Tag Archives: Resume Writers

64% of voters say they will pay someone to write their job-search documents

Leave a reply

There are times when having a professional do a job for you—like replacing the brakes on your car, installing a water heater, or roofing your house—is the right way to go. Let’s add one of my recent failures, installing a screen and glass door to the list.

Some of you might be thinking about the aforementioned projects, “I can do that. I’d rather do it myself than waste the money.” And perhaps you can at the expense of your valuable time and doing a shoddy job. Not good.

Smart consumers understand the value of their time and getting the job done right. Another project you think you can DIY is writing your job-search documents (resume and LinkedIn profile). But will you write documents that will truly show your value to employers? Or will you do a shoddy job?

As I’m wont to do, I polled LinkedIn members asking them if they would pay for someone to write their job-search documents. Sixty-four percent (64%) of them said they would, 29% voted no, and 7% stated they write job-search documents for a living. Eliminating the third option, leaves us with a strong affirmative for the first option.

Hiring someone to write your job-search documents

I should have prefaced this article by saying that I’m not promoting resume and LinkedIn profile writers. What I’m saying is that if you decide to outsource your job-search documents, make sure your writer can accomplish the following:

Won’t put you in debt

For many people who find themselves unemployed, the cost of hiring someone to write their job-search documents is a concern. Massachusetts offers the highest unemployment benefits at $823 a week. Mississippi, on the other hand, offers $235 a week. Someone from Mississippi will have a more difficult time paying to have their documents written.

Even if you live in a state like Massachusetts, there are other bills to pay. You need to determine if hiring a writer to do the job for $500-$1,500 is within your budget. Perhaps you received a generous severance or you accumulated a substantial savings. This might provide you with enough resources.

One solution might be asking loved ones for money to pay a writer to produce your job-search documents. Your brother in California isn’t aware of your industry and occupation, but he can send you $200 to help you in your job search. This will lessen the impact.

Saves you time

Creating strong job-search documents is time consuming. For some it’s a matter of producing a resume they’ve been updating over the course of their career, or just beginning to write their LinkedIn profile; but for others it could be creating the documents from scratch.

I’ve had high-level job seekers who’ve never written a resume or profile. They’ve been at their previous job for more than 30 years, and in between gigs they didn’t require these job-search documents. Rare, but it’s possible.

Do you have the resources to do the job right? Hiring someone to write your documents can save you hours and allow you to focus on your job–if you’re currently working–and conduct other aspects of your job search, such as researching companies on your target list.

Has a great reputation

I was hired a few years ago to review resume writing services that revised a poorly written resume I sent them. The results varied but, for the most part, out of seven resume writing services two returned acceptable products. I refer to them as resume mills because they pump out resumes by the hundreds per week.

None of the resume writing services achieved what I’m talking about here, getting a sense of who the “candidate” was and what he had accomplished. Many of the products these resume mills produced focused on keywords that they said would make the resume ATS-friendly.

It’s important that you do your research and find the best resume and LinkedIn profile writer to fit your budget, while also producing products that will land you interviews. (Also keep in mind that no writer in their right mind will guarantee the documents they write will land you tons of interviews.) How you distribute your resume is a key factor.

Is in sync with your occupation/industry

If you’re going to hire someone to write your job-search documents, it would probably be best that said person is familiar with your occupation and industry. I’m not implying that if you’re an engineer or marketer that the writer must be a former engineer or marketer. I am saying that your writer is qualified to produce a product that will be relevant to the position for which you’re applying.

Let’s say you have consistently increased processes which saved your team time, but your writer believes that increasing revenue is what should be highlighted. Because they don’t understand the nature of your occupation, they fail to hit the mark. You’ll get the sense that you’ve wasted a great deal of time and money.

A good writer will refer you to someone who’s more qualified to write your job-search documents. In the past, I’ve referred people to writers who are more aligned with job seekers. Why waste the job seeker’s and my time?

Can tell your story

A great writer will effectively tell your story. They will interview you to produce a product that will give the employer a strong sense of your career trajectory and your accomplishments that include metrics. Your job-search documents will sell you from the beginning of the documents to the very end.

Most important is the Experience section that tells a story through accomplishment statements that read like a S.T.A.R. formula. Here is a story followed by the two-line accomplishment statement:

What
ŸŸŸŸImplemented new CRM software to help Sales.

How
Approached and received approval from upper management.
Implemented Infusionsoft software for sales; originally using Excel on Intranet.
Trained Sales on how to use Infusionsoft.

