3 secrets resume writers don’t want you to know

Job hunting sucks. Now imagine job hunting during a global pandemic, in a country grappling with racial and social unrest and oh by the way your competition is 10.9 Million Americans who are also currently unemployed. phew ! I would do anything to make the process as easy and efficient as I possibly could. You might be asking yourself:

How can you stand out? How can you be more competitive? How can you get that tiny little advantage so that you could even get to the interview stage?

I am not looking for new employment but I’ve always wondered—Are professional resume writers worth it or would I end up paying someone for a product I’m going to end up wordsmith-ing anyway? I’ve always been a proponent for DIY whether it’s crafting or makeup but surely if you’re paying a professional writer it has to be quality work..right?

I met a resume writer during a career development panel and I just had to work with her. I bought a package from her site and here’s what I learned:

1. It’s still a ton of work for you. At the beginning of the process, I was given something called an intake form. It listed questions like What don’t you like about your current resume? What are your biggest accomplishments in your last 3 roles? Working with a resume writer does not spare you from any introspection. Instead, you’re given tools to identify, quantify and highlight your skills.

2. A well-done resume is less about aesthetics and more about algorithm. A resume writer will use your intake form and throw buzzwords at you. They will shape your accomplishments such that the ATS (applicant tracking system) will get you more hits. This can be incredibly overwhelming, but with thousands of applicants going for the same roles it only makes sense separate some candidates from others.

3. You have the power. If you want to have a crappy time (and waste your money while doing it), you should hire a resume writer even though you don’t know your career aspirations or your personal goals. At the end of the day, a resume writer is just that—a writer! They can help with formatting, optimizing for the ATS, grammar and diction but they will not make your career choices for you. You alone have the insight to know what types of jobs will make you fulfilled.

While it was ABSOLUTELY worth it (for me) to work with a professional, please keep in mind you need to do a lot of pre-work and everyone’s situation can be different. If you’re transitioning stages in your career or you’re looking to pivot, it’s a relatively small investment to have a new set of professional eyes on such an important document. If you’re just starting out and have a lot of real estate to fill up on the page, I’d suggest to leverage a format you can find on Google and take the DIY approach.

All in all, I spent $100+tax and a few hours on the intake form. After her first draft, I spent another hour with the writer reviewing her suggestions and edits. After 5 business days I had a new resume!

So there you go, 3 things I wish I knew before working with a resume writer. Take a peek at the before and after below. Just by the formatting, do you think it was worth it?