9 Reasons Why You Need The Best Resume Writers

In a world where you can grab free resume templates, tips and tricks off the internet in mere seconds, you may be pondering the wisdom of paying someone to write your resume. We get it. Why do you need to find the best resume writers for a job you surely can do yourself?

The #1 Reason Why You Need Professional Resume Services

Typos. Spelling Errors. Grammar Errors.

Whatever you want to call them, careless errors are all too common on resumes. We’ve spoken to countless hiring managers and recruiters and combed through multiple studies, only to find that more than half of all resumes contain at least one typo.

We’ve edited thousands of resumes through the year, and we can support this claim through our own experiences. Whether you’ve misspelled a word or messed up your there, their, they’re reference, these types of mistakes are costly.

The majority of hiring managers will throw out your resume if it contains spelling mistakes and/or grammar errors. It’s as simple as that.

No one expects a job candidate to be perfect, but they do expect them to hand in a flawless resume and the best resume writing services can provide you with an error-free document.

At Resume Writing Group, each resume is edited by the writer, naturally, but we take it a step further and send the resume to one of our professional resume editors. After all, when it comes to editing, two sets of eyes are always better than one.

Of course, there are a few errors that only you can catch, so double-check the following:

• Your phone number – Please don’t use the number at your current workplace (Yes, people actually do this. All the time.)
• Your email address – Also, ensure that you use a professional email address (kittykat@gmail & beachbum@yahoo are not appropriate business emails)
• Contact Information for References – If these are included on your resume

A Quick Word About Email Addresses

Before we move on to #2, let’s talk about email addresses. We’ve seen the results of several studies and about 35% to 40% of all hiring managers will reject a resume if it includes an inappropriate email address. Your email address should just be your name, such as MeghanJones@gmail or JohnLSantos@gmail.

Email addresses are free, so there’s no reason why you can’t create a professional looking email address for your business correspondence. And, please, we beg you to refrain from using your email address at your current workplace.

First, there’s always the possibility that your boss will find out about your job search. Second, this sends a terrible message to a hiring manager. Basically, this spreads the assumption that you have no qualms about using work time to search for a new job rather than actually focusing on work. Not very inspiring, is it?

2. You Always Need An Updated Resume

If you haven’t updated your resume since George Bush’s second presidential term, it’s time to blow the dust off that old resume and give it an update. Even if you updated your resume just two or three years ago, this isn’t good enough.

Additionally, resume styles have changed a bit since the early 2000s and even in the last five or so years, there have been some major trend shifts. For instance, hundreds of companies now use applicant-tracking software to screen for potential candidates and this means your resume needs to include the keywords sought by these software programs.

You also might have out-of-date or irrelevant information on your resume. If you’ve been out in the workforce for several years, for example, it’s time to ditch any jobs you held in college or high school. In fact, it’s time to ditch any references to high school at all.

Your skills also may have changed since your last resume update. Perhaps you’ve earned an advanced degree, learned how to use new software programs or earned some new certifications or even won a few awards. All of this information needs to appear on your resume.

The plain truth – you should always have an updated copy of your resume. What if a recruiter contacts you with information about a great new job? If you have to spend a day or two prepping a resume, you might miss out on a great opportunity.

Be sure to include a copy of your updated resume on your LinkedIn profile. If you don’t yet have a LinkedIn profile, you need to put this at the top of your to-do list. The vast majority of recruiters and many hiring managers find job applicants on LinkedIn and this free site also helps you expand your network.

3. Your Resume Must Target Applicant Tracking Software

Want to win a great new job? You’ll have to beat applicant-tracking software (ATS) to get it. Virtually all large companies use it, and many small and midsize firms are turning to software to help them narrow down a field of candidates. Anytime you apply for a job online, you should assume that it will be run through ATS.

How It Works: This software is programmed to look for certain keywords. If your resume doesn’t contain these keywords, then your resume won’t fit the criteria or parameters set by the software. This means your resume probably will never be seen by a human and you won’t be hired or even called in for an interview.

What The Best Resume Writers Know – They know how to create resumes that appeal to humans as well as their software programs. This is harder than you might think, and too often, we review resumes that are so full of ATS target keywords that they sound very awkward and obviously are trying too hard to fool the software program.

