There are a multitude of sites that offer professional resume writing. I”ve visited their sites, and my first thought is always about the presentation of their own website – if this company can’t be trusted to design a professional, modern webpage representing themselves, how could I expect them to represent me in a professional, modern fashion?
Job market changed by recession
In today’s labor market, there are typically 200-300 applications for single job openings. Even discounting people who are not qualified for the job (which ends up being 70%-80% in some cases) jobs are extremely competitive. This article from MSNBC.com details how teaching jobs are being cut around the country because of budget constraints. The bright side of this is that schools are still hiring teachers, because even though jobs are being cut, teachers are still retiring, being fired and quitting. Hard numbers don’t mean that job-seekers should give up, it simply means a change in tactics is in order.
Your resume is your first impression
Everyone talks about how important a first impression is – and it’s true. Humans form impressions of new acquaintances in 1-2 seconds – and resumes are typically given 8 seconds on the first read-through. For a potential employer, your resume is your first impression – and for most people applying for a job, their resume is the only contact they will ever have with an employer.
Why a well-written resume just isn’t enough anymore
A targeted, well-written, error-free resume is the first step to getting an interview, but it’s not enough to give you a leg up on your competition. Just as people are judged by how they look, and they way they present themselves outwardly, so do employers judge resume documents that land on their desk – by organization, cleanliness, and professionalism. Simply paying someone to re-write your resume does nothing for the professional look and feel of that document. With 8 seconds to spend on the first glance, very little of that actually goes into reading the document – most of that is spent scanning – something very different than reading.
Good design associates your name with professionalism, seriousness and credibility
That first 8-second can either be negative, neutral or positive. With great design / personal branding, the first time someone scans your resume, they can be given unconscious clues about who you are – as a designer’s purpose is to organize information in as favorable a light as possible. Instead of being merely qualified, along with perhaps 30-50 other applicants – your designed resume can hint at your seriousness and professionalism.
What does ‘good design’ mean?
Good design does not mean fancy paper, or outlandish fonts – although paper and font choice do play a role. Good design organizes information so the most relevant details are most accessible. Professional resume design draws from the inverted pyramid newspaper writing style, from writing for the web, and from graphic design – which, at its best, is nearly invisible. Good design is most noticeable from its result – the clear transmission of information. Traditional resumes typically fail to be easy to read, because the body text is not arranged in an effective information hierarchy, there are too many bullets, etc. An effective resume is one that is well-written, and one that captures the imagination of the person reading it (even if in a small way).
Individual, unique resumes
Unlike other resume services, professional resume design does not use templates. All of our resumes are made from scratch to correspond with a job seeker’s authentic voice and personal style. Our branding packages are not showy, but highlight a person’s professionalism using advanced typography and graphic design techniques learned during years of creating advertising campaigns for major corporations. Subtle and professional is look of a great resume.
