How to Get Useful Resume Feedback

How to Get Useful Resume Feedback TweetHow can you be sure your resume has the impact you intend? It can be hard to get a useful resume review. Recruiters are usually too busy to give resume advice, and the compliments you may get from hiring managers at interviews dont tell you much. In fact, asking for resume feedback at an interview is a faux pas. The employer isnt there to help you with your next application! Some major job search websites give free resume reviews, which are often more of a sales pitch than real, customized advice. More actionable reviews are available from individual resume writers, including me. It can also be useful to get feedback from a variety of people, to benefit from varied viewpoints. Here are some tips for getting resume input in a way that really works. Make sure your reviewers know the requirements of the job youre targeting. Show them a written job posting if possible. Ask them these questions: If you take just 10 seconds to skim this resume, whats your first impression? Then, after reading it more thoroughly, what impresses you most? And what could be better? Take all opinions with a grain of salt. If you show your resume to five people, you will hear five different viewpoints, some of which may directly contradict the others! Look for common themes and use your own judgment. If you are working with a professional resume writer, be collaborative by informing her or him in advance that youll be seeking feedback from others. Discuss how best to bring the outside input into the agreed-upon writing process. If the process includes a draft before the final resume, its usually best to gather input at that point, rather than when the final product has been delivered. Keep in mind that skilled resume writers study surveys of employers preferences in resumes, so they have a broad view of what employers look for in a resume. This broad view may be more useful than direct input from one recruiter or manager, who may have individual idiosyncrasies and preferences that are not typical. There is no resume that will impress every employer in the world, but with the right resume review/feedback and some diligent work, you can create one that will communicate powerfully to the vast majority of its readers and open the right doors for you. This article was first published in 2014 and has been updated. How to Get Useful Resume Feedback TweetHow can you be sure your resume has the impact you intend? It can be hard to get a useful resume review. Recruiters are usually too busy to give resume advice, and the compliments you may get from hiring managers at interviews dont tell you much. In fact, asking for resume feedback at an interview is a faux pas. The employer isnt there to help you with your next application! Some major job search websites give free resume reviews, which are often more of a sales pitch than real, customized advice. More actionable reviews are available from individual resume writers, including me. It can also be useful to get feedback from a variety of people, to benefit from varied viewpoints. Here are some tips for getting resume input in a way that really works. Make sure your reviewers know the requirements of the job youre targeting. Show them a written job posting if possible. Ask them these questions: If you take just 10 seconds to skim this resume, whats your first impression? Then, after reading it more thoroughly, what impresses you most? And what could be better? Take all opinions with a grain of salt. If you show your resume to five people, you will hear five different viewpoints, some of which may directly contradict the others! Look for common themes and use your own judgment. If you are working with a professional resume writer, be collaborative by informing her or him in advance that youll be seeking feedback from others. Discuss how best to bring the outside input into the agreed-upon writing process. If the process includes a draft before the final resume, its usually best to gather input at that point, rather than when the final product has been delivered. Keep in mind that skilled resume writers study surveys of employers preferences in resumes, so they have a broad view of what employers look for in a resume. This broad view may be more useful than direct input from one recruiter or manager, who may have individual idiosyncrasies and preferences that are not typical. There is no resume that will impress every employer in the world, but with the right resume review/feedback and some diligent work, you can create one that will communicate powerfully to the vast majority of its readers and open the right doors for you. This article was first published in 2014 and has been updated. How to Get Useful Resume Feedback TweetHow can you be sure your resume has the impact you intend? It can be hard to get a useful resume review. Recruiters are usually too busy to give resume advice, and the compliments you may get from hiring managers at interviews dont tell you much. In fact, asking for resume feedback at an interview is a faux pas. The employer isnt there to help you with your next application! Some major job search websites give free resume reviews, which are often more of a sales pitch than real, customized advice. More actionable reviews are available from individual resume writers, including me. It can also be useful to get feedback from a variety of people, to benefit from varied viewpoints. Here are some tips for getting resume input in a way that really works. Make sure your reviewers know the requirements of the job youre targeting. Show them a written job posting if possible. Ask them these questions: If you take just 10 seconds to skim this resume, whats your first impression? Then, after reading it more thoroughly, what impresses you most? And what could be better? Take all opinions with a grain of salt. If you show your resume to five people, you will hear five different viewpoints, some of which may directly contradict the others! Look for common themes and use your own judgment. If you are working with a professional resume writer, be collaborative by informing her or him in advance that youll be seeking feedback from others. Discuss how best to bring the outside input into the agreed-upon writing process. If the process includes a draft before the final resume, its usually best to gather input at that point, rather than when the final product has been delivered. Keep in mind that skilled resume writers study surveys of employers preferences in resumes, so they have a broad view of what employers look for in a resume. This broad view may be more useful than direct input from one recruiter or manager, who may have individual idiosyncrasies and preferences that are not typical. There is no resume that will impress every employer in the world, but with the right resume review/feedback and some diligent work, you can create one that will communicate powerfully to the vast majority of its readers and open the right doors for you. This article was first published in 2014 and has been updated.