Putting your best resume forward!

As part of my series on specialised services available virtually, I thought I'd ask Kirsty Stewart, Resume Writer, to do a guest post.

Now, more than ever, jobseekers need a competitive edge in order to successfully obtain a job, and it starts with your resume.

You may have heard it said that it takes 30 seconds or less to decide if your resume is going into the “yes” pile, the “maybe” pile or straight into the trash. Having worked in recruitment, I can’t reinforce enough how true this is.

This is why everything I do for my clients, from including a cover letter in the price of our resume writing service, to strongly advising against sending a photo with your resume, the format, fonts and general layout I use, is done for a reason. That reason, above all else, is to make sure your resume gets read!

In the very competitive field of Resume writing, my pricing is definitely mid-range. Sure I’d love to earn $250 an hour, but I know that personally I would never pay that much, and I don’t expect my clients too either. However, my pricing is a little higher than a Virtual Assistant (VA) because I specialise in one particular area. Most VA’s, and other secretarial services, generally charge less because they are more likely to simply type up the information that you give them, in a standard template, without giving real thought to what information is missing and how they can make your application stronger.

While this means that your resume will be neat and tidy, it is unlikely to offer anything that will make an employer sit up and take notice.

As a Resume Writer, I try to keep up with the recruiting industry and have many contacts that I regularly liaise with. I can tell you that we are definitely starting to see the effect of the recession with a dramatic drop in the amount of jobs advertised, and a sharp increase of job candidates applying for jobs, compared to 12 months ago. One recruiter recently told me that she was receiving over 100 resumes for a job, whereas 12 months ago they struggled to get 3 applicants.

Another area people often neglect is the quality of their cover letter. When you consider that the cover letter is usually the first thing a recruiter reads, it only makes sense that you would put as much, if not more, effort into it than your actual resume. This is why I include a complimentary letter with all resume purchases.

I am pleased to offer, for a limited time, the choice of a 20% discount on all resume/cover letter and selection criteria packages, or an in-depth critique of your current resume/cover letter exclusively through VIP Virtual Solutions! Critiques are a great option for those that have written their own resume, but would like some professional feedback at a cheaper rate, and are confident in making their own changes.

To take advantage of this offer, you can simply email me a copy of your current resume and I will get back to you with further information. To receive this special discounted price, or be eligible for a critique, please make sure you include “VIPResumes” in the subject title.

Happy job hunting!