Should I Use A Resume Template?

Should I use a resume templateThe job search is one of the most important processes you will partake in throughout your career.

Finding ways to perfect this process will be critical to your success.

This post will address the benefits and disadvantages of using resume templates.

Why Should I Use A Resume Template

A good resume allows job seekers to market their skills, abilities, and experiences. Potential employers scrutinize the resume and use it to gauge the connection between what you bring to the table and job requirements. To be successful and land a job, you will need to have a professional resume that will increase your chances of being hired. It can be tedious and time consuming for you to come up with a resume from scratch. However, chances are that you might end up including unnecessary details or excluding important information.  This process can sometimes be daunting.

One option is to use an electronic template (included on installed computer software or acquired online) for a resume. Templates can be handy because they provide an outline for creating a resume.

We advise some clients to be thoughtful before using a template.  It is important to be aware of the advantages and disadvantages before moving forward.

Advantages of using resume templates:

Besides giving you a professional format and making your time easy while putting a resume together, resume templates offer the following benefits:

  • Resume templates provide a professional look – Job search competition is usually intense and competitive. Therefore, your resume needs to have a professional look, so that it can stand out from other candidates. Templates become essential because they can increase your chances of landing a job. You get a variety of formatting features and styles that can be customized. These styles and features are included to make your job applications elegant and stylish.
  • Saves time – Resume templates save time that could be used in other ways vs. the additional time needed to make a resume from scratch.  With templates, you download the most suitable template for the job for which you are applying.
  • Some resume templates are specific to particular industries – A big percentage of resumes are customized and tailored according to specific industries. Subsequently, this gives you the option of downloading templates that best suit your job application needs. With templates, you don’t need to start over again from scratch when applying for a different job in a different sector. It is a big advantage especially for recent graduates who are applying to different fields.
  • Resume templates are designed to match your career stage – There are resumes available for everyone at any level of their career. For example, you will find templates for recent graduates that do not focus on the length of work experience, rather they concentrate on qualifications and skills. However, if you are more experienced you will find templates that focus on your skills and length of employment.  This helps to make a good first impression with potential employers.

Essentially, there is almost every type of style and format when it comes to resume templates.

Disadvantages of resume templates:

  • Resume templates can be too generic in appearance: One of the problems with resume templates is that their styles and formatting are immediately recognizable. It takes just a glance from the potential employer (who view 100’s of applications on a daily basis) to know that you have used a standard resume template. Some employers feel candidates that use templates don’t take the time necessary to adequately prepare a resume. As such, your resume might end up in the shredder even without the employer reading it.
  • They lack personal touch – When you use templates, you are unable to add a personal touch according to your skills, abilities, and specializations. Some templates, do not allow you to accurately showcase your prior accomplishments and positions. In addition, some templates have weird formatting that cannot be fixed. You should be able to customize your resume to ensure you are not playing hide and seek (making the employer work hard to match your skills to the job) with your skills. These types of problems do not help you land the job.
  • Communicating your work history – Due to inflexible formatting, some templates may highlight negative aspects about your background. For example, formatting problems can show that you have not had a stable and steady previous work history. Due to this, potential employers might consider you a job hopper who does not have commitment and discipline to stick to a job position for a long duration of time. You want your resume to be flexible enough to show all of your best attributes.

Now that you know the advantages and disadvantages of templates.  Here are some recommendations from YourCareerDoctor:

  1. Taking the time to make a good decision to use templates. This is imperative because it may mean the difference between having a stylish resume and no job or having a custom resume and getting the job.  Most of us prefer to be employed vs. having a good-looking resume.
  2. Do some research on the field, then decide if it is a good idea to use a template. Twenty minutes of research could net a job with a nice yearly salary. Divide the time spent on the resume by the salary and you will see the worth of your time.
  3. Resumes should always be customized to show how your skills and abilities match the position.
  4. We also suggest looking at template formats then creating a custom resume from scratch. Again, the goal is to get hired.

Hopefully, this post will help your decision in creating a resume.  Feel free to post your resume for free on our job board. Feel free to reach out to us if you have questions.  Until next time, good luck with your job search.  And remember to #ownyourcareer!

Sincerely,

Dr. Derrick E. Haynes — YourCareerDoctor

Looking for a Job? Visit the Best Job Search Engine Around!

Unhappy At work – Are you Unhappy with Your Current Job?

As someoUnhappy at workne who desires to see employees have healthy careers; it has always been my hope that they enjoy the work they do.

This is important, as most of us spend more time at work than we do with those we love.

On a daily basis, we trade our time at work for a paycheck.

As the process goes on day after day; you have to ask if you are truly happy with what you do?

In some cases, it is hard to stay engaged while at work.  During the workday, there are many things that impact our level of engagement.

A recent study by The Conference Board found that a little over 50% of employees are dissatisfied with their jobs.

Throughout my career, I have observed scores of dissatisfied employees.  If I were, to sum up some of the reasons why they are unhappy, I would say they fall into the following categories:

Causes Of Employee Dissatisfaction

  • Bad Bosses – Employees often state that they have left positions because of their bosses vs. their job. A bad boss can be a micromanager, bully, bad communicator, unfair, or an overall jerk. Regardless of the reason, bad bosses are often good at chasing away good employees.
  • Lack of challenge – Sometimes, employees find themselves in a position where they are able to do their job in their sleep, or without much effort. This is okay for some but it becomes a huge psychological drain for others while making for a boring work day.
  • Lack of opportunities for advancement – The nature of some jobs along with organizational structure, does not allow individuals to advance or gain new skills or experiences. Most employees’ welcome opportunities to grow and make their job experience fulfilling. The lack of opportunities often leads to disengagement and dissatisfaction.
  • Hard work with no recognition — One of the great failures of leaders and organizations, is their inability to recognize the hard work and accomplishments of their employees. Many employees want to have some sort of recognition for the work they perform.  Not acknowledging performance leads to dissatisfaction and disengagement.
  • It is time to move on – Some positions are only intended for the employee to stay for a few years. The market may dictate that job outputs stay fresh and relevant in order to have the best business-related impact.  In some cases, employees simply have grown to the point where they are no longer a good fit for the position.  This is not a bad thing.  It just means that it is time to move on to a new job.  This requires the employee to be truthful with themselves in order to avoid getting into a rut and becoming dissatisfied.

I am sure you can easily add many more categories to the list above, based on your experiences.

What To do When You Are Unhappy With Your Job

So, the question now becomes what should I do, if I am disengaged?  YourCareerDoctor recommends that you take time to make an honest assessment of your situation.  A common mistake that many employees make is thinking that their identity is wrapped up in just one business or job.  They cannot see themselves working at another job, or for another business.  I always argue that regardless of the circumstance, their education, skills, and experiences are worth something to another employer.  So instead of staying disengaged and unhappy, go find another job.  Why stay at a job if you are not happy?

Just a few things to ponder as you think about going to work tomorrow!

If you are looking for a job, feel free to visit our job board at https://jobs.yourcareerdoctor.com.  We have thousands of jobs all over the United States with a focus on #atlantajobs #bostonjobs #denverjobs #dallasjobs #orlandojobs #phoenixjobs #sanfranciscojobs.  Now is a good time to own your career.  Good luck with your search!

Sincerely,

Dr. Derrick E. Haynes — YourCareerDoctor

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