Why does writing a resume feel so hard, even when I have a good work history and relevant skills? Is it just the pressure of “selling myself” that’s difficult, or are there specific aspects of resume writing, like choosing the right format, tailoring it to different job descriptions, quantifying my achievements, or dealing with applicant tracking systems (ATS) that make the process particularly challenging? I’m also curious about how much of the difficulty stems from knowing what information to include versus what to exclude, and how much emphasis to place on different sections based on the specific role I’m applying for. Finally, is there a psychological component to the stress of resume writing – like fear of rejection or a feeling that my resume isn’t a true reflection of my abilities – that contributes to the overall difficulty?
Answer
Writing a resume feels hard for several reasons, encompassing psychological, practical, and strategic challenges:
1. Self-Assessment and Reflection:
- Difficulty in Identifying Accomplishments: People often struggle to recognize and articulate their accomplishments. They may downplay their contributions or attribute success to external factors, making it difficult to identify specific instances of impact.
- Overestimation or Underestimation: Accurately assessing skills and experience is challenging. Individuals may overestimate their proficiency in certain areas or underestimate the value of skills they possess.
- Connecting Experiences to Target Job: The need to connect past experiences to the specific requirements of the target job requires careful analysis and strategic thinking. Translating general skills into relevant qualifications for a particular role can be difficult.
2. Condensing Information:
- Limited Space: The resume format typically demands conciseness. Reducing a career’s worth of experiences and skills to one or two pages is a challenge, requiring ruthless prioritization and careful word choice.
- Choosing What to Exclude: Deciding what information to omit can be difficult, especially when individuals feel that certain experiences contributed to their overall development, even if they are not directly relevant to the target role.
- Balancing Brevity and Detail: Finding the right balance between providing sufficient detail to demonstrate competence and keeping the resume concise and easy to read is a constant challenge.
3. Writing and Presentation:
- Using Action Verbs and Quantifiable Results: Crafting compelling bullet points that showcase accomplishments using action verbs and quantifiable results requires careful writing and attention to detail.
- Grammar, Spelling, and Formatting: Ensuring flawless grammar, spelling, and formatting is essential for creating a professional impression. Proofreading and editing can be time-consuming and require attention to detail.
- Maintaining Consistency and Clarity: Maintaining consistency in formatting and using clear, concise language throughout the resume is crucial for readability and professionalism.
4. Strategic Considerations:
- Tailoring to Each Job: Customizing the resume for each job application is essential to highlight the most relevant skills and experiences. This requires careful analysis of the job description and tailoring the resume accordingly.
- Keywords and Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS): Understanding how Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) work and incorporating relevant keywords into the resume is crucial for ensuring that it is not filtered out before reaching a human reviewer.
- Highlighting Strengths and Addressing Weaknesses: Strategically highlighting strengths while addressing any potential weaknesses or gaps in experience requires careful planning and wording.
- Creating a Compelling Narrative: Weaving together experiences to create a compelling narrative that showcases career progression and demonstrates a clear trajectory toward the target role can be challenging.
5. Psychological Factors:
- Fear of Rejection: The fear of rejection can be paralyzing, leading to procrastination and difficulty in completing the resume.
- Imposter Syndrome: Feelings of inadequacy or imposter syndrome can make it difficult to accurately assess and articulate one’s skills and accomplishments.
- Perfectionism: Striving for perfection can lead to overthinking and excessive editing, making it difficult to finalize the resume.
- Overwhelm: The sheer number of resources and advice available online can be overwhelming, making it difficult to know where to start and what information to trust.
- Anxiety about Job Searching: The overall anxiety associated with job searching can make the resume writing process feel daunting and stressful.