"Write Yourself and Your Resume Will Shine"

Thoughtful preparation can guarantee a successful resume.

Most visitors to this site have read about resume writing basics. Things like active voice, active verbs, chronological and functional resumes, and highlighting achievements rather than job requirements. What's missing from most resume writing discussions is guidance about what to do before writing. You need think about goals, and you need to do it in writing.

Most people think about goals casually, turning them over in the mind. That's not enough. Do this analysis in writing. Do it before you write your resume, or do it while you are working with a professional resume writer, but get your thoughts down just the same. Why? The reason is simple: Writing leads to insight.

First, writing clarifies your thoughts. The very act of externalizing them, bringing them into the light, forces you to focus them. You'll often find that the idea which seemed complete in your mind has a blurry spot when you try to express it in a sentence, and that spot can be crucial. In fact, that's why it was blurred. You didn't know how to fill it.

Writing compels you to support your thoughts so they seem reasonable. The idea that glowed in your mind may look bare on the page, and you may have to provide backing for it. This exercise can save you from dreamy error.

Writing lets you develop your thoughts. The idea on the page is a memory saved, and it frees you to move on to the next one, and the next. You wind up thinking about implications, filled out uncharted territory, seeing and answering questions that may simply have lurked in the semidarkness before. Writing enables elaboration. It will also help when collaborating with a resume writing service. You will have clearer ideas to present to the professional resume writer, and you will get better resume help.

And writing lets you return again and again to the process. You rarely divine all your good ideas at one sitting. For instance, scientists have recently found that sleep improves our comprehension of context and problems, validating the wisdom of "sleeping on" an important decision. Moreover, you'll want to discuss aspects of your career with your spouse and perhaps with good friends, and these ideas can enrich the document as well.

Maybe you're still reluctant. If so, ask yourself: What is the cost? A little time and the toil of thought. That's all. Now compare it to the potential upside: A more rewarding, purposeful life, bestowed by greater understanding of yourself and your options. It's the kind of bet they don't offer in casinos, because they'd go broke fast.

Paul Freiberger is President of Shimmering Resumes, a resume-writing and career counseling service based in San Mateo, California. Paul is the author of several books and the winner of the Los Angeles Times book award. You can visit his website at http://www.shimmeringresumes.com.