No No No, Don't make me write my résumé

Anytime someone presents me with their résumé and asks me what I think, I ask them if it has been getting them interviews. If the résumé is getting interviews it is doing exactly as it is supposed to and what I think doesn’t really matter. Lots of résumé writers will tell you that the last person to write your résumé did a horrible job. Hey, it’s an ego thing. Résumés and cover letters can be so subjective. What one person thinks is great will be thought of as garbage by another.

Most people dread the thought of writing their résumé for a number of reasons. First, there is the fear of writing. Then, there is the fear of having to make ones self sound good, combined with the "not believing they were very good at what they did in the first place". If they were so good at it they wouldn’t be out of work, right? There are also those who simply say it is just too hard.

The first thing a person has to do before they write their résumé is get in touch with exactly how good they really were at whatever it was they were doing. If you were proud of what you did, it will be a whole lot easier to tell someone. A résumé is not about bragging, it is about selling “you” as the right person to interview for the job.

Having a good understanding of your job’s purpose and what happened when you did it, sets you up to write an awesome résumé.

Now go write your résumé. Besides, the last person to write it probably did a horrible job.

Your comments are welcome.

Glen Slingerland Skills 101 / Job Development