
When you make the decision to hire a professional resume writer, you are not only investing your time and money, but you are also entrusting your writer to articulate your personal brand and career identity into something that will market you in your job search.
You are seeking results, and your writer is passionate about getting you the results you are after. It is a responsibility that is taken very seriously among qualified writers. They are here to help you. So take advantage of these 10 tips to ensure that you have a successful, positive and collaborative experience.
- Communicate Clearly. I promise you that your writer will keep you informed about what they need from you – and, at the same time, we expect you to be responsive to our requests. We use the information that you give us to create your resume and your brand. The more information you provide, the better equipped we are to translate your career history into a story and brand that gets results.
- Be Clear On Your Career Goals. Having a specific job target will help your writer to develop an effective resume that showcases your skills, experience, and accomplishments. If you ask your writer to create a ‘general’ resume, it will not be as successful as a resume that is targeted for a specific industry or role. Make sure that you understand if your resume was written for a sales role, it will not transfer into a labour role. *Note: if you do not know what your career goal is, communicate this with your writer. Many of them are qualified coaches and can assist you in fine-tuning your career goals.
- Meet Your Deadlines. Most writers will provide you with ‘action’ items to work on, with a time frame for completion. If you do not meet these deadlines, there is a chance your writer will not be able to complete your resume in the agreed upon time frame. There is also a chance that additional fees will be associated with these changes.
- Invest In Yourself. You have already taken the leap to invest in your marketing documents, now it is time to invest in your job search toolkit. If your writer suggests books or additional training to strengthen your skills, it is a good idea to seriously consider these investments. Your income is your number 1 asset, and as the saying goes, “sometimes you need to spend money to make money.” A general rule of thumb is to anticipate spending 1-3% of your annual income on improving your career prospects. *This is why your investment in a resume writer is a wise one!
- Trust Your Resume Writer. I don’t suggest you solicit opinions about your resume from your friends and family. You hired your writer for their expertise. If you have any questions or concerns, discuss these with your writer. They are here to help you and ensure that you are comfortable ‘selling-the-YOU’ that is on paper.
- Remember, Your Resume is a Marketing Document, Not an Obituary. It is not recommended that you include every single detail about your work history or life on your resume. This is especially true if you are changing careers or have jobs that are not relevant to your career target. These details are important to who you are, but they are not necessarily important on this resume for this job target.
- Don’t “Lend” Your Resume to Anyone Else. Your new resume is a customized document developed just for you. Allowing someone else to use your resume (format, design, and/or wording) may dilute its effectiveness for you – especially if you “lend it” to a co-worker or colleague. If someone admires your resume, send him or her to your resume writer so that they can have a document that is equally awesome and customized for their job search. You made the investment in yourself – don’t let them ride off your coat-tails.
- If You Are Not Getting Results, Talk to Your Writer. It could very well be that your writer needs to make some changes to the documents. Or maybe they can provide some quick tips and strategies to help you increase the number of interviews and job offers you receive. Communicate if you are unhappy with the final product. We are not mind-readers. But, trust in your writer’s expertise. Try to give your new documents a chance. Remember – your resume can’t guarantee a job, but it should guarantee some interviews if you apply the job search strategies recommended by your writer.
- Let Your Writer Know How You Are Doing. Sometimes we don’t hear from our clients until they need an update to their resume. But most times, we want to know how you are doing. We want to know that our work is getting results. Most importantly, we want to celebrate with you!
- Keep Your Resume Updated. This is the one tip that many people fail to do. When you do land that new job, it is a good idea to ask your resume writer to amend your current resume to include this new role. Keep an accomplishment journal or ‘brag’ file so that you can track your achievements in your new role. This will make updating your resume for future opportunities a breeze for you and your writer.
When you hire a professional resume writer, you are hiring their expertise. Trust in the process, and always communicate with your writer. They are here to help bring your career to new heights, but they need your collaborative help to get you the results you deserve!
Thank you for reading this blog. Looking forward to helping bring your career to new heights!
If you are seeking help with your resume, take a peek at our packages and services: http://skyeisthelimit.ca/#services
Contact me at info@skyeisthelimit.ca if you have any questions or concerns about this post. Some content from this post was provided by BeAResumeWriter.com