Risky Tightrope

What Every Job Seeker Needs To Know About Hiring A Professional Rsum Writer

Ego is a funny thing. It is the foundation of our self-esteem upon which we build our competence and ability to meet, if not exceed expectations.

However, ego can alsocloud our judgment, diminish our objectivity and, ultimately, distort our decision making. When that happens, our ego is not our amigo.

Whether unemployed and looking for work or simply tochange jobs, ego can have both positive and negative effects on our efforts. Confidence is, of course, essential when looking for work. Hubris, on the other hand, is not. Take, for example, yourrsum.

Youve probably written, edited, modified, updated, and edited and modified it again. Over the years, youve come up with a documentthat youre pretty happy with, one that really doesnt need much more than a tweak in your next job search. Or so you tell yourself.

That, my friend, is your ego talking.

You may be shaking your head, ready to move on to some other task because youre sure what were about to share with you doesnt really apply to youor thatgreat rsumyouve got on your computer desktop.

Did you know, however, thatyour rsum is 40% more likely to get you noticed and generate you interviews when written by a professional?Humor us for a just a bit. As you know, the labor market remains exceedingly tight as the economic recovery proceeds at a very slow pace. If you are unemployed,underemployedor justunhappily employed, standing out among dozens, if not hundreds, of highly qualified individuals seeking the same jobs as you can create a substantial barrier to your plans for an adjustment to (or advancement in) your career.

No matter how experienced you are, no matter how perfect you might be for a particular job opening, your chances of landing that job are virtually nonexistent if your rsum doesnt make it past the first review stage.

And if yourrsum doesnt incorporate the latest formatting andhighlight those things on which employers now focus whenevaluatingjob applicants, you can count on your resume never making itto the call forinterview pile.

Youre still not convinced that aprofessionally written rsumwould be superior to what youcan produce?Or, perhaps youjustdont think you can afford to have your rsum crafted by a professional.Believe it or not,you cantafford not to.In fact, the greater thelevel of competition for jobs, thegreater thepotential return on your investment in aprofessionally written rsum.

Heres whyLooking for a job isnot only a job in and of itself, its expensive. Its estimated that a job search can cost a job seeker as much as $15,000. If you are unemployed, its possible to calculate the costin lost wages for each day you remain without a job.In fact, its quite simple.There are approximately 250working days per year. If your most recent job (or the one youre pursuing) pays, for example, $50,000 per year, thenyou will lose $200.00 per day for each day you remain unemployed ($50,000/250=$200.00).If, rather than being unemployed you are underemployed, then each day you remain in a job that pays you less than your target income costs you money. For example, say you make $70,000 per year but you should be making $90,000.For each day you remain underemployed, you are losing $80.00 ($20,000/250 days =$80.00 per day).

Now that you know how to calculate how much each day of unemployment/underemployment can cost you, are you still confident that you cant afford professional rsum writing?How many days of reduced wages is it worth to save a little money? If professional rsum writingreduces your jobsearch period by even just one week,how much extra money would you earn?

Lets assume that money is no object foryou, that these calculations really dont move youbecause a few hundred or even few thousand dollars dont, at the end of the day, mean that much to you (if so, we want your job when you leave!). Theresno reason forprofessional rsum writingthen, right? Um, not so fast.

Rememberthat we started this discussion of the topicreferring to ego?While you may be incredibly competent in your chosencareer, it doesnt mean you are automatically proficient in everything else.Nor, with all due respect,are you necessarilythe most objective personwhen it comes toyou.Having your rsum writtenby someonehighly qualifiedin thatline ofwork will ensure that your rsum doesnt appear dated (ineither form orcontent) and also doesnt read like an exercise in self-aggrandizement.You want prospective employers to focus on yourqualifications. Dont hide them in puffery.

Michelle Dumas runs of one of the longest-standing and most respectedprofessional rsum writingfirms on the internet, Distinctive Career Services, LLC (dba Distinctive Documents). Since 1996, Michelle has empowered thousands of professionals with rsums that get results and win jobs fast. Get insider rsum writing tips that you won't find anywhere else at her website. Go now towww.distinctiveweb.com

The Internets Rsum & Career Marketing SpecialistsSince 1996www.distinctiveweb.com resumes@distinctiveweb.com (800) 644-9694Copyright 2014, Distinctive Career Services, LLCwww.distinctiveweb.com