Professional resume writing services offer the promise of putting together a top-notch resume for job seekers. While I don’t doubt there intentions, I do believe that you can put together an equally professional resume for a lot less money! Not $100…not $80…not $50….how about zero dollars!! That’s right, you can design a world-class resume (just like the pro’s) and it won’t cost you a dime. Here’s how:

· Forget the age old rule that a resume should be only one page long. Your career, most likely, cannot be squeezed onto one page and effectively represent everything that you can bring to a potential employer. Be concise but detailed.

· Don’t embellish your qualifications. Be sure to highlight all of your skills but DO NOT add skills that you have not had experience with. A good hiring manager will weed out the BS during the interview process and it will kill your chances…

· Be accurate with dates of employment.

· Detail more than just job duties. It is important to discuss projects that you were involved with or led, cost/time savings realized, goal achieved, business deals closed, etc. Those are the details that hiring manager are looking for.

· Tailor your resume to the position that you are applying for. Again, DO NOT add skills that you do not have. Be sure that you are applying for a position that you are qualified for and highlight your experience with specifics from the job description.

· Design your resume so it stands out for the right reasons! Make sure that you use the same fonts throughout the resume. It is OK for the headings, companies, or job titles to be bolded or italicized but keep it clean. Nothing looks more unprofessional than a resume with 6 different fonts and sizes.

Finally, Professional Recruiters earn their money by making sure that candidates are matched with the right job opportunities. You can always use a recruiter to help refine your resume and you just might find that career opportunity you have always been looking for!