Thursday, February 17th, 2011

“It’s just a piece of paper!”
“It costs WHAT?”
“I thought it would be around $100.”

No sugar coating today. Just the facts. Resumes are an investment. They reflect who you are more than ever. A poorly written resume coupled with an outdated format send a clear message that you place little value on yourself.

What many professionals need to realize is it is far more damaging to cut corners on your resume than by having the resume professionally created. Keep in mind, your resume is considered tax deductible in many states. The IRS.gov site specifically lists six tax benefits for job seekers.

In the 80’s, the standard chronological resume typed on a Smith Corona was considered the norm.
If you really wanted to impress your potential employer, you purchased weighted paper (white or beige ONLY) and burned multiple copies.

Fast-forward 30 years. It is 2011. Competing for jobs is more challenging than ever. If you want to play in the big leagues, you’ve got to invest in your #1 commodity…YOU!

Career changers, job seekers, unemployed and anyone else reading this, it is important that you realize the value of your entire brand. This starts with your resume. Would you purchase a vehicle if the paperwork were sloppy, outdated and loosely described the options? Doubt it. Why then would you expect an employer to choose you from a poorly written document?

Recently while kicking around this topic at a career fair, a handful of prospective candidates were “blown-away” at the cost of a resume. Once I explained that a resume is “more than words on paper” they seemed to “get it”.

Recruiting teams have been slashed. Employers are hit hard with resumes. With reduced manpower, only those candidates who present themselves in a professional, organized document will likely make the initial cut. (*We will not talk about getting through the phone interview today as this in an entirely separate issue.)

If you are still reading…perhaps adding dollars and cents to the equation will expand our current reality. (*I would like Suze Orman to jump on this band wagon as I believe she would agree.)

Consider the following:

Starbucks latte: 1x day x 7 days a week x 365 days a year = $1,642.50 annually (provided you buy a double grande non-fat latte @ $4.65/cup)
Salon mani/pedi: 1x every 2 weeks x [insert cost] x 26 weeks = $1,040.00 annually (provided you spend $40 on one service)

If you have money for your Starbucks and salon visits, you may want to cut out one month to support your career search. Just a thought! Hmmmm.

For those unemployed, each week that passes is one more week without a steady paycheck. Ka-ching! If you are a person earning $100K annually, each week that you are unemployed, you are losing $1,923.00 (pre-tax). If you spend *$550 (average) on a resume and cover letter, you can earn your money back within your first week on the job. (*$550 is an estimate. If you have not touched your resume since the late ’90’s, cannot find it, changed careers as often as socks or simply do not know where to begin, you may pay more.)

At the end of the day, if any of this sounds like you OR someone you know, stop and think about YOUR resume as an investment. What is your career worth? What are you worth? Why is carrying a name brand handbag with the initials LV on it more important than your brand? Are your shoes really more important than your marketing strategy? I hope not.

And for my male audience, you have not been forgotten. The amount of time, money and energy placed on sporting events (as a spectator) could be turned inward towards you as an investment.

As mom always said, “pay yourself first”. This starts with your career as an investment!

Now…get moving!