I am a pretty social person, hence the name of our company, Social-Cindy. In my socializing, both at networking events and on the various social media outlets, I often hear from people looking to change careers and wondering if I have any helpful hints for them. Since I have not been in the market for a job in a long time, I don’t really have much to offer. But I know from working in social media and websites that in order to get people’s attention, your work has to stand out. It should be visually appealing, and the information should be to the point and accurate.
When I casually mentioned this topic of job hunts and resumes, my friend, Kelsey Beaudoin who owns Chickadee Designs, piped in and let me know one of the services she offers is crafting a visually appealing, stand out from the rest resume for people. I said we should let people know about this. Write a blog post for me and I will put it out there. Here it is:
“Updating a resume or drafting a new one after years can be daunting. What previous jobs are the best to include? What are the important keywords it should have? What experiences are better left unwritten? How can someone stand out from all their competitors? While I can’t answer every question, I can help guide you in how to stand out.
At my last job interview, the manager interviewing me said, “I’ve never seen such a great resume!” Had I gone through and selected the jobs I felt were strongest? Yes. Had I meticulously crafted the right wording? Yes. Had I left out (on purpose) my high school jobs of babysitting and working at Subway? Yes. But the manager wasn’t talking about any of those. He was talking about the visual design appeal.
Before sending out my resume, I had worked hard to make it pop, which in turn helped me stand out from my competitors. Most people put something together in a word document with basic headings and the standard font, hoping a potential company reads it. What if you are one of 100’s of applicants? Do recruiters and potential bosses read every single resume? Probably not. This is where eye-catching design comes in!
This is not just about adding color, but it’s about following design principles and presenting yourself to the highest level of professionalism possible. I love to use the example of shopping at a clothing store. If you see a shirt just thrown on the floor under a table and the same shirt is nicely pressed and position on a manikin, what’s the value difference? Nothing! Each may have the same threads, dye process, number of buttons and tag, but which one are you going to pay attention to and purchase?
Now, don’t get worried if you don’t have a design background. My best suggestion is to hire a local designer to help give you the leg up. Craft the wording to the best of your ability, then take it one step further to a professional. It’s not a large project, so it should be a very reasonable cost. Think of it as a small investment that could help you land the job of a lifetime! Just in case you aren’t personally acquainted with an awesome Graphic Designer I am willing to offer my services to you.
For around $45 I can craft an outstanding resume for you to use on your step up to a new career. You can check out my work on my Facebook page, Chickadee Designs, or click the link to my Etsy shop.
Kelsey Beaudoin, Guest blogger
https://www.etsy.com/listing/622233052/3-color-option-resume-design?ref=shop_home_active_1″
Cindy Fletcher, Blogger for
Social Cindy
