I’m often asked the famous question … “Why should I hire a professional résumé writer when I can create a résumé myself?” This is a valid question that deserves a valid answer.

Think about this. Most full-time jobs are paid on a 40-hour work week. Multiply 24 hours a day by 5 days in a work week (24 hours/day x 5 days/week = 120) equals 120 hours. How much time do you really spend relating to that full-time job? Try 40 hours plus the time heading to work, plus the time heading home, plus any projects you would work on after regular business hours, plus any social media networking you may be engaged in after hours, plus business networking events, plus personal opportunities (like the grocery store) where you happen to run into someone with whom you can do business, plus after-hour phone calls that relate to work! What is your answer? Was it more than 40 hours for that full-time job? Are you spending more awake time concentrating on work-related duties than you are with your own family? You’re not alone! In this fast-paced world, most people are spending more time concentrating on their “work” than on family! So why wouldn’t you put your best foot forward to improve your current job/employment/career situation by hiring a professional résumé writer? You’d hire a professional to fix your car, right? How about a doctor to fix a broken bone? What about a veterinarian to keep your pets healthy?

Résumé writing is a distinct art, because of the fine line between bragging and selling yourself too short. The professional résumé writer is an objective third party who will give you that extra pair of eyes combined with a specialized expertise that you simply won’t find anywhere else (not online, not in résumé writing software, not by asking a professor at school, and not by asking a friend!) A professional will ask you the right questions to help bring out ideas to further your career. A professional will make you look your absolute best and won’t be shy about coaching you with suggestions/advice on improvements that need to be made. There are nuances to a résumé that most people simply overlook. There’s an unwritten rule about language, about the order of things, about how to emphasize and de-emphasize certain aspects that only a professional résumé writer will be able to address. The résumé you send out is often the first impression a potential employer will have of you, and it needs to reflect YOU, not a template résumé format you may have found online!

There are also lots of tricks to writing that amazing cover letter or e-note which you simply must have to be competitive in today’s job market. Inherent in today’s technologically-advanced market, you also need to have the most updated, fabulous and eye-catching LinkedIn profile which will make sure that you are representing yourself in the best way possible.

I’ll go one step further. Email laurie@lauriejjames.com an electronic version of the current résumé you are sending out to potential employers, and I’ll offer you a FREE critique … and I’ll be brutally honest with you. If you like what you hear, we can move forward. Either way, what do you have to lose?

Here's to you,

Laurie J. James, MCD, CCELW, CDCC