The importance of an effective resume

Your resume is your tool for enticing a potential employer to invite you for an interview, and it has a difficult job to do regardless of how qualified you are.

Job vacancies are expensive for employers. Not only do they equal lost productivity, but they cost time and money to fill. The employer's costs in terms of time, money, and productivity continue even after they fill the vacancy, as the new employee is trained and settled. It could be several months before the newcomer becomes truly productive.

Given these costs, employers look for ways to be efficient in their selection process. With thousands of resumes available at the touch of a button, the first step is to narrow the pool of candidates to a manageable number, filtering out as many resumes as possible. Choosing a candidate is therefore as much a process of elimination as it is a process of selection. Your resume must be designed to withstand this dual process, minimizing chances of elimination, and maximizing chances of selection.

our services

Each client receives a free resume critique assessing content, syntax, and format. The quality of your resume is judged both generally and in the context of your specific goals and desired industry. Upon your agreement to our critique and cost estimate, we begin a series of interactions to thoroughly explore your background, prompting you to brainstorm on different aspects of your experiences. We then synthesize, refine, and structure the gathered information into a draft to review with you, looking for holes and issues. We go through as many drafts as are necessary to create a document that meets the following critera:

• It allows the reader to capture the key points in 15 seconds.
• It provides sufficient in-depth information to solidify interest if the reader moves in for a closer look.
• It speaks to all of the key elements of your target profession and position.
• It enables the reader to grasp both the scope and impact of your activities and achievements.
• Its tone and format are appropriate for your profession and level of experience.
• It adequately deals with detrimental issues such as gaps in your employment history.
• It is 100% error-free.
• It is a document you are comfortable with and can defend.

Please also see our approach to resumes and job search coaching.