A Message From the Writer at Write Impressions Resume Service

From an Experienced Resume Writing Professional

"The successful are not necessarily those who possess the best qualifications."

Surprised? Don’t be. After 29 years of writing resumes and watching the careers of customers, this statement has only grown in the reality of its truth to me as a career services professional. 

In 2018 I achieved a benchmark in my career, passing 15,000 resumes and Federal applications written while operating Write Impressions in Virginia Beach. I can honestly say that there are few careers that I have not explored while servicing the needs of my clients and the contacts I have enjoyed have made me proud to be an American. I can also say that my experiences have taught me several valuable lessons, a primary one being the statement above.

Resumes are a perception of value tool, words on paper or on a computer screen that delivers a message to the reader … a summary of skills, education, experience, accomplishments, personality, and other factors that give the reader a perception of one’s value. The intention is obvious – to present sufficient information for an employer to consider taking the next step toward recruiting you to their organization … a phone call, scheduling an interview, further discussion, etc.

The resume serves as your primary representation to individuals that can play a significant role in impacting your career and your future. Even as a follow-up to personal contact, a well-crafted resume will most definitely and positively impact your results. You may hold a Ph.D. in Physics from MIT or be a post hole digger from Billy Bob’s Fence Company, but in either circumstance, you can lose out to a lesser-qualified candidate if you don’t properly and enticingly present your qualifications to those who are considering you for an employment position with their organization. The person who manages his or her career most effectively understands and applies the most effective way to market themselves.

I was recently asked a question during the Q & A portion of a conference session I delivered to a local chapter of the Project Management Institute, which further amplifies this case. “What is the single most significant negative factor you see on resumes that your customers bring to you for rewriting?” asked an executive recruiter in the Information Technology field that was in attendance. Without hesitation, my response was, “Phraseology” !! In general, the vast majority of self-crafted resumes I see suffer from poor use of the English Language, thought flow, grammar, and other word usage factors. The advent of a plethora of resume templates being available online has only exacerbated the situation. The self writer of resumes has been made to feel more confident that his/her finished product is fine because he/she used a template from online or in a book. Templates and books don’t teach you English grammar and proper word usage. It is simply a common fact that most people are not skilled writers … and that is nothing to be ashamed of. 

In decades past, one could assume that he/she would be interviewed for a position just by filling out a company application or presenting a simple chronology of education and work experience in the form of a “resume”. Not only is this no longer the case, but it has also been amplified by the insurgence of the digital information revolution – virtually all search and recruit activities have moved to the Internet. Walk into the lobby of a company to apply for a job and they will quickly tell you to “go to our website” or “apply online”. 

Recruiting professionals use resumes and online reference sources to “pre-screen” applicants. If yours isn’t formatted and written correctly, sharp, concise, without errors, and interesting, you will be passed over for the candidates who are. You alone are responsible for optimizing the perception of your value to the reader.

How many resumes have you written? Do you think that Suzy next door, Uncle Fred, your buddy Bill at the shop, Lieutenant Jones, some remote typist on the Internet, or a human resources secretary earning extra money on the side can craft the best documents  for you? Are they going to take the time and make the effort to get to know your credentials and produce these critical documents correctly? Are they going to give you the complete effort and personalized care you deserve for bargain-basement prices? Is the reason you didn’t seek out a professional to write your resume Money? Have you checked the cost? You may be surprised … and your results will be incomparable.

How important is your career? For a relatively small cost, you can secure the services of someone who can give you the potential to earn back your investment many time over within a short period.

During my tenure at Write Impressions, I have learned what it means to earn the title of a Perception of Value Professional. It has been a challenging undertaking and one that has taken many years to master. Now I can pass on the benefits of these skills to my customers who want to make the most out of their careers.

Writing this critical set of documents should not be entrusted to the inexperienced or the boastful. It’s simply too important. Unfortunately, many people like to pass themselves off as “experts” on resumes. The critics are plenteous when you ask them to look at your resume. Before you entrust your confidence to these individuals, you should consider asking them how many resumes they have written, and what was the success rate of those for whom they wrote them? Consider also that, although someone may have read hundreds or thousands of resumes in the past, the art of crafting a resume is substantially different than the ability to read and critique one.

Your resume must be effective in quickly enticing a wide variety of individuals, not just that one person. Will it be able to stand entirely on its merit and content when the selection board is considering you for an interview, a job offer? I also recommend caution in the areas of resume writing handbooks, online freebies, or quick-hit classes that give you a lot of key works, boilerplate phrases, and standard templates that produce cookie-cutter resumes devoid of any “WOW” factor or substantive details about your achievements. 

I have had thousands of clients utilize my service over the years who used these approaches to prepare their resumes, only to find that their results were less than expected and no one was there to follow through on the process. In the meantime, valuable days, weeks, and months have passed them by … all without much activity, and in many cases, without any income. I repeat … it’s simply too important to try to short-cut the inevitable. If you want the most out of your career, you must have quality presentation materials. The cost avoidance in short-cutting the resume preparation process will sting you in the long run. Cookbooks are great for experimenting, but do you want to experiment with your career to save some money? It has taken years of training and daily experience for me to master the skills in creative writing to craft effective resumes for my clients. Just one or two flaws, a couple of dropped facts for the sake of space, a grammatical or tense faux pas, and you could be passed over for the employment opportunity of a lifetime. Would you buy a book to learn how to perform open-heart surgery? Would you attend a 40-hour class to train you to draft a contract proposal worth millions of dollars? No… you would hire a professional. The importance of your resume should rank at these levels and your handling of this process should be considered accordingly. 

Write Impressions will mold all of your attributes into a finely tuned and enticing resume that will open doors for interviews and future success. The process is simple, innovative, and fast. Customers are not expected to write their resumes before they submit their materials. The checklist, questionnaire, and interview process are designed to obtain relevant facts about your background that do not require a substantial amount of effort on your part. Our writing service provides the rest. Your background and your objectives will enable Write Impressions to build a custom resume package that you can proudly call your own.

It takes several hours to write, edit and review your resume package. A draft will be submitted to you electronically or in person for your editing and approval. Once the final edits are applied, it is now up to you to put that quality resume to work. The results will speak for themselves. And, of course, we are here to assist you in your employment search efforts. Your file is always available from Write Impressions, and fast, inexpensive updates are available for the rest of your career!

It takes more than writing ability to produce a successful resume. It also requires analytical insight, creative layout, desktop design, a marketing perspective, knowledge of current employment trends, the ability to evaluate and relate your skills and qualifications to current job markets, as well as the right buzzwords, actions verbs, and imaginative phraseology. All these factors combine to develop a dynamic picture of your qualifications for successful selection as a candidate for available employment opportunities. 

Let's work together to build a tool that ensures you make the Write Impression the first time, every time. Call (757) 473-1699 today!

John Dwyer

Owner and WordSmith