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Should you use a resume template that you download from the Intenet? Well, it depends on who you listen to. Unfortunately, the advice is nothing short of conflicting.
Everywhere you land, online resume builder apps are out there pushing their templates. Even if the resume template is free, they’ll try to hit you up for a membership that offers “unlimited top-notch resumes” (unfortunately, their promises often exceed reality – read my review of online resume builders).
Meanwhile, professional resume writers are out there spouting off about how evil resume templates are.
Whose advice, then, can you trust?
The fog is thick, yet you can sense that the real truth lurks down there somewhere. Beneath all the advice, all the words, like a hidden treasure.
Essentially, if you want a winning resume, you have two options:
- Download a resume/CV template, which you can then use as a departure point for writing your own resume.
- Hire a top-tier resume writer.
- Use a good resume builder (I recommend Resume.io).
Pretty straightforward. Now, let’s take a closer looks at the pros and cons associated with each of those options.
1. Download A Resume Template & Write Your Own Resume.
Templates offer convenience and structure, which can be used as a departure point for your resume’s layout and design.
Under no circumstances should you copy blocks of text from an existing resume template that you find on the Internet.
Before we continue, let me provide you with a couple of attractive, modern yet simple and easy-on-the-eye resume templates specifically designed for the Australian job market.
They are Microsoft Word-friendly and are available for instant download:
A. Contemporary Australian Resume Template.
B. Classic Australian Resume Template.
You’ll notice that these templates provide you with graphic design elements and layout only.
This is intentional, as copying another person’s achievements, job descriptions and profiles is a sure-fire recipe for creating a resume that gets ignored by Australian recruiters.
A cookie-cutter resume isn’t going to get you very far.
Instead of plagiarising your resume content from the Internet, I strongly urge you to use one of the resume templates above as a starting point for writing your own resume.
Yes, from scratch.
Let me start with the bad news.
Even if you’re a skilled writer, crafting a stellar resume/CV is very different to writing a blog, email, poem, short story or content for your LinkedIn profile.
Don’t assume that you’ll breeze through the task because you like to write. It will take effort, time and focus.
Here’s the good news. My team has created helpful guides to help you write your own resume like a champ. Start with these two:
Of course, if you’d like to save yourself time (and/or writing headaches), you always have the option to…
2. Hire A Professional Resume Writer.
If you’re a time-poor professional, this option can make a lot of sense.
In today’s digital job search environment, you need more than just a well-written career fact sheet.
Your resume should be a highly targeted marketing tool that communicates your value proposition and positions you as a clear answer to a specific employer’s commercial needs.
Many resume writers will say they know how to do this. When, in fact, they don’t.
Since there are more factors at play than I can get into in this article, I’ve created this ultimate guide to choosing a resume writing service.
I invite you to read it before you pull the trigger.
Succeed In The Australian Job Market.
Before we wrap up this post, I’ll leave you with one final thought.
Whatever you invest your time and energy in now—whether it’s a resume template, a writing project or a resume writer—creates your future.
To explore this sentiment in much more detail, here’s a TedX talk by one of my favourite thinkers who has, sadly, passed away:
I encourage you to do the very best you can with what you have at your disposal.
I wish you success in your job search.
– Irene
