Things of the past are losing their edge in this day and age, especially the ones that are not electronic or have the capability to be shared over the internet. Not long ago, a resume was considered the ultimate tool to showcase capabilities and skills to get into the race for a job.
Now, much of the revered territory by a piece of paper is conquered by LinkedIn – a million-user tech giant that has dynamic options to showcase the very things more interestingly.
Still, resumes have not lost their charm and worth altogether and are preferred by hiring managers across diverse industries, especially in fintech, finance, art, and so on.
Since resumes are the crucial cog in the whole machinery of hiring for a job on both sides of the spectrum, they must be quintessential and written by a professional resume writing service.
Professional Resume
A professional resume may sound well “professional” but it is necessary to explain and understand it before moving forward with the case of hiring and paying a company to get one.
In simple terms, a professional resume can be a sum of a person’s academic and professional years, both qualitatively and quantitatively. The word resume was derived from the French which means “a summary” literally. So, a professional resume shows a person’s growth over the years and shows his intention to further advance it with the role he is applying for.
In addition to what a professional resume is, it is necessary to what it represents to the prospective readers or scanners. It is not a secret that hiring managers only spend a couple of seconds, an estimate put the number of seconds at 7, before throwing it in the waste basket or graduating it for the interview session.
That’s why it is necessary to have all the professional elements in your resume, even if you have to step back several times and check it out from a hiring manager’s point of view.
Components of A Professional Resume
Although a great professional resume can be a piece of art as much as it involves science in structuring and representing all the information, the end goal here should be to make it most effective and “scanner-friendly”.
There is no denying that the job market is getting competitive with each passing year and standing out in the crowd requires not only superb skills and qualifications but also their apt representation in a small space.
Irrespective of the artistic or intrinsic part, professional resumes have common elements across the industry and are favored by recruiting officers because of their value-addition.
Following are some of the most important components of a professional resume without which one is incomplete.
Contact Information
This is a no-brainer as providing accurate contact information should be the foremost priority while composing or deputing a resume to a professional resume writing company, such as Resume That Works. It is important because if through qualifications you make up for the next stage, the hiring manager needs reliable contact information to let you know that.
Here is a rundown of the things that you must add in this section:
- Full Name
- Email Address
- Phone Number
If the position you are applying to is meant for people in a certain vicinity, then adding city and state is also important.
Professional Summary
Comprising of a small paragraph, a professional summary should take a comprehensive bird’s eye view of your professional career, highlighting the key achievements to show your relevance for the vacant position.
Studies have shown that many recruiters and hiring managers only read and rely on this section to shortlist candidates for the interview. So, it is best to give it all you have and compose a captivating section there.
Career Experience
For many professionals, this comprises the heart and soul of a resume and should be given fair treatment to improve the odds of making it to the next round.
The best way to showcase career highlights is by relying on bullets. For instance, each position is written under a bullet accompanied by the responsibilities of your role and the duration of that role. Also, mentioning the companies along the way makes it easier for the recruiters whether you are suitable for a position or not.
Academic Qualifications
This is necessary for many jobs and its presentation should follow an easy-to-read pattern. In most cases, candidates have either undergraduate or graduate degrees and need to show the following essentials of the academic qualifications:
- Institutions’ Name
- Highest Earned Degree
- Major & Minor Subjects (If applicable)
In the case of technical roles, certifications can be mentioned for which you have documentary proof.
Special Skills
To stand out from an army of aspirants at a lucrative job opening, it is necessary to showcase all the skills that you have honed and perfected in your professional and academic career.
The perfect skills area is the one that has a blend of both hard and soft skills, which often plays a key role in keeping relevance through Application Tracking Systems (ATS).
Not sure if it is a real component of a resume or not, but it pays to have a bold and brief style with concise phrases and clauses. In that light, young professionals with under five years of experience should aim for a one-page resume, whereas more “seasoned” professionals can extend it to multiple pages.
For all its worth, the whole length and breadth of a resume should have consistency in it, including font size, font style, and so on.
Why It Pays To Have A Professional Resume Writing Service
There are many reasons to go with a professional resume writing service, whether you are eyeing a shot at your dream job, or gearing up for a CV-drop marathon. Companies, such as Resume That Works, have qualified resume writers with extensive experience and expertise. They know how to make an aspirant stand out even if his credentials have nothing extraordinary about them.
In this section, we will go through all the reasons why applicants should hire a resume writing company to help them steer out of tricky waters.
