Let’s talk about the cost of using an Adelaide resume writer.
Some top line writing companies charge more than $1000 for a resume.
We charge in the $200-$400 price range but a full executive CV will cost top dollar.
Let’s do a quick ‘value for money’ calculation.
A professional resume writer – not a back yard ‘shonk’ – will increase your chances of being short-listed by around 30-40 percent.
Of course, you need to be in the ‘ball park’ in the first place and meet the basic criteria for a job.
We’ve had people wanting us to create an IT manager resume when they’ve never worked in IT.
Let’s say the job pays $80,000 per annum and a resume costs $250.00.
For .25 per cent of your yearly salary, your chances of being short-listed, may increase by up to 40 per cent.
You have leapt over scores of other candidates and now you have a shot at the big prize.
But a professionally written resume doesn’t stop working for you there.
If the selection panel can’t make up their mind between you and another candidate, they go back and compare the resumes. The best resume wins.
On a cost basis, can you afford not to hire a professional resume writer?
And now for something different – cover letters that work
Cover letters are the first chance you get to stand out to your potential employer.
The sole point of a cover letter is to draw attention to your resume, which holds all of your relevant information, experience and skills.
In four or five paragraphs, you should be able to show competent language skills, that you’d be suitable for the role in terms of your skills and experience, and that you have a genuine interest in the position.
In these paragraphs, include a couple of achievements: I did this and created that.
A lot of clients ask for a generic cover letter. That’s fine but it must be tailored to the organisation and job you’re applying to.
There is no such thing as a ‘one size fits all’ application letter.
Explain why you have applied for this job, what appeals to you about the role and why you want to work for this organisation but make sure you don’t repeat the information on your resume.
The style of the cover letter will depend on the person and the industry, but keep it professional.
It’s best to address the letter to a named person, eg, Mr Anderson.
LinkedIn is sometimes a good place to search, or call the organisation and ask for the correct name.
If you can’t find out their name, Dear HR Manager is OK.
And if a job advertisement doesn’t specifically ask for a cover letter, write a short email introductory email.
A cover email is what you’d say to the recipient if you had the chance to hand over your resume in person.
When writing the cover letter, design a clear layout that makes it easy to read. Avoid using graphics or quirky fonts.
This isn’t just about making the right impression on hiring managers – the automated scanning systems used byapplicant tracking systems can struggle with unusual fonts.
A good cover letter should make potential employers pick up your resume.