RESUME HELP - WHAT ARE YOUR OPTIONS?
Your resume is one of the most important documents you will ever write. If you're stuck with your resume, here are some options for getting help.
Free Resume Help
If you want to learn how to put together a great resume, sign up for our free resume writing e-course. The course arrives over a period of 7 days and includes information on determining your 'sales message, creating an action-packed resume, and designing for best effect.
Another great resource is this article on how to write a resume, by Nicholas Lore, founder of The Rockport Institute and author of "Pathfinder."
When you're looking for free resume help, beware anyone who promises something for nothing, or offers 'quick and easy resumes' or 'resumes in 5 minutes.' Your resume is one of the most important documents you will EVER write. If you do it right, it will be neither quick nor easy - but it will be effective.
Books on Resume Writing
If you like to follow detailed step-by-step instructions on resume writing, I can recommend a couple of books that will take you through the process and provide samples to give you good ideas. Neither promises a quick and easy solution, but both will help you develop a resume that truly separates you from the crowd.
The first is Resume Magic by Susan Britton Whitcomb. This book is a comprehensive look at how to write a resume, and includes many before and after samples so that you can see the principles involved. Susan is a leader in the careers industry and her advice is wonderful.
The second is my own self-study course, The DIY Guide to Writing a Killer Resume, which is available for immediate download. This course walks you step-by-step through the resume writing process and includes 20 resume templates that you can use to create your own resume. It also includes a guide to cover letter writing and a strategy guide for your job search.
In addition, we have pulled together a selection of our favorite books on resume writing, job search, interviewing etc. and set them up in our Amazon store for easy purchase.
Hiring a Professional Resume Writer
If you can afford to invest in a professional resume, this is the best option. A good professional resume writer can create a document far superior to anything most people can do on their own. And the payoff is almost immediate. A person who makes $40,000 (or $20 per hour) and spends $350 on a professional resume needs to shave only 2 days from her job search in order to pay for the cost of the resume.
A professional resume can not only cut down the time needed to find a new job, but it can also increase your salary. That's because a great resume makes a strong first impression and can increase the amount you are offered once the company decides to hire you.
If you decide to work with a professional resume writer, you must choose carefully. There are no legal requirements for people calling themselves resume writers, and therefore, there are many more bad writers than there are good ones.
Check out my article How to Choose a Professional Resume Writer for more information on where to find writers and how to tell the good ones from the bad ones.
Louise Fletcher is the President of Blue Sky Resumes, and Managing Editor and Co-founder of the preeminent careers blog, Career Hub. She is a Certified Professional Resume Writer and many of her resumes have been published in the JIST "Expert Resumes" series. She has contributed to many online publications including About.com, Monster.com, The Ladders, and Net Temps.
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