resume services?

Question

Do you think it's a good idea for me to pay a resume service to do my resume, I'm EleEng grad(no experience). One person I called he would just change my objective and soft skills summary, but I don't think he has any idea about technical skills. It would be just a one page resume. Thanks

Answer 1

The placement office at your college or university can probably help you with your resume at no charge.

Answer 2

You can get it done for $100 and an hour of your time. You have to ask yourself the question, do you want to start sending a good resume out within 48 hours or do you want to screw around for the next few week / months. I woudl also recommend you paying them to do the cover letter.

With them doing the resume and the letter you can focuss finding companies in your area for whom you would like to work, find out the HR contact and owner/president so you can start sending out your resume. Always send the resume to both these contact since the owner/president might have different idea about hiring practices and available positions.

Good luck job hunting.

Answer 3

Don't pay for resume services. I have been a recruiter for a number of years and already the person who you were going to seek advice from has given you bad advice. The only time you include an objective is if you are seeking a new placement or advancement within your current employer. The main thing to remember is set up / presentation (make sure all your tabs and indents are the same) and that you have 10-15 seconds to make that first impression. The best set up is as follows:

1) Key info: Name, address, contact info (make sure email is appropriate for job search ie. first initial, last name, year of birth @domain.com type deal and not something like "tamemysnake" or "sexybeast69")

2) Highlights of Qualifications: Any type of accredidations (PhD, BA, etc), WHMIS / First aid training, Forklift license, Competent in MS Office applications, etc. and soft skills like hard working, reliable team player, punctual and willingness to learn new tasks

3) Employment History: Job Title, Company Name, Dates worked (ie.2001-2005 - stay away from mths and days)
Followed by approximatey 5 bullets of key duties in full sentences started by a properly tensed verb (ie. Participated in the creation of various reports including those utilized by upper management)

4) Education: Degree/Course taken, School Name/Location, Date completed

5) References: Best to just say available upon request but if you do include them make sure the are ALL employment related and you include a minimum of 2.

GOOD LUCK!!!

Answer 4

I personally don't think you need someone to write about you. The exceptions would be if you had problems with the language and/or use of MS Word (format).

Check on the Internet or your local library. Or get resumes from people who are already working (seniors in college).

Unfortunately to get past HR/recruiters, fluffy resumes are needed, but not in lieu of good content.

Good luck with your search.

Answer 5

I am shocked that they didn't make you take a class about it- most universities require a mandatory course in resume and interview skills. But even if you didn't take it as part of your program-take it as extra. You will learn not only how to properly write your resume yourself but also how to prepare and act at job interview. Its a course from which you would definitely benefit all your life.

Answer 6

Don't pay anyone for resume services. Didn't u take any Tech. writing course? You school should have a career office who can help. Otherwise, have some ppl from your IEEE or ACM chapters help. Or speak to someon in the Humanities Dept. to help.

Answer 7

There are so many resume templates out there that you can adjust or modify for your position that it might be a waste of money to hire someone.
Most of the ones I will list are free and tailored for specific needs so you will have to go through them to find the one that suits your taste.
Resumes also need to be constantly revised so unless the company is willing to give you the resume on disk so can modify it would be totally a waste of resources.

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/results.aspx?Scope=DC%2CEM%2CES%2CFX%2CHA%2CHP%2CQZ%2CRC%2CTC%2CXT&Query=resume+templates
http://www.collegegrad.com/resumes/quickstart.shtml
http://jobsearchtech.about.com/library/weekly/aa_resume_templates.htm

Answer 8

Here is a site that explains what employers look for in a resume and why it is a better idea for you to write your own - if you can. Tips, techniques and samples included:

http://www.job-winning-resumes.com/

Answer 9

Writing your resume is not bad, as long as you have the guidance on the format, what to include (and not), etc. Take a look at the free examples at http://www.resume-help.org/free_resume_examples.htm The resume examples are categorized by industry and profession. Below are a few tips that I pulled from the site.

Resume Writing Tips

Begin by determining your objective (do this prior to writing the resume). Clearly state what sort of a job you want and know what skill-set and experience is needed to do well in that job. After your objective is determined, you can structure the content of your resume around that objective. You have a small window of time to get the interest of a hiring manager, and being scattered will only get your resume filed in the "circular file" - i.e. - the trash can. Take the time before you start your resume to form a clear and obtainable objective.