Results
Increased productivity of Sales team 50%.
Completed 2 weeks ahead of schedule: projected 3 months.
CEO announced my achievement in front of staff at building meeting.

The one-line accomplishment statement

  • Increased productivity of Sales Team 50% by initiating and implementing Infusionsoft software 2 weeks before 3-month deadline. Received accolades from CEO

Ideally your writer can create a story for every accomplishment on your document, but this isn’t always possible. Good writers will “drag” your stories out of the recesses of your memory.

As I mentioned earlier, this is not an advertisement for job-search document writers. On my journey through LinkedIn I have come across great resume writers who will meet most of your objectives—cost, time saving, great reputation, in sync with your industry, and tell your story.

Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

4 reasons why personal pronouns are acceptable on your résumé

2 Replies

During a résumé critique one of my customers presented me with a résumé that was quite good. When I come upon a great résumé, I don’t try to to rip it apart like some people, who want to show off their expertise do.

Grading Papers

Could it have been better? Sure, but for starters it had the elements of a solid résumé—a branding headline; a short, yet factual Performance Profile; few duties and numerous quantified accomplishments; and was well formatted and easy to read. You get the picture.

There were a few things I suggested he correct, but the one big thing I took issue with was his use of personal pronouns. It’s not that I’m opposed to the use of personal pronouns on a résumé.

It’s that his résumé was littered with them throughout the whole document, in the Performance Profile and in the Work Experience. So I was curious why he decided to go narrative with it.

He simply said it felt right. OK, that’s like asking my kid why he skipped track practice and him telling you…because he wanted to.

Later in the week this guy’s Career Advisor (my colleague) approached me with a quizzical look on her face asking me why I thought said person’s résumé was acceptable. Is this how résumés are being written, she asked me.

My response was that some job seekers, not many, are using personal pronouns on their résumé.

She then wanted to know if I condone personal pronouns on a résumé. That’s like asking me if I condone red hair. I continued to say that many professional résumé writers are also including personal pronouns on their client’s résumé.

Here’s my opinion.

If there is any section on the résumé where the personal pronoun  is justified, it’s  in the Performance Profile where it can add value without distracting the reader. Consider the following separate statements that emphasize the two candidates’ value:

Increasing sales—the past five years running—through a customer-centric approach has been the hallmark of my career ~ I lead with a unique style that increases production from colleagues of various talent levels.

And

I develop and nurture  lasting relationships with partners, customers, and the media; resulting in an increase of visibility for organizations  and 75% new business ~ My managers often referred to  me as a prolific writer who enhances the value of an organization’s print and on-line literature.

Here are four reasons why personal pronouns work in each of these statements:

  1. Show ownership. Each statement can be written without the pronoun, “I,” but they lose their emphasis and originality. 
  2. Personality. True, the candidate could eliminate the personal pronouns, but then the accomplishments seem more impersonal. The personal pronoun gives the résumé a stronger voice.
  3. Flow. The first statement can be rephrased to carry the same message of “customer-centric approach,” but we speak in complete sentences. Résumé sentences are grammatically incorrect.
  4. It’s unique. A very small percentage of résumés employ personal pronouns. Whether you agree or disagree with the use of personal pronouns, your document will grab the attention of the reader.

Arguably some recruiters or employers may question job seekers for taking liberties and breaking the traditional mold—that which says, no personal pronouns—but would they automatically discount a job seeker for going against tradition? Only if they are out of their mind.

Nonetheless, I decided to query professionals on LinkedIn to get their opinions.

One former recruiter wrote: “Candidates certainly benefit from a professionally written résumé, but in my experience as a recruiter, we hired plenty of candidates… with ‘I’ on their résumé.”

Another respondent was very adamant about the use of personal pronouns: “Personal pronouns should NEVER be used on a résumé.”

A professional resume writer and former hiring manager, with whom I’ve worked, responded to my query by saying he uses personal pronouns “sparingly,” adding, “Who can realistically find fault with a little sprinkle of personal pronouns in an impressive career document from an impressive candidate?” My point exactly.

Yet another respondent supports the use of the personal pronoun: “As a recruiter, I really enjoy reading a résumé that tells who the person is, where they came from and where they want to go.”

Read this article on WSJ.com from one of my valued LinkedIn connections, Lynda Spiegel. She’s a resume writer who believes in the first person résumé.

I personally think personal pronouns are acceptable in the Performance Profile section but using them in the other sections…goes too far. If you have a strong opinion, one way or another, let’s hear it.

Photo: Flickr, Sofia