas on the page, proper placement of the dates, a large enough employment section to accurately display your best qualities, a fitting education section … Overwhelmed yet? If so, you’re not alone.
Final Thoughts
While I do think it is possible to write a great resume without using a resume writer, you had better be prepared for the COST. Yes, everything has a cost. Hiring a resume writer as a monetary cost, but choosing to NOT hire a writer has a cost too. It’s hard to match years of study, several certifications, countless hours, many books, and numerous classes on what makes an effective resume, when you’re whipping together
a last-minute resume.
I guess that’s why I personally believe that no matter how good of a job you can do on your own, nothing comes close to working line-by-line,
conversation-by-conversation to deliberately choose, tweak, and perfect each and every little aspect of the resume to target your specific employment
goal.
When a job that pays anywhere from $25,000 to $100,000 is on the line, are you really going to risk it? Trust me: the payoff of using a professional resume writer is well worth it.
If you think a professional resume is right for you, find out more about our professional resume writing services, or to try before you buy get a free resume review.