Not only will a hiring manager be turned off by these awkward resumes, the software programs also may be able to eliminate you because you’ve included too many keywords or skills. It’s a balance, and a great resume writer can strike that perfect balance. Of course, if you decide to write your own resume, keep the following in mind.

How To Beat ATS:

1. Read The Job Description Carefully – Use the terminology listed in the job description and use it exactly.

2. Don’t Use Abbreviations – Sometimes ATS will be programmed to understand certain abbreviations or acronyms, but not always, so spell it out. Again, look at what is listed on the job description. If it says “Microsoft Excel,” don’t abbreviate this to “MS Excel,” the software might not have that in its programming.

3. Don’t Use “Clever” Language – If you are a salesperson, don’t use the term “Acquisitions Guru.” The software is not programmed to understand your attempt at humor. And again, use the words posted in the job description.

4. Use A Basic Format – Never submit a flashy, creative resume design to a robot. While these might appeal to humans, when your resume is scanned and uploaded, the unique margin settings and graphic design elements might throw off the ATS. Also skip the fanciful typefaces and stick to tried and true options such as Times New Roman, Calibri, Arial, etc.

Use the typical margins you would use for a Word doc, and use standardized headings such as Work Experience, Education, Skills, etc. It might seem dull, but ATS bots aren’t known for their cocktail parties or their stimulating conversation. Save the amazing, creative design for a human that truly can appreciate your design skills.

3. No Interviews? Maybe You Need A Better Resume

If you’ve been sending out that homemade resume to many companies, but you aren’t receiving any calls for interviews, your resume may be the culprit. There could be several reasons for this, including:

• Your resume contains errors
• Your resume is poorly organized
• Your resume doesn’t quantify your skills
• You aren’t qualified for the job positions you seek
• Your resume doesn’t include the skills required as per the job description
• You aren’t sending your resume to the right companies
• Your resume includes fabrications

We can help with nearly all of these issues. Obviously, we can fix all of the typos and grammar errors, but we also can organize your resume so that it’s easy to read and the format is consistent.

We also can rewrite each section so that a hiring manager clearly understands your capabilities and achievements. People often forget to share clear examples of what they can do. For instance, you might state that you managed a sales team, but it’s a far more powerful picture if state that you “Managed a 30-person sales team, Exceeded targeted sales goals by 20% each year.”

Additionally, if it seems as though you aren’t targeting the right companies or the right job positions, our team of career coaches can help. Our trained specialists can work with you to determine what’s been holding you back and teach what you personally need to do to make your career shoot ahead in leaps and bounds.

Our Job Hunter service is another option to consider. For this, we study your resume and research 30 companies likely to hire you. Then we will provide you with their contact information so that you can submit your resume. More than half of all available jobs are never posted online, so sending your resume to the “right” companies can result in a great new job opportunity that you didn’t even know existed.

As for the last point, about resume fabrications (i.e. lies), we can’t help with that. But we can offer a few words of advice. Never lie on a resume and never assume that a hiring manager doesn’t check you out before they call you in for an interview.

More than 90% of all recruiters and hiring managers search for you on Google and social media and if they see information that doesn’t match up, your resume will get tossed.

It’s also wise to note that a negative social media presence also can kill your chances of getting hired. If your Twitter, Facebook and Instagram posts are full of complaints, rantings, highly-charged political posts and inappropriate photos, this can affect your job prospects. This may seem unfair, but life isn’t fair, and this is just reality.

4. Let Us Quantify Your Skills

We listed this one in the previous briefly in the last section, but it bears repeating and deeper reflection. Your resume contains two types of skills – hard skills and soft skills.

Hard Skills – These are the easy skills to quantify, and they include your educational level, certifications you have earned, your proficiency in certain software programs, and actual jobs you have held.

Soft Skills – These include abilities such as teamwork, leadership, creativity, problem-solving skills, work ethic, etc. You can simply state on a resume that you are a self-motivated team player, those are just clichés. Hiring managers want concrete proof that showcases these abilities.

