There are templates for your resume almost everywhere you look! Go to LinkedIn, Indeed, or Glassdoor and you can get a resume template for free AND in Word format in about thirty seconds.
But those templates are totally flawed.
Should You Use a Resume Template?
Make no mistake, looking at Resume Templates can give you a solid structural foundation of what to include in your document. For example, the best resume headlines include:
- Education
- Skills
- Work Experience
- Awards & Accolades
- Extracurriculars
There’re a few other excellent headlines that would take your resume to the next level, but it all depends on your experience.
For instance, my resume might include a “Languages spoken” section but a friend who operates warehouse machinery might benefit from a “Licenses & Certifications” section.
Looking at resume templates can help you brainstorm headline ideas and ideas for formatting content within the resume that would be most likely to impress recruiters!
The problem emerges when using an example resume as a “template” rather than an “example.” Examples are research; templates are lazy.
How Do Resume Templates Work Against You?
Like my “Languages Spoken” section, is there any sample resume out there that takes into account exactly the kinds of qualifications I value most in myself?
Is there really a “Resume Revision & Rewriting Expert” resume out there (dang, say that five times fast!) that totally encompasses my core values as an educator and a cheerleader?
If so, feel free to send that resume template to my inbox at kyle@stolengroundmedia.com!
It’s so easy to fall into the trap set by “free resume templates” that bait & switch a great solve to a basic problem, remove all personality from your document, and all but guarantee you’ll never get a call to interview.
Copy some stylistic ideas (no columns, please- it messes with the recruiters’ system for importing your resume!) and headlines that make sense for you, but don’t fall for that “one size fits all nonsense” when it comes to building brand new resumes.
When you’re writing your resume, you’re building a “brand” for yourself. I know, I just cringed writing that too.
But that means you’re encompassing your values, your growth potential, your personal voice, and your career goals all in a single document.
Don’t let a poorly built resume from a template snuff the life out of your document. And please, for the love of all that is holy, don’t PAY for a resume template. Not even five dollars. You know who you are!
Hmm, wondering if I made myself clear on this nonsensical resume writing process??? There are good and bad elements to looking at sample resumes, but DON’T use them as an exact template.
If you’ve done this, get help!!!
Who Is Qualified to Rewrite a Resume?
The obvious choice would be yourself! Even if you followed a resume template five hundred miles down the rabbit hole, you could still revise your document to get the blood flowing again!
A good trick I use to take the edge off is to add contractions (“I am” turns to “I’m”). Try it on your document yourself- you’re welcome in advance!
Another solid resume writer in your life could be a mentor at your job. Be VERY careful with this one, though, and be absolutely clear that (and I’m giving you the actual quote here) “it’s just always good to have an updated resume” when they ask if you’re leaving your job!
Finally, the best person to rewrite or revise your resume is someone with a sales & marketing background.
Note that I did NOT say a retired recruiter here.
Recruiters are limited in their thinking because of what they’ve been through in the past. Marketing experts are able to speak to the masses, then target & engage the best options for the job seeker.
You can be a writer at heart and learn rhetoric, brand-building, keyword optimization and audience targeting, or you can be a marketer at heart and learn how to write in English. You tell me which sounds easier!
A resume CAN be two pages. You CAN move the Education section to the bottom. You CAN put your skills section at the top.
An ex-recruiter has no more business applying a one-size-fits-all resume rewrite to you than a resume template does. At least the template is a cheaper mistake!
And even if you don’t use my resume revision service, rewrite the document yourself using sales & marketing rhetoric, appeal to the target audience and infuse the content with your brand voice.
…and maybe pull a few headline ideas from a resume template.
Resources:
https://www.thebalancecareers.com/how-to-write-a-resume-headline-2061036
https://careerproatlanta.com/good-bad-using-resume-template/
https://www.thebalancecareers.com/is-it-ok-for-my-resume-to-be-2-pages-4766716
