resume and LinkedIn profile servicesI am proud to be named among the best resume and LinkedIn profile services in NYC. Resume writing is marketing, which means it’s not merely a history of  your work life. Instead, effective resume writing articulates a targeted value proposition to prospective employers. Additionally, having a presence on LinkedIn is critical to how you market yourself professionally.

Resumes only get a few seconds’ initial consideration, so resume writing needs to focus on developing a compelling narrative at the top of the page. Your value proposition and your professional brand need to come across so clearly that a recruiter or hiring manager immediately understands who you are and what you can do for the company.

Let me explain 2 key terms for resume writing

Your professional brand summarizes what differentiates you from all the other candidates vying for the same position. It defines who you are, explains why you excel at what you do, and why you should be hired. Your professional brand articulates your value proposition to potential employers.

And your value proposition refers to the value you can deliver to those potential employers by carrying out the requirements of the role they are hiring for.

Understand the details of effective resume writing

Skills are important; hobbies and other personal information are not, although I like to add a line or two in the Summary section that speaks to who you are outside of work.

Street addresses are a thing of the past; is anyone going to write you a letter?

Resume writing isn’t graphic design. I use a simple Word document rather than a fancy template because it’s easy to read by both humans and ATS software. And while my skill at providing resume and Linkedin profile services doesn’t include graphic design, you can drop the content I provide for your resume into any template you please. Until recently, ATS software couldn’t read a heavily formatted resume, but now many do. I read a useful hack to test it. Copy the content of a templated resume into the Notepad app. If you see gibberish, it can’t be read by ATS software.

For creative professionals, resume writing includes embedding the link to their digital portfolio in their resume, allowing them “show, not tell” their skills.

Why is LinkedIn so Important?LinkedIn profile tips

If you’re not on LinkedIn, you’re invisible to employers. Learn more about the importance of LinkedIn for your job search. Posting your resume on websites like Monster or Indeed isn’t the best strategy, and it’s certainly not the only strategy. You need a great LinkedIn profile with a keyword-rich headline that allows you to come up in the search that recruiters perform when sourcing candidates.

LinkedIn profiles offer more than what can be included on a resume. The site offers its members – including the non-paying members – rich resources. You can upload videos of your presentations, link to your personal website, as well as feature recommendations from people who know your work and are happy to share their positive feedback with others.

I love writing LinkedIn profiles because it gives me the opportunity to make my clients come alive online. When I write your profile summary, I do it in the first person, as though you were introducing yourself during a phone interview.

Learn about my pricing and process here, and how my resume and Linkedin profile services can help you advance your career.