Finding the Holy Grail: A Professional Resume Writer’s Quest to Construct the ‘Perfect’ Resume
Contributing Writer: Sean Page
As a resume writer, the most common statement clients say in our consultations is “I do not know how to write about myself”. The funny thing is when I wrote my first resume, I felt similarly. I remember the agonizing 3+ hours I spent staring at my computer screen as I tried to muster up all of my experiences and education. I recall the very archaic structure that I used to construct my resume, which included an ‘objective section’.
I also remember contemplating over every bullet I placed underneath each job description — “Was I giving too much or too little detail?”, “Does this wording make me sound boring?”, or “How can I quantify this job duty?”. Even though I was able to produce something, I still was not completely satisfied with the results.
I knew that the resume I produced do not properly capture the essence of who I am as person — it was dull, uninspiring and frankly, too conventional. As I sent in my very basic 12-font, Times New Roman resume, I knew in my heart of hearts that this resume would not stand out in a pile of applications. After a month of no first round interviews, I went back to the drawing board in order to see what I could do to give my resume the boost it desperately needed. During this time period, I read through several sample resumes that I found online as well as how-to guides on constructing resumes. Even after using these resources to construct a new resume, I steadily grew frustrated as I couldn’t understand why someone who considers themselves a “decent” writer couldn’t grab the attention of recruiters with my resume long enough to want to interview me.
Then, one day it dawned on me…… Maybe the reason why I wasn’t getting called in for interviews is because my resume is very generic and does not showcase specifically why I would be great at the position I was applying for. Honestly, I kept my resume very generic because I thought it would be the easiest way to send as many resumes as quickly as possible. However, that prove to be the wrong attitude to have.
So for the umpteenth time, I wrote another resume but this time, I was more selective about the position I chose to apply to, I thoroughly researched the company and position, and I made sure the descriptions of each job I held previously matched as closely as possible to the duties and responsibilities of the new job. Once these changes were made and the new resume was sent, the first round interviews began to trickle in.
As I started to go on the first round interviews, I slowly began to master my art with each rejection. I learned quickly how jobs evaluated candidates, what skills were rare and of value to the industry, and the best ways to not only describe strengths, but also how to turn weaknesses into strengths. In time, I would constantly update and revise my resume again, and again, and again until I was able to develop my own unique resume design that prove to be highly effective — I used minimal color and different typeface to make my resume pop while creating a skills section that specifically highlighted my relevant talents that would add to the position.
At the same time, my confidence in interviews increased dramatically as I began to believe in myself and my ability to sell myself both orally and in writing. Thus, I was able to land multiple job offers by the end of my journey.
Like most people, I did not fully grasp in the beginning that applying for a job is like playing a game where the rules are unspoken. If you do not know the rules but others do, you are destined to fail. However, if you put in the effort to uncover the rules, you begin to learn how the game works. Eventually with practice and patience, you become a pro at the game — and win. Now that I am a professional resume writer, I enjoy walking clients through this game as I guide them towards making the game winning shot.
Bottom line: Resumes are an art form, not a science.
Everyone is looking for a magical formula but unfortunately there is none. Each resume needs and deserves special attention as each job you plan to pursue will be different in a number of ways: responsibilities, number of years of required experience and/or education, who you will report to, the type of company or industry in which you are applying to, etc. There are some key features that every resume must include — summary of qualifications, education, work experience — but what makes a resume standout is how you construct the language of your resume to fit both the needs of the job in contention and your own past experiences.
More importantly, what makes a resume powerful is the writer’s level of confidence.
Your confidence is what needs to be translated onto paper. Truthfully, the resume’s purpose is to get your foot in the door, not to serve as a supplement for yourself. Before you begin writing a resume, you should remind yourself of all your previous achievements thus far (whether big or small), why you deserve to transition into this new position, and how you will revolutionize the position and/or company. Confidence is key because employers not only need to know but also feel that they can trust in your knowledge and expertise. Therefore, you have to believe in yourself before anyone else can believe in you.
