Blog powered by Typepad

« When should you bring up salary in an interview? | Main | Carnival of HR - #13 »

August 08, 2007

Comments

Anita Bruzzese

This post makes a lot of really good points.
I like to say there is no "Holy Grail" of workplace advice. Everyone faces a different situation every day at their workplace, so I think it's a good idea to check out a variety of advice and then use what you believe will work best for you.
When people take responsibility for their own careers, they are usually much happier. Information is power, and by educating ourselves, we have more control over our own career destiny. And isn't that what most of us want?

Anita Bruzzese
www.45things.com
"45 Things You Do That Drive Your Boss Crazy"


---------The Career Encourager Says....
Anita -

Thanks for your comment. You make some really good points that I hope our readers take to heart and use to their advantage!

~ CEO

almostgotit

This is a great post!

Life-while-looking-for-a-job, especially if it goes on for a while, can be more than a little treacherous. There are so many temptations to shrug off one's own human responsibilities and find someone else who will provide definitive answers or even short cuts; who will make it easier; who might even be willing to nurture all the negative, *snarky*, and defeatest urges that are only naturally going to arise from time to time as one walks this difficult road (which, may I add? Really does *stink* sometimes!)

I must admit I felt a little uncomfortable myself -- :) -- as I read, knowing I've not lived this stage myself as perfectly as I would like. Nor will I put the burden of responsibility-for-my-own-career-life on YOU. But I do choose to claim you as one of my companion-advisors. As I will also continue to endeavor (however imperfectly!) not to "cause another to stumble" by the way I'm currently living it myself.

(LOL, I *am* being serious, but it's hard not to sound pretty corny at the same time, darn it. So go ahead and cue the angelic choir music here!!)

Lea

Even though my goal is to make my resume-writing business successful, I agree with your statement that people should write their own resumes. Whether they CAN do it all on their own depends on the fields they work in.

A graphic artist might need to work with an editor to help with content while doing the design work herself. A writer might need to work with someone with design skills so the resume is easy to read (and I say this as a published writer who used the Microsoft templates until I became a newspaper page designer and learned better!). Someone who works exclusively with numbers, or computer code, might want a writer to help translate their work into words. And most people need the help of someone objective to figure out what belongs in a resume.

Resume writers shouldn't put words into people's mouths, but they should help people find the words to describe themselves and their achievements. My experience as a newspaper reporter taught me how to ask people questions to help them describe themselves and their work, then took those words and put them on paper. That remains my goal as a resume writer. I'm not transcribing what my clients say, but helping them articulate what they have accomplished in the past and how that will matter in the future.

Now the cover letter, on the other hand, should definitely be written by the job candidate!

-----The Career Encourager says....
Lea -
Thank you for your thoughtful post. You raise some excellent points that I hope our readers will take to heart. My caution to job-seekers is simply that the skills required to write a good resume are different than the skills required to assess career interests and goals and make sound decisions about next steps. It sounds like you help job-seekers articulate a truth they already know rather than spinning words into a story of your own design. Working with a resume writer like yourself who helps candidates articulate what they know about themselves (vs. putting words in their mouth) can be a very helpful step in the job search process. I wish you great success in your business!
~ The Career Encourager

The comments to this entry are closed.