​First impressions are everything!  Are you using a Microsoft Word  résumé  template to stand out? 
If so, you probably just look like the rest of the résumés a hiring manager or recruiter sees day-in and day-out.

At Written by a Pro, we have one design rule: No cookie-cutter résumés that lack originality or distinction. 

A certified professional  résumé  writer will support you in developing your résumés (yes, I said résumés – plural). A one-size-fits-all résumé will not generate interviews. It must be tailored to the job opportunity and the targeted company.

Make sure your resume is uniquely you! 

​A personalized résumé may include some of the following elements:

• Branded Colors
• Results Charts
• Skills with Image-Ranking Legend
• Social Media Profiles
• Links to Publications, Patents, Certificates, or Awards

Get a custom-designed, color résumé tailored to your specific needs and the needs of your prospective employer. We will work together to implement the right combination of these tools so that your résumé will make a positive first impression!

All new résumé packages are backed by a 60-day interview guarantee. If your résumé doesn't generate interviews in the first 60 days, we'll rewrite it for free (see terms of service for details about keeping a copy of all job postings and a résumé submissions log).

Questions? Schedule a free, 15-minute consultation at www.calendly.com/writtenbyapro to discuss your career goals. 

I am often asked questions from job seekers searching for ways to differentiate themselves:​

• “Do I have any value to provide an employer?”
• “How can I present that value on my resume?”
• “How does the employer understand the value I offer?”

As a professional résumé  writer, I will help you articulate the value you offer an employer. By asking targeted questions, I will create a personalized résumé  for your dream job that incorporates the strengths that separate you from your strongest competitors. 

Together we will be able to determine the ROI you will provide a new employer, and answer these important questions:

• What are your unique skills?
• How much time or money can you save the employer?
• How much revenue can you generate for the employer?
• Why are you the right person for the job?
• How do your previous successes set you up to be the right candidate for this job?

These questions will help us create the perfect résumé for your dream job, so it’s clear why you are the most qualified candidate.

Remember: An unfocused or generic resume is not beneficial to an employer or recruiter.  It does not provide any unique value to answer why you are the perfect candidate. 

Schedule your free, 15-minute consultation today at www.calendly.com/writtenbyapro.

Recruiters report receiving more than 200 applicants within 24 hours of a job being posted online. Within a week, that number can rise significantly.

How do you stand out in a sea of applicants?  It’s tough these days.  So many talented people are entering the job market, looking for many of the same positions at companies who are hiring during the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
As a certified professional résumé writer, I know what hiring managers are looking for and how they process applicants through the company's applicant tracking system (ATS). We will work to give you that competitive edge through personalized materials and a one-of-a-kind approach.
 
We will write and design your résumé so you can shine above the rest!  How do we do that?  First, we will create custom documents that highlight your strengths.

You'll get:

• Multiple résumé versions (Microsoft Word, PDF, and ATS-compliant documents).
• Built-in keywords so applicant tracking systems (ATS) will rank you in the top echelon of candidates (providing you meet the employer's required qualifications, of course). 
• Unique cover letters that resonate with decision makers.

 
Your résumé will read smarter, look sharper, provide value, and show a ROI to an employer or recruiter.

Schedule your free, 15-minute consultation at www.calendly.com/writtenbyapro.
Ask about our 60-day interview guarantee!

If you are one of the 38.6 Million who Have Filed For Unemployment Since March, you know the stress and challenges that come with navigating a job search during a pandemic. 
 
Who is hiring? How do I make my resume stand out and get recognized?  How do I address gaps in employment?

As a Certified Professional Résumé Writer (CPRW), these are concerns I hear firsthand from executives and mid-career professionals who haven't conducted a job search in a long time. Or maybe, you’re a pro at writing but don’t know how to handle the gaps, furloughs, or layoffs that the COVID-19 economy has brought you.

Over the next few days, we'll explore how to:

1. Gain a competitive advantage (ahead of potentially hundreds or thousands of other applicants)
2. Answer the interview question, "Why should they pick me for the job?"
3. Take advantage of personalized tools to make your job search easy. 
4. See yourself in the best light, gain confidence, and stay motivated.
5. Find the best job opportunities in this volatile job market.

 
Whatever your unique circumstances, now more than ever, having a certified professional help you create your résumé and coach you through your job search will set you up for success!

Would you like to learn a secret that professional resume writers use to save time and create compelling resumes? They use a ladder strategy, rather than a parachute approach.
 
Before I explain, let’s take a moment to review the basic anatomy of a resume: The assertions section makes specific claims that you are capable of doing the job while the evidence section provides a record of your accomplishments.
 
The assertions section includes the headline, tagline, and professional profile statement. Place your assertions in the top one-third to one-half of the first page. The evidence section includes your education, certification, professional associations and, of course, your employment history with performance highlights written in bullet points using the PSR format showing the:

• Problems you faced.
• Solutions you enacted.
• Results that directly benefited your employer.

Think of the PSR format as the structure that houses the other writing prompts that you’ve learned such as STAR (situation-task-action-result), CAR (challenge-action-result), or PAR (problem-action-result). 
 