Example 1: How To Quantify Leadership Skills

Under work experience, you might include bullet points such as “Managed 30+ employees,” or “Trained & Mentored 150+ new employees,” or “Spearheaded company-wide incentive program.” Basically, any time you took a leadership role, you’ll want to show it off on your resume.

Example 2: How Quantify Creativity & Problem-Solving Skills

Again, under your work experiences, you might state that you “Developed a project management system,” or “Created sales materials, increasing client acquisitions by 30%.”

Example 3: How To Quantify Teamwork

For this you might list skills such as “Mediated employee conflict resolution sessions,” or “Developed PR materials with a 6-person team,” or perhaps “Led 6-person trauma team,” which shows both your leadership abilities and your ability to work with others.

Obviously, the examples of your soft skills will vary based on your industry, but everyone is looking for hard-working, creative team players with leadership abilities.

5. Upgrade From A Passive Resume

While some of our clients ask us to design a resume from scratch, some already tried to create their own. As we review these resumes, we often see passive language throughout the document.

A person might state that they “were in charge of” or “tasked with” or “was responsible for.” These phrases are passive and, frankly, kind of dull and weak. The best resume writer service will swap out these passive verbs and replace them with more dynamic, active verbs such as managed, designed, initiated and implemented.

If you insist on writing your own resume, here’s a handy list of 30 words that can help enliven any resume:

6. Does Your Resume Feature Quantity Over Quality (TMI)

While a CV might run for many pages, a resume typically should run one page in length. In some cases, a two-page resume might be appropriate for a higher level position, but generally speaking, keep it short and sweet.

Unfortunately, with a limited amount of space, it can be tricky to know what items to include on a resume and which ones to leave off, especially when it comes to your skills and work experience.

The best resume writing service professionals can assess your current resume and narrow it down to include only the most important information. Be sure to send in a few examples of job postings for which you intend to apply so that your writer can tailor the resume to the job descriptions.

You always want to make sure that the information on your resume is a strong match for the skills and experience requested in a job opening. This means you might need to adjust your resume a bit for each company. It’s never a good idea to simply send out a one-size-fits-all resume filled with possibly irrelevant skills.

What Should You Omit From Your Resume Right Now?

• Your Photograph(Place a great professional head shot on LinkedIn, but not on your resume)
• Your Birthdate (Hiring managers in the U.S. cannot ask your age, don’t include this information)
• Your Marital Status & Number of Children (Again, this is not relevant information for a resume)
• Your High School Education (This is only relevant for entry-level job candidates, and even then, it’s not always necessary)
• Your Part-Time Work Experience (This may be relevant for entry-level applicants and freelancers, but not for most professionals.)
• Your Career Objective (Only helpful if it is very well written)
• “References Available Upon Request” (Um, yeah, we would hope so. Eliminate this useless line)

One section you may want to add – Hobbies & Interests.

These days, employers are interested in more than your work abilities. If you have some interesting hobbies and outside interests, add a very short list of these items. However, make sure that your list isn’t too quirky. Here’s a quick example of a great list.

Hobbies & Interests

• Long-Distance Hiking
• Volunteering at the Local Animal Shelter
• Gourmet Cooking Classes
• Binge-Watching “Dr. Who”

Let’s review each of these. Long-distance hiking showcases your commitment to health and your ability to handle challenges. Volunteerism showcases that you are compassionate and interested in helping others. Gourmet cooking indicates that you like some adventure and enjoy learning new skills. The binge-watching item is a bit quirky and fun, providing a quick glimpse at your personality without being too alarming.

Keep in mind, that you should tailor your list to the job position. For instance, for a salesperson, choose hobbies and interests that showcase your extroverted nature and your ability to meet a challenge.

If you are going for a job as a financial analyst, highlight your hobbies and interests that stress your ability to analyze and strategize, such as playing chess. If you need to highlight your ability to work with a team, perhaps list a team sport in which you participate.

7. Changing Careers? Let The Best Resume Writers Help

While many of our clients are simply searching for better or more advanced positions in their own industry, some are people transitioning to an entirely new industry.

For instance, perhaps you’ve spent the last 10 years as a nurse, but you’ve gone back to school and earned your teaching credential to become a high school biology teacher. While you now have the education required for the job, you have no work experience as a teacher. Or do you?

