The great author Robert A. Heinlein once set forth five rules for successful freelance writing. I have known many freelance writers who swear by this set of rules, and so I have taken the liberty of adapting the Heinlein rules to the task of successful resume writing.
1. You have to write your resume. Half of the people who say they want to write a resume will never get past talking about writing a resume. So if you're someone who actually does write your resume, half of your competition will be gone right away.
2. You must finish your resume. Half of the people who start a resume never finish it. Again, if you finish your resume, you have another half of your competition gone.
3. Know when to stop rewriting your resume. Heinlein actually said don't rewrite at all, but he had an editor and a very astute wife, so he didn't have to worry about rewriting. Half of the people who finish their resumes get wrapped around the axle in the process of rewriting and rewriting and rewriting, ad nauseam. Talk to a career counselor or a resume coach, or some other employment professional who will provide you unbiased feedback, but don't use rewriting as a means to quit the process. At some point you must move on to the fourth rule.
4. You need to send your resume out to the market. Again, half of the people who get over the rewrite stage never work up the courage to send out their resumes. And make no mistake about it, searching for a job takes great courage. It can be a dehumanizing, depressing process, but you must keep doing it. If you have written a resume that showcases your strengths and the impact you had on the places where you have worked, then you should feel proud enough of yourself to send it out. You cannot get a job if the hiring managers don't know you're there.
5. You have to keep sending your resume out to the market until you win an interview. Half of the people who send out their work never send it out again after they receive that inevitable rejection. You have to just keep at it, "surround the bastards," as one of my marketing coaches once said. By the time you get to this step, you will have far less competition than you had at Rule 1.
Jack Mulcahy has written hundreds of resumes for people from all walks of life. Each resume he writes shows the unique selling proposition so necessary to market the job seeker. To learn more about Jack and how he can work to help your resume gain interviews, visit his website at http://www.resumesbyjack.com/.
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