What to Expect When Working With a Professional Resume Writer

What to Expect When Working With a Professional Resume Writer So youve been sending out hundreds of job applications with little to no response and you realize its time to get some serious resume help.  A simple google search for resume writers will produce a plethora of resume services most of which fall into one of these three resume writing service categories.   If youve decided to work with a professional resume writer youve made a good decision. (If you havent, we recommend checking out our favorite resume writing services). Investing in a professional resume writer to craft your perfect brand and set you apart from the competition is a worthwhile investment because most professionals are not equipped to create this unique marketing document that continually evolves with the hiring landscape. Hiring a professional resume writer is foreign to most job seekers so its important to know what to expect in order to fully optimize your investment and help your writer produce the best end-product possible. There are several steps in the resume writing process. The more time you and your writer put in together, the better final product you will receive. Every writer has their own process, but any writer worth his or her own weight will typically follow similar steps. Here are ours: Step 1- The Intake Process When working with a Certified Professional Resume Writer the first part should be about getting to know you. We send out an  initial intake form that asks very important questions regarding your career goals and professional experience. It will ask you to explain your most significant achievements in each position. This is essentially our brainstorm. When completing and intake form with your writer, don’t worry about the language, words, or even misspellings. You really don’t need to edit this information. This information is more about helping us to gain a general understanding of what you did, who you are, and where you want to go from here. Step 2 â€" Connecting With Your Writer Once we really get a sense of who you are, we select the best writer for the job. You will receive an initial email from your assigned Professional Resume Writer to kick off the work and schedule any additional info-gathering or strategy sessions if needed. Some writers will opt to have this strategy call before they write the initial draft while others prefer to talk strategy after the writing has started. We think it’s best to get a good start on the draft to give you a sense of our vision and style before  regrouping to talk strategy. This way we can also capture any feedback you have on our style. This will also give the writer more time to digest your information, determine areas that could be an issue, and decide on what additional information is needed. In some cases, the writer may choose to send you the first draft of the resume that was created before the strategy call. In other cases, the writer may feel like additional information is needed before completing a strong first draft. Either way, expect at least 5 days before receiving your first draft. This is the most intensive part of the writing process where the bulk of creativity and research take place. Step 3 â€" Collaboration With Your Writer Once you receive the first draft of your resume, it is time to start the review process. Be sure to double check your contact information. Errors in a phone number or email address are not as easy for your writer to catch. Sometimes the writer will have additional clarifying questions and those are often included on the resume itself. These questions range from providing quantitative data to explaining how a project was completed. Its these added details  and insights that make a professional resume writer worth their weight in gold in terms of producing a resume that will speak to the hiring managers hot buttons. At this point  in the process, its critical to provide honest feedback to your writer since he/she wont be able to read your mind. Like most writing/creative professionals, a good resume writer has a thick skin and wont be offended by honest feedback. Remember: your resume writers end goal is to get YOU and YOUR TARGET BRAND right so that you are winning over hiring managers with your applications. If you feel like anything is off in terms of design, positioning, wording, etc. its your job to communicate this to your writer before they deliver the final draft. We find that the key to a successful resume  writing collaboration is maintaining openness to the method behind the madness and making a point to ask any questions when you dont understand something. Your new resume will be a valuable part of your professional branding and youll need to be able to speak to its content in an interview. You also might not be familiar with why we include certain parts or verbiage. If  you ask, youll likely be surprised by the level of thought and strategy that your writer has put into  every little piece of content. We consider everything from resume  length,  wordiness, keywords, word order and more just to be sure weve hit the mark. We also consider non-resume pieces such as your target company culture and hiring practices that you may not be initially aware of. Step 4 â€" Document Finalization After you and your writer are both happy with the final product and agree that you are ready to move forward and make your goals a reality, sit back and relax while we prep the final draft. Your resume writer will put on the finishing touches and have it back to you in 3 formats (all aimed at achieving specific application strategies of which they will share upon completion). Step 5 â€" You love your new resume! Now that the final draft is in hand consider whether or not additional complimenting documents are necessary.  The resume may seem like a one-shot deal but keep in mind  the impact of a cover letter when  hoping to stand out from thousands of other applicants. The same goes for Linkedin. Youll likely be  researched online once a resume hits the hiring managers desk and you dont want to risk any inconsistency once youve mad it this far! Since your writer already crafted your resume, adding a cover letter or Linkedin profile will only take a few days to turnaround. As you can see, this process is a very collaborative effort. We all work together as a team to help you not only reach your goals but to achieve goals that may not even be realized before you start this journey. Your resume package is an investment. Choose the company you use wisely. If you ask questions and do research, the end result will truly be worth any additional time and money. Want to collaborate with our team of writers? Learn more about our resume writing services here and contact us to get started today!