To write your resume like a pro, start from the bottom of your resume and work to the top, saving the headline, tagline, and professional profile for last. Think of it as starting from the bottom rung of your career ladder and climbing up. This is much more effective than taking a parachute approach and writing from the top down for two reasons: The ladder strategy gives you an easier starting point and an overall view of your employment history. 

Here’s a step-by-step plan for writing your first draft using the ladder strategy:
 
1.  List memberships in professional organizations along with dates of membership and any leadership roles you held. Save your document and scroll up.

2.  Above professional organizations, type in your education, certification, and any professional development courses. Save and scroll up.

3.  Next, list your professional experience. Start with your oldest job (typically your first job out of college). Why? With the passage of time, you have gained a better perspective of your contributions to the company.

• List the employer’s name, city, state, your job title, and the dates you held that job title.
• List 2-3 bullet points with your achievements/accomplishments using the PSR (problem-solution-result) format.
• Answer the “so what” question. Why was this achievement important? Remember, brevity is key in writing bullet points.
• Use qualitative and quantitative metrics in your accomplishment statements (each 1-3 lines maximum). Be specific. Let the results of your actions communicate your value. Save your document and scroll up.

4.  Repeat the process scrolling up and working backwards to your most current job where you will expand the description of your scope of responsibility and include 5-7 achievements using the PSR (problem-solution-result) format. It will be easier to write about your current job from the vantage point of having written about your previous jobs.

• Expect to write more about your current role than previous professional roles unless you feel that your current experience is not as relevant to your targeted job as a previous professional role. Then, you may want to group your experience by function (e.g. Strategic Planning, Business Development, Project Management, HR Management, etc.).
• Highlight only those skills that are applicable to your next professional role.
• Omit superfluous information. Keep it concise and to the point. Save and scroll up.

5.  List your top 9-12 professional skills in a three-column table in the top 1/3 of your resume or create a functional listing of specific skills under each job description, or both.

• Remember you are writing for two audiences: computers and humans.
• Newer ATS systems can calculate number of years/months experience in a given skill set mentioned based upon your length of employment. This is an important strategy for sailing past the initial computerized screening.
• Focus on technical skills and hard skills. Avoid or minimize soft skills. Demonstrate soft skills in your accomplishment statements. Save and scroll up.

 
6.  Next, create a professional profile statement. Remember, your profile should be future-focused and position you for the next rung on your career ladder.

• State who you are, what you do, and the value you bring to your next employer. Some questions to ponder: What are the three most important deliverables of the new professional role? How has your experience prepared you to do the new job? What problems do you solve? Once implemented, how do the solutions you provide have a positive impact on the company?
• Only describe experience and skills that are relevant to your next job.
• Limit the use of adjectives. ​Noun-based keywords perform much better both in an applicant tracking system and with recruiters and hiring managers, who screen resumes on a daily basis and tire of reading baseless superlatives.

7.  Write your headline, which includes a targeted professional role in a given industry or with a specific company. Customize this section for each job application.

• New college graduates could write “Applicant for <job title> with <company name>."
• By now, you should have noticed a trend in career achievements that will help you develop your tagline. Hit enter to take you to the next line down. Below the headline, write the tagline. 

8.  For the tagline, write your unique selling proposition, core value proposition statement, or competitive differentiation statement (similar concepts with differing terminology). Answer this question: How do you make a difference in the workplace?

• The tagline is the hook that will grab the attention of recruiters and hiring managers. It is similar to developing a one-line elevator pitch. State what you do, who you help, and how your actions have a positive impact on the company.
• After the job title headline, start the tagline with a gerund (an “ing” verb):
  “Global Supply Chain Manager – Leveraging technology to achieve operational efficiency” or
  “Customer Service Manager – Creating and implementing business process improvements to ensure customer satisfaction and retention.” You get the idea. 
• New college graduates could write "Applicant for <job title> with <company name> with a strong interest in __, ___, ___.” (Insert the top 3 hard skills needed to perform the job that your university studies have prepared you to do.) Save your document and scroll up.

 
9.  Create your letterhead with your contact information and your headers for subsequent pages of your resume. Make sure your page breaks fall at appropriate places. Save your document and print.
 
10. Google the top 20 worst words to use in a resume. Now, scan your resume to see if you have used any of the overly used words and delete them wherever possible. 

• Don't write you are hardworking, innovative, or a team player. Prove it.
• In your accomplishment statements, you could write about the number of contracts won and the total revenue generated, the percentage of productivity gains due to business process improvements, the cost savings from reductions in manufacturing expenses, or how you contributed to operational efficiency that resulted in increased profits by a certain amount over the previous fiscal year.  

