There is one more dynamic at work here as well. If you were writing an advertisement for the car, you would probably leave out that the car needed a paint job, or that it gets terrible gas mileage, or even that it needs new tires. You would dwell on the positive aspects of car ownership and list the positive features. The resume, of course, is no different. You are going to tell the potential employer only those things that will get him interested in talking to you. You are not going to include a list of items that say nothing about your ability to perform the job, such as height, weight, color of eyes, number of divorces, reasons for changing majors in college, or reasons why you didn't attend college or trade school. If you think you need a new paint job, don't point it out on your resume. You might just find that your qualifications and talents suit the employer just fine.
How to Produce a Resume: Two Choices
Now that you understand some of the basics, let's talk about the mechanical aspects of putting together a first-class resume, one that will land you some solid interviews. There are two ways to produce a resume. You can write it yourself, or you can hire someone to write it for you. We have looked at both of these methods. Both leave something to be desired.
Most people leaving the military today have a pretty good command of the English language. We know most short-timers were not English majors in college, and many are not grammatical experts, but most have had some writing experience.
This experience probably included technical or report writing, personnel evaluations, or recommendations for promotion or award. Other examples might include studies, orders, regulations, and directives. Realistically, though, resume writing is a different writing style that most military-trained writers haven't developed. Even though you do know more about yourself than anyone else, and even though you may have some writing experience, the quality of the final resume that you write by yourself will be questionable.
You could, however, hire someone to write your resume for you. That is going to cost you between fifty and two thousand dollars. For fifty dollars you will get a stack of resumes and some envelopes. For two thousand dollars you will get a stack of resumes and some envelopes ... on nice paper. Most of the expensive ones will also include copies of a generic cover letter you can use to forward your resume to potential employers.
The quality of the work will vary, but a high cost is not an indicator of a superior product. Generally, the companies that charge a particularly high fee also offer some other services such as help in developing a marketing plan, perhaps some personal training or coaching. Some will even put you in front of a video camera and let you see how silly you might look in an interview. We're not criticizing these companies, only trying to show you the range of services and fees. (Note: If some company tries to get you to sign a contract for services, be sure to read every line to ensure you know what you are getting. There are a lot of firms in the industry that lead you to believe they offer certain services, but in fact do not.)
Resumes produced by commercial firms tend to look the same. We read 200-300 resumes each month, and it is interesting to see the same resume written for a captain with five years of service and a chief master sergeant with over thirty years of experience in several fields. In the military community, resumes tend to look like everyone else in a particular field and grade. The reason is that many companies will provide you with a four- to eight-page questionnaire, ask you to provide a copy of your service record, and then copy your job description out of some military manual such as the MOS, AFSC, or the NEC occupational specialty manual. Some companies are very creative and really do an outstanding job. But how do you know who does good work and who copies from a manual? You don't, so the results you will get from hiring a professional to write your resume are also questionable.
If you plan to hire a professional service, try to get a few names of previous customers. Then call those customers and find out how they felt about the services they received and how they fared in their searches for employment.
The best way to produce a great resume is to combine these two methods. The first draft of the resume should be written by you, and then you can hire someone to polish your work. But throughout the entire process, you should maintain creative control. Don't just fill out the questionnaire and send it in with a check. You should stay involved and recommend not only the general direction of the resume but its format as well. You provide the company with a reasonably complete draft, and then they adjust and polish your draft.
We don't mean to say you shouldn't listen to the advice of the professional, but the product of many minds is much more significant than the product of a single mind. Your participation will help.
