Are You A Resume Writer? Should You Write Your Own Resume?

There are hundreds of free Web sites and inexpensive books on cutting and styling hair yet most people employ the services of barbers or hairdressers several times a year. Money isn't the only consideration when it comes to haircuts or perms or resumes. Here are a few things to consider:

• Free resumes are usually costly
  People write their own resumes because of their perception of cost versus benefit. Cost and price are not the same. The word "free" refers to price not cost. Most people would agree that "free" just doesn't cut it if you end up with a poor haircut or an ineffective resume. A free resume that doesn't get you a job is costly. A resume that gets you hired or results in a 10-15% increase in salary pays for itself.
  
  
• The competition is tough and unfair
  The Internet, email, and online job boards have brought about a huge increase in the number of resumes submitted for each advertised position. This means that whenever you apply for a highly desirable job, you face hundreds of competing resumes. Additionally, many competing resumes are written by highly skilled resume writing professionals whose primary goal is producing a resume that beats all competing resumes.
  
  
• Your job search is only as strong as its weakest link
  In order to get hired, you must first get interviewed. Even if you are a strong candidate, a weak resume will damage your job search by failing to yield interviews. Regardless of how you submit your resume, (mail, fax, email, job fair, or online job board) your resume must leave no doubt that you deserve an interview. It makes absolutely no sense to spend hours searching for the perfect job ad, finding it, making sure that you meet the requirements of the job, then sending in a resume and cover letter that guarantee failure.
  
  
• A little information is a dangerous thing
  Most books and free resources on resume writing offer dangerously outdated advice and do not adequately cover specialized areas of resume writing. Without the benefit of experience, and extensive trial and error, it is difficult to determine which resume writing and job search strategies work. Trial and error can be very expensive in terms of time, effort, lost job opportunities, and lost income.
  
  
• Good resume writing involves asking the right questions
  Although style, structure, formatting and layout are important, they are not as critical as the content of the resume. The resume must sell the candidate and answer the right questions. The right questions vary from candidate to candidate. During a resume writing consultation, a good resume writer asks questions that a potential employer would raise before or during an interview. This helps to insure that there are no holes in your resume that could prevent you from getting interviewed in the first place. It takes experience, expertise, neutral perspective and detachment to conduct an effective resume writing consultation. Without an effective consultation, the resume ends up looking like a pretty list of job descriptions. Job descriptions do not sell candidates or yield interviews.
  
  
• Pay for things or services you cannot replicate
  If you have good resume writing experience and expertise-and know someone who can ask the right questions from a neutral perspective with professional detachment-you do not need a professional resume writer.
  
  
• Objectivity is priceless
  Most people can write, format, and engineer a good resume if given the proper training-the difficult part is writing for oneself. It is very difficult to be objective when evaluating your own work. Friends and family are not neutral. That is why lawyers hire lawyers, doctors hire doctors, barbers hire barbers, and smart and professional resume writers hire RESUMEPRO WRITERS.