Job Search Advice, Resume Writing Tips from a Career Consultant

My Aunt Jane colors her own hair. She is very proud of the money she saves. Her hair is flat red and there is no question that it's been colored by an amateur. While I may not like her hair because she looks like a pumpkin, she's happy. Most important, she's not competing in the Miss Universe contest anytime soon. She's a homemaker and has only to please her husband and herself. So her "do it yourself" philosophy is fine.

In my garage sits a 1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse convertible with 36,000 miles. Once in awhile folks ask me if I'm ready to trade up to a newer model. With no mechanical or structural problems I see no reason to change my transportation. But I'm not competing in NASCAR anytime soon.

You however are competing and every statement you make will be judged against many other qualified candidates. If you simply cannot get in the door of a company for which you believe you are a perfect fit you may be have been squeezed out by a candidate with a more compelling resume. If you believe you had a fantastic interview and "they loved you" but you never received a second invitation one of two things happened. You either made a strategic mistake or if you did do a great job someone outperformed you. In a job market with an over-abundance of candidates and fewer job openings because of layoffs or job exportation, candidates are gaining the competitive advantage by seeking out career professionals. They include:

Job Search Coach - While qualified to evaluate credentials regarding the feasibility of getting a different position, the job search coach focuses on teaching the client to get hired. Coaching is very hands-on. The job search coach is literally in the trenches with candidates, providing everything from resume/portfolio preparation, development of job search strategies, distributing resumes to ongoing instruction in competitive interviewing and negotiation of compensation packages. You may well out-qualify the candidate who gets the job offer but he may have been better coached!

Certified Resume Writer - Simply stated the professional resume writer is responsible for significantly increasing your odds of getting in the door. More than good writers or basic secretarial services, the best resume writers are hybrid combinations of employment experts and print marketers. They have a working knowledge of most industry environments and their related professions, enabling them to dissect each client's background only to repackage them with a state of the art style, drawing out areas of expertise simultaneously with performance highlights and making a compelling case for an invitation to an interview.

I am repeatedly visited by clients who, much like refusing to see a physician, waited too long to seek help. They were unaware of the tough competition or were of the mindset that they could play the same game they won in the 1970s, '80s or '90s. They would have been better served doing their own landscaping, repairing their own automobiles or adding that room addition without professional help because their results would never be judged against their neighbors. Today getting hired is one of the toughest competitions.

There is nothing more tragic than a declining, out-of-work professional or executive on antidepressants, after having lost his house, whose biggest flaw was a resume that lacked keyword density and couldn't make the cut passed the scanners. But for pride or unwillingness to invest in himself, the prognosis could have been different.