Resume design is critical to job-hunting success

When was the last time you took a good, hard look at your resume? Many people write one resume when they start their job-hunting efforts and leave it unchanged for months or even years, sending increasingly dated information to potential employers as time goes on. Other people leave job applications until the last minute, quickly scrawling down anything they feel an employer may wish to know before submitting it in order to beat the application date deadline. In these sorts of circumstances and more, it's little wonder that such a large percentage of applications end up being unsuccessful. Given that your resume is pretty much the first piece of contact your potential employer has with you, making sure that it stands out for all the right reasons is absolutely vital when it comes to enhancing your chances of success. Not only can a well-written resume impress a potential employer with the standard of your written English, it also ensures that the key information they need to make a decision regarding your suitability is presented in such a way that nothing important is missed out. Although many people can do a fairly good job of putting together a reasonable resume, a large number of job seekers opt for professional resume design services in order to obtain the end results they need for success.

What needs to go on a resume?

Although there are some pieces of information which are common to nearly all resumes, each one needs to be tailored to the job you are applying for. Few things put employers off faster than receiving generic written material which isn't customised to their particular employment opening. Before commencing resume writing, it's important to check what information the job recruiter has specified that they're looking for. Although some of the required information may be better presented in the form of a covering letter, some may need to be worked into the resume. It's also worth checking whether personal information, such as name or date of birth, should appear on your resume. In some cases, particularly in the public sector, resumes should not contain personal details, ensuring candidates are selected on the basis of ability rather than race, age or gender. A resume normally provides details of your education and employment history, as well as details of other skills and abilities which you bring to the job. These may include (but aren't limited to), whether you hold a driving licence or not, ancillary qualifications and one or two personal interests which may reflect well on your ability to do the job (for example playing as part of a sports team may indicate that you are team orientated, creative writing classes may indicate an aptitude for spoken English etc). Getting the content right in a resume can be a challenge, which is why professional resume writing services can be such a great option.

Not all resume template options are the same

There are a number of variables which can affect the structure, length, and depth of detail which your resume provides. Getting the tone right for your intended audience is essential if you want to maximise your chances of success. Too long and potential employers will be overwhelmed with extraneous information, too short and you run the risk of missing out something. The type of job you're applying for has a direct influence on the depth and amount of material needed to put across the right impression. A relatively junior role, for example, requires far less detail than a senior management appointment. Getting the balance right can be a challenge, which is why we offer a number of different resume packages to ensure you end up with a level of detail that's exactly right for the type of job you're considering. Our resume template includes a professional resume package, an executive level package and a C-level option (for more senior roles). This enables clients to pick an option that's exactly right for them. When you opt for one of our packages, you can be confident of receiving a service that's tailored to your individual requirements, ensuring you end up with a resume that's likely to make the very best impression possible on your future employers.

Have you considered a LinkedIn summary?

The days when paper resumes were the only way of presenting relevant information to your employer are long gone. Today's employers are often used to finding out what they need to know from electronic sources, of which one of the most popular is LinkedIn. A professional platform that's invaluable for networking as well as giving users the chance to work collaboratively, the right LinkedIn profile not only helps to enhance your online presence and makes you more visible to employers, it also makes a big difference to your chances of getting the job you're hoping for. A LinkedIn summary requires a slightly different approach to a more generic resume, as it needs to be presented in a way which appeals to an online audience. If you're struggling with your LinkedIn summary, or simply want to ensure that what appears online about you is professionally written and appropriate, we can help. We are able to offer competitively priced LinkedIn summary options that are suitable for almost all sectors and levels. Whether you are starting out and looking for your first LinkedIn summary, or are an experienced individual who needs a profile that reflects that fact, we have the capability to provide exactly what you're looking for.

What are the advantages of getting a professional resume?

