| Red alert: your résumé may not have what it | | | | generate interviews are crafted by highly |
| takes to beat the competition. This is especially true | | | | experienced Certified Professional Résumé |
| if you hired an un-certified writer to create it, or, | | | | Writers (CPRWs). These professionals are trained |
| worse still, you developed it yourself. Perhaps you did | | | | and rigorously tested by the Professional Association |
| this to stretch the value of your dollar. However, this | | | | of Résumé Writers and Career Counselors |
| response to economic conditions and a leaner wallet | | | | (PARW / CC) to ensure their expertise at creating |
| may, in the long run, prove far more costly than you | | | | collateral that is strategically designed to optimize |
| are aware. | | | | candidates' opportunities for securing interviews. |
| Tighter job markets translate into exponentially | | | | CPRWs know how to create résumés in which |
| increased competition – especially for the | | | | the formatting, phrasing, readability, and content |
| mid-career to C-level professional. Currently, for any | | | | speak directly to what hiring managers and recruiters |
| open position, there can be upwards of 1,000 | | | | generally look for in that crucial window of |
| applications received. A résumé's initial screening, | | | | opportunity, while avoiding the all-too-common |
| usually performed by a software application, HR | | | | mistakes that immediately eliminate a résumé |
| employee, or executive / administrative assistant, | | | | from consideration. |
| lasts anywhere from 6 to 15 seconds. During this | | | | CPRWs also understand that a résumé is not |
| phase of selection, visual appeal, ease of readability | | | | ever intended to "get you a job." No decision-maker |
| and keywords are of utmost significance. | | | | has ever looked at a résumé and immediately |
| From there, 25 to 50 résumés are provided to | | | | hired a candidate without at least one interview. The |
| hiring managers, who review each for anywhere | | | | primary purpose, of a résumé is to generate |
| from 15 to 45 seconds before the decision to call | | | | calls for the targeted position from desirable |
| – or not call – is made. With such a limited | | | | organizations / industries. Once initial contact is |
| window of opportunity, initial impact is everything. | | | | facilitated by the résumé, candidates then |
| Contrary to popular belief, it is not always the "most | | | | leverage their interviewing and negotiation skills to |
| qualified candidate" that gets the calls; it's the | | | | obtain the offer and secure the position. |
| candidate with the most impactful résumé. | | | | If your current career search isn't going as well as |
| Great content doesn't travel far if a résumé is | | | | hoped for, maybe it's not due to just economic |
| difficult to read, or if the most salient information is | | | | conditions or bad markets. Perhaps the solution is |
| buried somewhere in the middle of (or, worse yet, | | | | simply getting a CPRW to optimize the impact of |
| beyond) page two. Does your résumé have | | | | your résumé. If the short-term cost for an |
| what it takes to make the grade? | | | | overhauled résumé helps you secure a six-figure |
| In a job market currently maintaining a 10%+ | | | | income or your "dream job," it may prove to be the |
| unemployment rate, you can bet that the | | | | wisest investment you've ever made. |
| overwhelming majority of résumés that | | | | |