Over the last 10 years, I’ve written numerous Résumés for friends and family (I didn’t actually charge anything then). I am a detail oriented person, I write Résumés that get interviews. I have always had tremendous success with my own, and others I have written for have gushed with excitement over seeing themselves revealed in the Résumés I have produced for them and the interviews they secured.
It was only when I decided that after 8 years in the field of Architecture and Design (A&D) as a Regional Manufacturer’s representative (LaZBoy Healthcare and Thayer Coggin to name a few) covering a three state territory, and with multiple years of experience in A&D Marketing, did I realize that my own Résumé was lacking. When I looked at my Résumé it provided all of the details another Commercial/Healthcare Furniture Manufacturer or A&D firm might be looking for, but if I were going to venture out into another industry, re-invent myself, I knew I’d need some specialized help.
I didn’t come to this realization on my own though. I foolishly sent out my well-written, correctly formatted, grammatically correct Résumé, but with all the buzz words and terminology for A&D Marketing and Manufacturer’s Representative positions that appealed only to my previous industry.
At some point, I considered being a pharmaceutical representative and sent my A&D Résumé to every pharmaceutical company that would accept one online. I was also networking a considerable amount with my College Alumni organization, attending weekly luncheons with the local Chamber of Commerce and was an active member of the Young Professional’s organization. When I mentioned to an acquaintance of mine, what I was up to, he mentioned that he knew a writer who was known for reducing the time between submissions to interview by about 6 months on an 18 month cycle. So, in the fall of 2005 I contracted with her to re-write my Résumé. When I received it from Vicki, I think my first words were literally, “I’d hire me!” It was then that I first discovered that hiring an industry-specific Résumé writer could have some merit. I then feverishly re-submitted my pharma-Résumé again to everyone that had a website accepting applications. In January of 2006 I had another acquaintance from my networking group connect me with the VP of Business Development for one of the largest PdM Services, training and consulting firms in North America for the position of Marketing Coordinator. The position was an opportunity to change directions, learn a new industry, leverage my previous experience, utilize and hone some underused skills and develop my potential. I accepted the job in February of 2006 and then my phone started ringing from the pharma companies. I don’t have any regrets about pursuing a career in Maintenance and Reliability instead of Pharmaceutical sales, but I do credit the success of my Résumé in attracting the attention of HR at those pharma companies to the industry specific writer who tailored my Résumé with the keywords and leveraged her knowledge of the industry employers, using the ingredients of successful Résumés she’d produced over the years.
There are many Résumé writing companies online that will “do” your Résumé. Do you really want to trust yours to one of them? They cannot possibly know about every industry for which they write about. Just because they can write for your friend’s Retail Management, Information Technology, Accounting AND Medical, etc… Résumé, does not make them knowledgeable when it comes to understanding the needs of the hiring managers in the Maintenance and Reliability field. This is a specialized field, with its own lingo, acronyms, certifications and required expertise. Don’t settle for a “generic” Résumé writer.