Resume Writing

When I was searching for a job, I went through many, many versions of my resume. I started off with a version that listed the various jobs and schools I'd attended, with a line or two of description, but didn't really tell a story about who I was or what I had to offer for a particular position. As a result, I didn't get many job interviews. What I later discovered, was that if I wanted to make my resume stand out, I needed to make it clear why a particular employer should hire me. I needed to tell a story, one that was easy to understand and attractive to employers. It wasn't enough to say that I had gone to good schools and worked at other jobs.

Since I was making the transition from lawyer (a position requiring a set of hard skills) to legal recruiter (a position requiring "softer" skills) I learned that I needed to highlight the soft skills I had gained in every legal and non-legal position I'd held. Thanks to some advice from "Resumes For Dummies" (which I highly recommend) I divided each job into skill sets such as "Client Relations"; "Recruiting"; "Marketing"; and "Project Management" in order to show potential employers exactly what it was I had to offer them. The story I wanted to tell was that, although I worked as lawyer and in several other law-related positions, throughout my career I also developed and nurtured skill sets that were a better fit for a position involving the management of human relationships.

For anyone making a career change, I highly recommend the skill-set method of resume writing. There are many, many books that give examples of this method - Resume For Dummies is one that I liked, but if you go to the Career section of any major bookstore, you will find others as well.

A few of my friends have also had success with professional resume writers which is also a great way to go. One service in particular that my friends have had success with is Aspirations Resume Service (http://www.aspirationsresume.com/) My understanding is that they give you a free evaluation of your current resume and then for a fee of $200 revamp your resume and also provide you with a cover letter. I've heard that they get back to you promptly as well.

Remember, when you write your resume, you want to tell an enticing story about yourself, one that shows not only your accomplishments, but how those accomplishments and all of your other skills make you the perfect fit for a job.