Will that Professionally Prepared Resume Get You a Job? Some people spend a lot of money having a resume professionally prepared. The result can be outstanding. People who prepare resumes for a living have spent a lot of time and money learning how to prepare resumes. These people provide a valuable service for clients.
It is each job seeker’s responsibility to have a resume. The purpose of the resume is to provide recruiters and hiring managers with information that will get the job seeker interviews and job offers.
I have read that recruiters and hiring managers spend as little as six seconds looking at a resume. As a recruiter, I can say that I spend just a few seconds deciding whether to save a resume or delete it.
I no doubt have missed resumes that just did not catch my eye as a fit. I do not think that I am unusual. Recruiters and hiring managers have specific information they are trying to find in a resume. The following factors that can make those things hard to find:
- The design in layout and colors
- Long-winded summaries and objectives
- A job seeker’s use of descriptive personal wording
- A weak list of accomplishments, skills, and training
The format of a resume is important. Microsoft Word has resume templates that to me are distracting in comparison to a simple word document that contains these three elements of information about the job seeker.
- Contact information
- Employment history and accomplishments
- Education and training summary
If you are considering using a professional writer, I would evaluate the person on the following qualities:
- Examples of their work
- How comfortable you are about the person’s interest in developing your resume in a way that it can be tailored to specific company applications
- How well the resume writer is able to create a resume that represents you and not how well it will display their styles
When recruiter or hiring manager opens your resume, the first thing the person should notice is the content not the style. If the style draws your eyes to the content, then the resume is effective.