A great resume writer can showcase the skills you possessed as a nurse, and demonstrate how those skills will serve you well in your new career as a teacher. As a nurse you probably acquired leadership, organizational, communication and problem-solving skills, all of which are skills needed by teachers.

Another great example – we write resumes all of the time for soldiers transitioning from their military career to a civilian career. While you might have hung up your fatigues, many of the skills you’ve learned during your years in the military can benefit any employers and we can showcase your abilities so that an employer in any industry will understand why you’d make a fantastic employee.

8. You Need A Great Cover Letter

If creating your own resume seems like a snap, what about that cover letter? Creating a great cover letter is a bit of an art form, and if you are a bit uncertain about what to include and how to word this letter, let the resume experts help.

A cover letter can boost your chances of gaining an interview, but only if it’s well-written and error-free. Too often, people come across either as bland and boring in cover letter or arrogant, and that’s definitely the opposite of what you want.

The One Exception: While sending in a great cover letter can increase your chances, it won’t if the job posting specifically says not to include a cover letter. You might think, “hey, I’ll send one in anyway, what can it hurt.” Well, it shows that you can’t follow directions, and hiring managers dislike that. So if the posting says “No Cover Letter,” then don’t send it in.

9. You Need Additional Services

The best resume writing service doesn’t stop with resumes. At Resume Writing Group, we know that our clients often need more than a great resume. So, we also provide cover letter writing services, LinkedIn profile writing, thank-you letter writing and career coaching services.

For instance, maybe your resume is fine, and you’ve been going out on interviews, but have yet to receive a job offer. Something is obviously amiss, but what is it? Use our Career Coaching package and we’ll review your resume and speak with you to determine what’s holding you back in your job search.

As a side note, if a hiring manager calls to say they won’t be hiring you for the position, ask for some feedback. Politely inquire why you weren’t a suitable candidate. It’s possible that they can give you some powerful advice that will help you in the next interview.

How Do You Find The Best Resume Writers?

In this article, we’ve provided you with many of the tools you’ll need in order to write your own resume. Why would we do that?

While we are committed to provide our clients with the best resume writing services, we also truly want everyone to find and attain their dream job and a great resume can you get you there. If you decide not to use our services, be sure to use some of the information we provided in this article to help you write your resume.

Generally, though, it’s far easier to simply hire the best resume writing service and let the experts handle the task. To find the best resume writers, keep the following factors in mind:

1. Dedicated & Experienced Staff

The best resume writing service only employs experienced, full-time resume writers. At Resume Writing Group, you can click on the Who We Are tab on our homepage and read some quick bios for each member of our resume writing team.

Many resume writing companies simply use freelancers, and these aren’t necessarily experienced professional resume writers. If you are spending your hard-earned money on a resume, you deserve the high-quality services that only a real professional resume writer can provide.

2. Look For Industry Participation

There are several organizations that were created to support the resume writing industry. By joining these groups, a resume writing company sends out a signal that they are serious about their work.

At Resume Writing Group, we belong to the National Resume Writers Association and the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches. Both of these organizations can provide our writers with additional training as well as providing the most up-to-date information about resumes and what hiring managers want to see.

3. Is The Work Guaranteed?

The best resume writing service will stand behind its work with a guarantee. At Resume Writing Group, we are so confident about our work that we have created a unique guarantee for our clients:

“If you use our resume and follow our advice, but you aren’t employed within 45 days or less, we will refund 100% of the price of your resume.”

Still not convinced? Let’s talk about expertise. You hire a mechanic to fix your car. You hire a plumber to fix your trains. You hire a stylist to cut your hair. You hire an accountant to complete your taxes. We hire niche professionals all of the time, because it just makes good sense to let a professional tackle issues where we lack expertise.

How many times have you written a resume? Once. Maybe two or three times at most. Our writers have written hundreds. They know what to include and how to write the resume so that it attracts attention. Isn’t your career worth the cost of a professional resume? We think it is.

Ready to hire the best resume writing service? Simply head to our homepage and click on the Get Started button. We’ll gather information from you, and an expert resume writer will begin working on your resume as soon as possible.