It can be difficult to get a new job, especially with the competitive job market in recent years. Simply filling out a job application is no longer enough, because a basic job application and hobbyist resume can easily get lost in the sea of ​​job applicants.

Bottom line: A bad resume will be shuffled to the bottom of the pile. A good resume can get you noticed. An excellent resume will open the doors of communication to lead you down the path to a potential job. If you want to get the job, then it is essential that you have a solid and up-to-date professional resume.

There is no doubt that the difficult economic climate has had a negative impact on the labor market. Fewer jobs are available, which means more candidates are applying for the jobs that are available. In a good job market, a basic resume used to be enough to possibly land an interview because there weren’t a large pool of applicants. But, now there are more applications for each job, which means the odds are not in your favor.

When a hiring manager is going through a stack of resumes, they’ll spend a few seconds with each applicant to quickly scan qualifications and determine if an interview should be scheduled. In a tough economy, that hiring manager may be looking for as many as a hundred or more qualified applicants. So to stand a chance of landing an interview, your resume needs to turn heads in the few moments the hiring manager is looking at you.

A professional resume will quickly grab the hiring manager’s attention and entice them to spend more time reviewing your qualifications. If your resume is done right, it will stand out from the rest of the average resume and hit the key points that match the candidate they are looking for. The hiring manager will make sure you are well qualified for the job and a good fit for the available position.

Tips and tricks for writing a resume

There are a few things to keep in mind when you’re putting together your resume. Here are some tips and tricks that are essential in every resume:

• Have a clean and simple design. Make it easy to identify your skills and qualifications. Cluttered resumes are difficult to read, and too much information can be detrimental.

• Include keywords in your resume. Those keywords should match the job description or the type of job you are trying to get. In our digital world, many companies use technology to automatically match resumes to jobs. Those keywords will make your resume more likely to be seen.

• Customize your resume and cover letter. Although it can be tempting to send the same resume to every potential job, it’s worth the time and effort to customize the content to match each job description. Prove that you are a good match based on your experience and qualifications.

• Check the file format of your resume. Sometimes formatting can be messed up if the resume is opened in a different computer program, so it’s a good idea to use a set format that doesn’t allow text or spacing to move. The A.pdf format keeps everything in the right place and can be sent as an email attachment.

• Review your resume several times. If a hiring manager looks at your resume and immediately sees typos, it’s possible that his chances are dashed. Read it several times and go through the details, and have at least one other person proofread it as well.

do it yourself vs. professional resume writer

It can be tempting to save money by writing your resume yourself, but you’ll be surprised what a difference hiring a professional resume writer can make. When making the decision to hire a professional resume writer, make sure they have professional affiliations and resume writing experience. Hiring the right person can be beneficial in several ways:

• Identify your strengths – A professional resume writer has a keen eye and will be able to analyze your experience to determine the strengths you have to offer. They will help you effectively highlight those strengths on the resume, showing that your skill set matches the qualifications for the job.

• First Impressions – When you only have a few seconds to grab someone’s attention, appearance matters. A professional resume writer will know how to design her resume to give it a polished, professional look.

• Save time – Hiring a professional to do it right the first time will save you the headache and hassle of applying for jobs and going unnoticed. Some people make the mistake of creating their resume on their own, only to find that they spend weeks (or even months) applying for jobs without ever landing an interview. At that moment, they see that they need help, so they turn to an expert to improve their resume. Don’t wait a few months… put together a great resume up front and you’ll increase your chances of getting noticed.

Don’t be scared by the cost of hiring a professional resume writer, because having a professional help you put together a resume and cover letter can help you land the job. It’s the extra edge you need to get noticed in a crowded job market, and it can make the difference between being unemployed and being hired.

Hiring a resume writer should be viewed as an investment as it will pay for itself once hired. The cost to hire a professional resume writer is typically between $150 and $500, and that cost may be a tax deduction if you hire the resume writer while you’re unemployed (check with a tax accountant for more information).

When shopping for resume writing services, it’s important to look at the person’s qualifications rather than just buying based on price. The saying “you get what you pay for” is true, so it’s a good idea to ask about the person’s professional experience and credentials to determine if they’re the right person to write your resume. Find out if they are well connected and familiar with the industry your resume is targeting.

Hiring a professional will allow you to leverage their experience to create a resume that will make you shine in your industry. Every industry is unique and they understand what it takes to make your resume stand out from the rest.