Insider View Of Current Resume Standards
The most important thing that a resume writing company can know is the current resume standards. Their success depends on the very fact of how they can elevate the candidacy of a professional by highlighting what current hiring managers want to see.
This includes all things, such as presentation of hard and soft skills, experience, as well as the representation of the facts.
Many people would find it hard to believe but even the width of resume margins is a real thing and recruiters take notice of it along with formatting, overall structure, font size, style, and so on.
So, to get all the things right, a company can do much better than any of your friends or sibling.
Professional Resume Writers
A resume writing company cannot succeed and help its clients secure jobs if it does not have a team of dedicated resume writers. For instance, Resume That Works has a team of expert resume writers equipped with all the right tools to research, write, and edit resumes according to industry standards.
So, whether you want a new resume from scratch or want to have your resume edited by a professional, you will see the biggest differences.
The writers will utilize their skills of structuring and phrasing to balance things out and produce the truest and most enticing reflection of your professional career on a single sheet of paper.
Balanced Yet Comprehensive Display Of What You Bring To The Table
All high-rated resume writing companies start the process of writing with a similar pattern. At first, they interview candidates extensively and understand their needs and vision of how they want to project their professional self on paper. During this discourse, they also help them realize what they are worth and help them understand the reach and scope of their skillset.
When the work starts, the writer will explain how he has optimized the professional summary and made proportionate changes in the academic qualifications, experience, and so on. This results in better compatibility between the job description and the credentials mentioned in the paper.
Optimization For Both Human & Bot Scanning
Resume standards go through a lot of changes. Not long ago, hiring managers preferred a resume with many pie charts, graphs, and other infographics to showcase skills, experience, and academic qualifications. For all of its merits, it took more time for bots and managers to sift through candidates.
These days, a more rudimentary and plain resume format is used because it makes it easier for both humans and bots to scan and accept or reject aspirants in the screening phase.
Better Objectives & Overall Presentation
Modern resume writing services work on both qualitative and quantitative metrics of a resume. As mentioned in the earlier sections, objectives could be the most important segment of a resume as it is mostly read by hiring managers to shortlist candidates,
Most professionals, no matter how qualified and expert they are in their respective fields, do not possess the linguistic prowess and acumen to present a forceful yet succinct objectives paragraph in the appropriate place.
Practical Tips To Find The Best Resume Writing Service
After going through what a professional resume is, what are its main components, and how a professional company adds value to your resume, here are some practical tips to find a company that suits your needs.
Online Research
Research is the key. Instead of connecting with the first resume writing company you find online, it is best to look out extensively and shortlist a handful based on their years in the industry, customer reviews and testimonials, and other virtues.
Once you are confident that you have multiple contenders to work with, connect with each one of them and ask questions regarding timeline, pricing, quality of work, and so on.
Experience & Expertise
This is another important factor that you must keep in mind while connecting with a resume writing company. They must have a team of experienced and expert resume writers with all the necessary tools.
They also should have solid management and administrative staff to work out all the kinks that clients have to deal with, from placing an order to collecting the finished resume.
Demand Samples & References
Every professional company has samples and references that they love to show off even when no one is asking. That’s why you will see customer reviews and testimonials on the website to showcase the love of their clients for their services.
Still, it is best to ask for samples in the industry you are applying to and also references of clients who secured jobs through their resumes. This is a transparent attempt and should yield results that will help you find the best company.
Range Of Services
A resume is not the only thing you may need to get your foot in the proverbial door. There are other complementary products and services, such as cover letters, recommendation letters, LinkedIn profile optimization, or creation.
It is in your best interest to find a company that can not only provide resume services but also offers other services and products.
Deft & Responsive Customer Support
Customer support may seem like a far-fetched idea for a resume writing company but having one can solve many issues for clients. Instead of waiting on conventional channels for menial issues, a solid customer support team can make sure that clients have the best experience in ordering and receiving resumes, cover letters, and other products from a company.
Closing It Up
The article has shown that there are many perks and benefits that a professional can enjoy during the process, while the ultimate reward being the dream job. We have gone through the subject in detail in the sections above and made sure that all the bases are covered.
Resume That Works is a leading resume writing company operating out of New York. It has a team of native resume writers and a responsive customer support team. The company offers competitive pricing and six months guarantee on interview calls and engagement.
So, before placing your order anywhere else, give them a chance and you will not be surprised.