If you're applying for a job that really matters to you, obtaining a professional resume could significantly increase your chances of being successful. One of the biggest criticisms which employers level at resumes which have been produced in an amateur manner is that they are either badly written or don't contain the right level of information for the job in question. Unfortunately, it's all too easy to make a few typos or express something poorly. Even one or two grammatical errors or spelling mistakes will give potential employers the impression that you lack attention to detail – a major contra-indicator for many types of employment. It also means that your resume will read poorly, with many of your good points being overlooked or marginalised because of errors in your punctuation or syntax. A professionally written resume will be error-free, ensuring you end up with a document that conveys exactly the right impression. 

Not only does a professionally completed resume read well, it also contains the right information in the correct degree of detail for the role that you intend to apply for. Because a professional resume is written with a particular job application in mind, you may well need to make sure you commission a fresh resume should you decide to apply for an alternative role later. To stand the best chance of success, a resume needs to be tailored to the particular requirements of the vacancy you're applying for. Relevance is crucial: dated or inaccurate information could make the difference between your application moving on to the next stage, or being rejected early on. Even if you keep the same resume for a number of different applications, you can still boost your chances by opting for a professionally created cover letter.

Cover letters get you noticed!

The purpose of a cover letter is to let the company you're applying to know why you're interested in working for them, as well as what skills you have to offer and how you see these benefiting your future employer. A cover letter shouldn't just be about you, it also needs to be written in such a way that an employer can instantly see that you have a good understanding of their business, are eager to work for them and have something of value to contribute. Because a cover letter should ideally be a short document, every word counts! It's vital that sufficient research is done before writing a cover letter to ensure that what's written chimes with the objectives, ethos, branding and outlook of the prospective employer. In addition, a good understanding of what the job will actually entail is needed in order to demonstrate how your unique blend of skills, abilities and personal qualities perfectly match the role they need to fill. Even before employers look at resumes, they will read a cover letter. Because it is often the very first thing about you that an employer will see, it's vital that your covering letter is as good as it possibly can be. We offer a complete cover letter writing service, enabling our customers to benefit from letters that stand out from the rest for all the right reasons. When used alongside our popular resume services, they can significantly enhance your chances of moving forward to the interview stage of your job application process.

Have you considered a video resume?

We live in a digital age, where paper information is no longer the preferred medium in a large number of different situations. Video resumes are short pieces of film about a candidate which are loaded up online in order to give potential employers a better idea of what the candidate is like and why employing them might be a good idea. Although a video resume presents a great opportunity for job candidates to portray themselves in a positive light, if not undertaken correctly it can end up presenting an unfavourable impression. If you don't have much experience of making video resumes, or would like the opportunity to enjoy a professional resume made by a seasoned, imaginative and technically competent team, we're here for you. We are able to make resume videos which are suitable for a wide range of different occupations and levels within an organisation. The high level of customisation which we offer ensures that not only are no two videos the same, but also that each one is specifically geared to the intended audience and shot in such a way as to put the video subject in the very best possible light. If you haven't made use of a video resume before and would like to see the striking difference it can make to your employment prospects, why not take a look at some of the cost-effective options we've got on offer?

Curriculum vitae and associated writing services

We know how important getting that dream job can be, which is why we provide the professional, high-quality writing services you need for success. It's well known that if a covering letter or resume isn't up to scratch, the chances of ending up with a job interview are significantly reduced. We have the capability to be able to transform your CV, resulting in a high-grade, dynamic application that gets noticed. Particularly when you're up against stiff competition (common in many roles, but especially in more senior posts), it's important that every single aspect of your application is as good as it can be. Using a professional CV writing service is a good way to achieve this. Not only do you have the peace of mind which comes from knowing that your resume and CV have been written by people who really know what they're doing, you also save hours of your own time which would otherwise have been spent trying to craft suitable application documentation. Specialist resume writing ensures that no matter what job you're applying for, you've got the edge. 

As an established company with a strong track record of success when it comes to providing our clients with the paperwork they need to forge ahead in the race towards the job they want, we pride ourselves on offering a fast, high-grade and competitively priced service that gives you the results you want for far less than you might imagine. Why risk being left behind? Get in touch to discover more about our wide selection of CV, cover letter and resume services, finding the tools you need to stand the very best possible chance of career success.

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