These last few months have been quite difficult. With a layoff at the beginning of the pandemic, it's taken a while to find new work. That near one-year gap in my resume stands out like a sore thumb. Considering how competitive the job market is, I'm sure this employment gap is only hurting my chances.
It's so frustrating because I know that there are tons of people in the same boat and - even worse - we're all competing for a finite number of jobs. In fact, 3 weeks ago I was ranting about my predicament to my best friend Sam.
Like me, Sam was also laid off at the beginning of the pandemic, but he found a job in 7 months. I hadn't wanted to ask him for help because I felt embarrassed, but at that point I was desperate. When I asked how he landed a new job so quickly he said he used a resume writing service.
Okay, that makes sense. Sam never was the best writer so I was surprised how quickly his search went. Turns out, Sam used TopResume, the leading resume-writing service with thousands of writers across the country who can be at my beck-and-call.
Considering these writers have HR and Recruitment backgrounds and are knowledgeable in 65+ different industries, you can be sure you're in good hands.
Apparently, TopResume will give your resume a free review. After a few days, one of their resume experts will provide tailored advice on how to enhance your resume. If you decide to move forward with the service, one-on-one assistance can be yours starting at as low as $17 a month.
Once I submitted my resume, I was matched with my resume-writing expert, Katrina. She gave me some brief tips on how to improve my resume by focusing on content, format, font, and word choice—all of which are completely free. At that point, I knew TopResumewould help me reframe my employment gap so it's more positive.
Not to mention, every day I spend unemployed, I lose out on income from my job. In that sense, a resume-writing service is a wise investment in myself.
During my more in-depth review with Katrina, we tackled two of the biggest issues plaguing my resume. The first was my obvious employment gap. Katrina suggested I emphasize my achievements to make it clear that I was not let go due to my performance, but because the small company I worked for went under. What a great decision as it allows me to showcase my accomplishments while providing a fair reason for my unemployment.
The next concern was something I'd never even heard of. Most employers use an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to parse through potential hires' resumes. If you don't incorporate appropriate keywords, your employer might not even glance at your resume!
I never realized a resume-writing service could be so constructive. Katrina was more helpful than I could have imagined She even followed up with me after I told her I secured 2 interviews - one of which is for my dream job!
Landing a new job has never been easier and TopResume makes it as simple as a click of a button (literally).
Update: Stop stressing over your resume and hand it over to the experts. Get a professionally written resume today!