11. Proofread thoroughly.

• Read it aloud.
• Rewrite any awkward wording that caused you to stumble when reading it aloud.
• Next, check the punctuation, spelling, and grammar.
• Have a trusted friend proofread your resume.
• Some resume writing services offer resume reviews or proofreading. Expect to pay for these services if you want something more than a generalized critique with an offer to purchase writing services. 
  ​

12. Take time to create a targeted resume and cover letter customized for each job opening to generate more interviews.
 
Job Seeker, knowing these 12 tips and tricks from the pros will take the mystery out of writing your resume. However, if you find that writing about yourself is mind boggling, we’re here to help you strike the right balance between assertions and evidence and take the guesswork out of writing your career story. Starting with an in-depth interview and fit/gap analysis, we’ll create an authentic, purpose-driven, and focused resume that paints a positive yet realistic portrait of who you are and the value you bring to your next employer. Our mission is to help you land your dream job fast. Call us today at 912-656-6857.

​© 2016, Sharla Taylor, Written by a Pro. All rights reserved.

Breaking News:

Today, the Punctuation Police issued an all-points bulletin that reads, “Be on the lookout for a serial comma killer who goes by the initials A.P. Here’s what we know: The suspect has severed all ties with the Style Guide Gang, is estranged from his college buddies A.P.A. and M.L.A., and has disassociated from his colleagues Chicago and Gregg. We have uncovered evidence that A.P. has repeatedly erased commas falling before the word ‘and’ in a series of three or more items.”
 
Mission Possible spoke with another officer who told us, “In the beginning of his crime spree, A.P. was acting alone, armed with an eraser that was lethal to serial commas written in pen and pencil.”
 
A.P.’s mother cried, “I'm afraid that A.P. has lost all comma sense.”
 
The police officer added, “We believe A.P. has recruited the help of the backspace and delete keys on your computer keyboard. This is serious cause for concern.”
 
In light of this new development, we encourage job seekers to examine every list of three or more items found in their career correspondence to ensure no further loss of comma life.
 
In a statement to the media, the remaining members of the Style Guide Gang made this heartfelt plea to citizens, authors, and journalists: “Serial commas provide clarity and consistency in writing. They deserve to be protected in contemporary American usage.”
 
I’m Sharla Taylor, reporting live from Mission Possible Headquarters. We’re dedicated to keeping you informed of the latest happenings in the written world. Read more at “Punctuated with Humor.”


​Copyright 2016 by Sharla Taylor. All rights reserved.
​

Today we're issuing an alert to all job seekers … accuracy is key.

Be certain that your LinkedIn profile and resume are consistent in every detail, especially regarding company names, job titles, and exact dates of employment. There should be no discrepancies. Why?
 
                It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.
- John Wooden, Head Basketball Coach at UCLA from 1948 -1975 who guided the Bruins to win 10 NCAA titles in his last 12 seasons before he retired.
 
If you want to win interviews and land a great job, be meticulous in reporting the details of your employment. Companies will verify your employment history, and inaccuracies could raise unwarranted red flags that may knock you out of consideration. Don’t be sidelined for lack of attention to detail.
 
Take time to gather the appropriate information.

• Use formal company names. Don’t abbreviate the name of the company. If your previous employer has recently changed company names, give the current name and in parentheses write (formerly known as ___). If the name change was due to a merger or acquisition, write (ABC Company acquired XYZ Company in 2015) or (XYZ Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of ABC Company). If decision makers at the new company cannot find your previous employer in an online search, they may suspect you are being dishonest. No need to raise undue concerns. Pay attention to vital details. 
  
  
• Use the job title provided by your previous or current employer. If needed, qualify your actual job duties, especially if your duties were outside the scope of your job title or led to increased responsibilities and/or a promotion. Where possible, show an upward progression with increased levels of responsibility in each new professional role. If your job titles are different on your LinkedIn profile and your resume, this will raise questions. Above all, be truthful. Don’t inflate your job titles.
  
  
• Verify exact dates of employment. If your resume or LinkedIn profile has been professionally prepared, double check that the writer did not transpose any numbers. Verify every start date and every end date. Compare your LinkedIn profile information to your resume; the dates of employment should be an exact match.
  
  
• Verify zip codes, phone numbers, email addresses, and any website URLs mentioned. Again, check for transposed numbers and letters. Don’t rely on spellchecker. Read backwards, scanning from the bottom of your document to top and from right to left to verify all numbers. It is also important to verify all contact information on your reference sheet. 
  
  
• Proofread data submitted and all prepared documents. 
  When working with a professional writer, provide accurate information. This will speed up your project completion time. Read your final draft aloud. You’ll be surprised by the errors you will discover when you use this method of document review.
  
  

Before engaging the services of a professional resume writing company, ask about quality control. At Written by a Pro, we have a team of writers and editors working from an editorial checklist. No document goes back to the client without prior review by a different writer/editor. We question one another and hold each other accountable for getting the details right. 
 
The bottom line is that no one knows your employment history better than you do. Verify all personal information contained in your career documents. Ultimately, you are the last line of defense when it comes to accuracy on your resume and LinkedIn profile. Make sure all of your data is correct and consistent, both in print and online. Your attention to detail will impress decision makers at your new place of employment.
 
Cheering you on to score a great job with the compensation you deserve!
The Mission Possible Team