Great Resumes Fast » Resume Writing Tips » Do you know who you are – on paper…?

Do you know who you are… on paper?

Thanks to an amazing membership with Career Directors International I had the distinct pleasure of a booth at the most recent National Careers Job Fair. Three hours of job seekers pouring in through the doors and me and my assistant providing free resume analyses. I spoke to 100+ job seekers and found one common thread among them all. They had no idea who they were… on paper.

I must have repeated the phrase ‘what do you want to do?’ a hundred times. I know I asked all but two job seekers that question. I remember the two I didn’t ask because their resume’s stood out. They professionally branded themselves and it was very obvious exactly who they were and what they wanted.

paper-prototypingDo you know who you are on paper? When I look at the resume the first third of it is the most important to me. Why? Because It has all the information I need to know. What do you want to do, where do I put you? How good are you at your job? Do you know who you are?
I can gather all that from the first third of your resume. Scary isn’t it? I bet it makes you wonder what your resume is saying…doesn’t it?

Listen, if you look at your resume right now and you have an objective on there and it reads: To obtain a position with an organization that utilizes my experience and education. You have no idea who you are or what you want. At least that is what your resume is telling me.

Do you have a one line introductory/positioning/branding statement on your resume? Is it followed by keywords underneath? No… well, that’s probably why you’re not getting any interviews. People like me (HR managers, recruiters, hiring managers, and decision makers) have no idea where to put you, what you’re applying to, what you want to do, and what you are qualified to do.

Enter: Professional branding statement. Get one!

As an expert resume writer my job is two fold. First, to help you figure out what your unique professional brand and value proposition are and how that aligns with your talent, passion, and vision. Secondly, to gather all of the above stated information and strategically position you as a leader and make you stand out in the crowd of thousands of other job seekers vying for the same position.

If your resume lacks a professional brand, you don’t know what professional branding is or you just know your resume needs a pick me up send it to info@greatresumesfast.com for a free resume analysis or if you are ready to take the plunge, amp up your job search and start getting interviews visit Great Resumes Fast today to order our professional resume writing service.

Jessica Holbrook is an expert resume writer, career and personal branding strategist, author, speaker and President/CEO of Great Resumes Fast. She creates high-impact, best-in-class, resumes and cover letters that win interviews. For a free resume analysis visit http://www.greatresumesfast.com or for a free phone consultation call 1.800.991.5187.

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About the author

Jessica Hernandez, President, CEO & Founder of Great Resumes Fast

Hi, I’m Jessica. I started this company back in 2008 after more than a decade directing hiring practices at Fortune 500 companies.

What started as a side hustle (before that was even a word!) helping friends of friends with their resumes has now grown into a company that serves hundreds of happy clients a year. But the personal touch? I’ve kept that.

You might have seen me featured as a resume expert in publications like Forbes, Fast Company, and Fortune. And in 2020, I was honored to be named as a LinkedIn Top Voice of the year!

I’m so glad you’re here, and I can’t wait to help you find your next perfect-fit position!

4 Comments

  1. Bill Morgan on October 23, 2009 at 10:22 pm

    Jessica, I’m going to put you on my blogroll. Would you have any articles I can put on my blog directing them to you?
    I’m going to have a tab directing people to good resume writers.

    Bill Morgan
    The Job Swami Career Advice Site
    http://www.thejobswami.com



  2. Tim Harris on October 23, 2009 at 11:27 pm

    Jessica,

    You gave me some great ideas for my resume. I need some general advice; I have been in the quality-engineering field for over 20 years. My employment was with a company who embellished the lean concept. My experiences and skills are very diverse, from metrology, purchasing, supplier development, product development, supplier quality engineering, Quality Management System and Associate management. How do I present this information on my resume without being too lengthy?

    Just for reference the company was Honda Research & Development Americas,inc



  3. Great Resumes Fast on October 24, 2009 at 6:13 pm

    Hi Tim,

    You can submit your resume for a free basic analysis. We can give you a shortlist of our concerns and how we would address them. If you would like us to write the resume for you we’d be happy to help with that as well. You can submit your resume for analysis at info@greatresumesfast.com or visit our website Great Resumes Fast.



  4. Anthony Caldwell on October 26, 2009 at 1:00 am

    Hello Jessica,
    I agree with your post to a certain point. I’ve always wondered about whether or not to include an objective statement (expert opinions vary on this) because for a career changer like myself, I don’t want it to pigeonhole me. My four resumes all start out with a ‘qualifications profile’ section which highlights one of the four main skill sets that I have – engineering, accounting/finance, sales/marketing, and quality. I do have all the related key words and core competency summaries, and still very few interviews. My personal brand, the thing I could bring most to any company, is my diversity of experience.

    As far as what I want… does it really matter? I’m a 12-year engineer and an MBA, and if there is anything I’ve learned in my job search, which has been ongoing since September 2007, is that the only thing that matters is what the hiring company wants. It’s a very big Catch-22: the conventional wisdom in a down job market is to be flexible… however, the hiring companies want SPECIFIC education and experience. Where is THEIR flexibility? In summary, what is it that I want to do? Simply to feed my family.



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