Resume Writing Mistakes - #1

Don't assume everyone is like you.

This might not actually be the #1 mistake, but it's the one that's on my mind today because I just had a conversation that reminded me of it.

I wrote a resume for a client who has been in the same industry his whole life, and with the same company for 20 years. He has never looked for a job before. His new resume was pretty great, even if I do say so myself. But, to my surprise he hated it. When I talked to him I found out that he hated it because it's not the kind of resume he likes to read. In accordance with our policies, I gave him a full refund, but asked that he please try out the resume anyway because I KNOW it will work. I've been doing this a long time and I am very good at it.

His answer was "absolutely not. I don't like to read resumes like this so I'm going to write my own."

Can you see the problem here? The person is putting his own preferences over and above the advice of an expert, and over and above the facts - which are that this type of resume works. Even when it has cost him nothing, he's still not willing to try something new and different.

I can picture the resume he's going to write and I would bet large sums of money that it won't market his skills as effectively as the one I created. But he will be happy with it because it's the kind of resume he personally likes to read.

Please don't make this mistake with your resume. Professional resume writers can only maintain a successful business over a long period of time if their resumes actually work. Without a record of success, they wouldn't receive referrals and they'd have so many customer complaints that they'd close up shop. By all means shop around if you're going to hire a professional writer:

• Look at references on Linked In.
• Examine their resume samples.
• Read their blog to see if you like their approach.
• Ask what makes them a good choice.
• Choose someone who's been doing this a while.

But once you've chosen, trust that the expert knows more than you do about this particular subject and put yourself into their hands. Because it's a simple fact that not everyone reads resumes the way you do and your personal bias could cost you a great job.

Comments

[Resume Builder]

A very good article indeed. Most people tend to make this mistake. I would also like to add that people seem to neglect another basic fact. Sometimes different employers hiring for the same kind of position may not desire the same kind of candidate. That is why one has to be flexible with their resume and listen to expert advice.

Thank you and Best regards