When looking for a job, one of the key elements in your job search campaign is your resume. It is one of the most important tools to communicate your skills and background to potential employees. As a hiring sales manager, I have seen some really bad resumes come my way and I can really tell that the person probably used a free template that they found on the Internet without putting the effort to develop and create a good resume. I was curious and reached out to a couple of these candidates and asked them how they developed their sales resume and guess what 8 out of the 10 candidates with bad resumes used a free template they found off the Internet and the other two attempted to create it themselves. A resume seems like a simple 1-2 page document that provides information. Due to the fact that it is only 1-2 pages and you have to be brief yet, concise enough to convey that you have the talents and skills necessary for the job opportunity. I have to admit, naturally, we do not know how to create an effective resume and I am guilty as well early in my career, but when I realized that I wasn’t getting any calls for interviews, I assessed my strategies and realized that I had to re-create my resume to be much more effective and guess what, I got calls!
LEARN HOW TO WRITE A RESUME… OR HIRE SOMEONE WHO CAN!
Now those free resume templates are fine to give you ideas of style, flow and design to start with. But if you use it without customizing to the job you are going for and quickly slap it together, don’t be surprised if your phone is silent for some time. Remember, the resume is a representative of you and a communication tool that presents who and what you you have offer when you submit to a company. Don’t you think it would be worthwhile to read a book on how to develop a decent resume or hire a professional to help you create one? Yes, it does take some time to learn and possibly some money to create, but think about the money you are losing out by not getting a job that you want. I have seen some really good resume templates, but they are very hard to find and again, it might not work in your situation. Some of the best resume templates are the ones written by certified resume writers that provides a template that actually got somebody a job! The are a little bit cheaper, but again not customized to your needs.
HAVE YOUR RESUME REVIEWED – BY AN EXPERT!
If you are curious about how effective your resume, is, why don’t you have your resume reviewed by an expert. Yes, your friend or smart neighbor might be smart and excellent at what they do, but unless they write resumes for a living, then you might fall in the trap of having the blind leading the blind and the end result might be still a bad resume. Now some of you might be saying, what if my resume is good enough? To me, if I am going for a job, I want to put my best foot forward and not just send good enough in. How about you?
STILL NOT CONVINCED?
So if you do choose to go the easy route and use those free resume templates that are floating around, be sure to at least customize it to the job you are looking for. Do a search online and learn tips on writing your own resume that gets results. The best approach is to pick up a book and learn. The best option is to hire a professional to help you and the cost is really not that bad, when you realize that you could be losing out on thousands of dollars each month you are not employed or getting a lower paying job because your resume never generated any interests. For sales reps, I suggest finding an professional resume writer that specializes in sales resumes. Trust me, it is worth it! I have progressed my career to earn over $200K a year, and trust me, I didn’t use a free template like I did when I went for my first job. I hired a professional resume writer to review my current resume and work with me to develop a professional cover letter and resume. Do yourself a favor and if you are not getting any calls for job interviews, take a look at your resume, and take a sniff, it might be stinky!
USE THE FREE TEMPLATES WITH CAUTION
The only effective way I find using these free resume templates is if you already have a professionally created resume and you want to change up the style or design, then I think if you replace the wording, with the free template’s wording, it might be fine. But again, use with caution because it could be costing you from landing the job you really want.