You have your objective - you're on your way. Now let's begin the resume writing process. Keep in mind, your resume is a marketing tool to get you in the company and in front of the decision maker. Once in, you will need to do the sales pitch, and close the deal. With that said, you don't need to go into detail about every accomplishment in your resume. Strive to be clear and concise, as the purpose is to generate enough interest in you to have an potential employer contact you for an interview. Bottom line - put yourself in the shoes of the resume reader - when looking at the job qualifications needed for the position; what would you be looking for in a candidate - Obviously, that's what you need to include in your resume.

1.) Use Bulleted Sentences
In the body of your resume, use bullets with short sentences rather than lengthy paragraphs. Resumes are read quickly, therefore make key phrases stand out. Bulleting information will help the reader view your accomplishments at a glance. Again, don't worry about the specifics; you will go into the details during the interview.

2.) Use Action Words
Use action words - words like prepared, managed, developed, championed, monitored, and presented will cause your resume to stand out. We've compiled a list of action words, take a look at them: action word examples. If your resume is scanned electronically, the computer will pick up on the words. You read correctly, some companies now scan in your resume, and have computers pull those that meet certain criteria. The computers are looking for one thing - they are looking for keywords that have been picked by the hiring manager. These are action keywords that relate to the position, so not including them could mean your resume is disregarded as a "non-match".

3.) Use %'s, $'s and #'s
You should always use %'s, $'s and #'s. Dollar totals, numbers, and percentages stand out in the body of a resume. Below are two examples of a job duty described with them (good), and without (bad). As you can see by the examples, being specific does not mean being lengthy.

Example 1
Bad: Account manager for advertising agency
Good: Managed 15 strategic accounts billing in excess of $15MM annually

Example 2
Bad: Sold widgets to clients located in the Midwest
Good: Increased sales by 17% in a 5-state territory

4.) Highlight your strengths
Highlight your strengths, and what is most relevant to the potential employer. In-coming resumes are typically reviewed in 10-30 seconds, so put forth the effort and determine which bullets most strongly support your job search objective. Put the strong and most relevant points first where they are more apt to be read. This is your hook for the reader, the rest of your resume reels them in.

5.) Match the need they have
Match the need they have - Review job postings online and in the newspapers for positions that interest you. Each position will usually have a brief blurb about the company and the position available. Use the keywords listed in these ads, and match them to the bullet points in your resume. Chances are that you have some of these as key points already, however if you have missed any, add them to your resume. Using a custom resume instead of a generic one will greatly increase your chances of an interview, as you will be a better match in the eyes of the reader.

6.) Be positive
Above all in your resume and interview - you must be positive. Therefore, leave off negatives and irrelevant points. If you feel your graduation date will subject you to age discrimination, leave it off your resume. If you do some duties in your current job that don't support your job search objective, don't include them. Focus on the duties that do support your objective, and leave off irrelevant personal information like your race, weight, and height.

7.) White space is important
Ad Design 101 - White space is important. Open up the newspaper, and take note of which ads first catch your attention. Are they the ads that are jammed full of text, or are they ads that have a large amount of unused space ("white space"). This is done to grab your attention, as readers are always attracted to open areas. For this reason, don't worry if you are having a hard time filling the page with text; increase your line spacing to compensate.

8.) Formatting Guidelines
How long should my resume be? What size font should I use? - The font size should be no smaller than 10 point, standard serif or sans serif fonts. Don't use intricate fonts that are hard to read. Keeping your fonts standard will help combat conversion issues from PC to MAC and from one program version to another. The length of your resume should be 1-2 pages. Yes, you read correctly; you can use more than one page. But remember, keep it concise. It's ok to use two pages for your resume, however it is not necessary.

9.) Get 3rd Party Advice
Ask a friend, and get an outside opinion on your resume before sending it off. - Have a friend or resume critique service review your resume. Since you are so close to your situation, it can be difficult for you to note all your high points and clearly convey all your accomplishments. Having someone subjectively review your resume can give you insight into how others will view your personal marketing materials - would your resume impress them? If not, why? Don't settle for - "it's good", and encourage them to ask questions. The questions of the reader can help you to discover items you inadvertently left off your resume. Take their comments into consideration, and revise your resume accordingly. In addition to adding in missed items, their questions can also point to items on your resume that are confusing to the reader.

10.) Start Applying
OK, you're ready! Start applying - Apply for some jobs that appear to be above your qualifications, apply to positions that are a match, and apply to positions which may be below your level. Why? Perhaps the position below will turn out to be more than it appeared once you interview for them. Or perhaps once you have your foot in the door you can learn of other opportunities. If nothing else, interviewing more and more will increase your interviewing skills. Like anything else, repetition will decrease your nervousness, and increase your skills at attacking tough questions.