This post is part of our series on free resume help. Learn why the format of your resume (and cover letter) is important. You can’t judge a book by its cover — but you can, and will, judge a resume (and cover letter!) by its appearance. A recruiter’s first glimpse at your resume can make or break your chances of getting that resume read — and seriously considered. A professional resume writer is skilled at formatting your resume to maximize three things: Scannability (hook readers in) Readability (transmit information) Clarity (avoid confusion and obfuscation)

You’d be surprised at how small tweaks — changing font, borders, headings, and so forth — can transform your resume into an eye-catching, easily comprehensible personal marketing document to show off your career.

A professional resume writer does something else, too: He or she maximizes the amount of information your resume is able to contain. With tricks like character spacing, margin adjustments, and strategic text editing, a professional resume writer can eliminate wasted resume “real estate” and ensure that your experience and achievements are fully represented.

Let an expert write you a job-winning green resume and cover letter.

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There’s a good reason why people decide to invest in a professionally written resume: it stands out from the pack. A professionally written resume doesn’t carry a headline — “WRITTEN BY A PROFESSIONAL!” — but it clearly conveys a unique tone and approach that makes it effective and, most importantly, gets it noticed. So what can you expect a professionally written resume to include? In other words, what makes it so great? Here are 5 characteristics of a professionally written resume:

1. It begins with an at-a-glance objective and client profile.

The first thing a reader of your resume will see is your objective — the position you’re targeting — as well as a series of quick, strong key words that immediately communicate who you are, what your core strengths entail, or what you’ve achieved. For example, this portion of the resume might look like this:

2. It includes a dynamic, branded positioning statement.

Also called an “executive profile,” this section encompasses 3-5 sentences that encapsulate who you are and what you bring to the table. It includes a blend of your key skills, experience, and accomplishments. If you’re changing careers, this section also includes a statement highlighting how your background translates into or applies to your new field.

3. It features a key word section.

A key word section serves two functions. First, it provides an at-a-glance summary of your areas of expertise. Second, it leverages industry-standard language to maximize the chances of your resume popping up when a recruiter searches an online resume database. For a busy recruiter, the executive profile and key word section are easily scannable — and provide compelling reasons why he or she should keep reading.

4. It clearly separates job descriptions from accomplishments.

A professionally written resume caters to busy readers who have little time or inclination to slog through large paragraphs of text. By pulling out your accomplishments into scannable bullet points, a professionally written resume highlights your achievements immediately; and these, after all, are what will ultimately set you apart from other applicants.

5. It uses concise, strong language to provide the greatest possible impact.

A professionally written resume is free from spelling, grammar, and usage errors — but that should go without saying for any resume. What sets it apart is its usage of strong language, rich with action verbs, key words, and dynamic phrasing. Take a look at this before and after of an accomplishment:

BEFORE:
I helped the company earn $4,000,000 in new revenue.

AFTER:
Played instrumental role in generating $4M new revenue by driving business development initiatives.

The “after” version, which is representative of what you’d find in a professionally written resume, starts with a strong action verb, avoids first-person pronouns, and clearly communicates both the result ($4 million in new revenue) and the cause (the business development initiatives). It’s dynamic, concise, and gets a reader’s attention.

CleanTechies offers professional resume writing services specifically targeting green positions. Certified expert resume writers with years of experience and almost thousand of resumes written help job seekers at any career stage craft professional resumes. CleanTechies writes resumes targeting roles in renewable energy, resource efficiency, green building, and sustainable transportation as well as other environmental and sustainable positions. CleanTechies is dedicated to helping green job seekers pursue their dream careers.

[photo credit: Flickr]

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As a recruiter, I’ve had countless conversations with excited, motivated and very eager people that are looking to break into Clean-Tech. Like many, they are looking to do something more meaningful at work and something that transcends and has a deep impact. Another group of job seekers, and they are not necessarily mutually exclusive, are those eying the Clean-Tech space as a potential island in a very tumultuous economic sea.

Unfortunately, it is hard to assess just how much value you can provide to a sector that you know very little about. I will put forth that for a cash constrained company, it is difficult to project how success in an unrelated industry might translate to success in the industry they operate in.

My suggestion is that you need to do research;  lots and lots of it.  While the CleanTechies website provides some helpful resources (→Blog, Job Board, Resume Writing Services), there are fundamental skills that an employer is seeking and the job seeker must have in order to add value to the organization – especially in this economic environment where headcounts are being cut, not grown.  For example as a sales person, you will add value through your understanding of the management of a sales process.

That said, I don’t mean to suggest that a job seeker should not expect that he can project his past success in selling software as an ability to sell solar panels.  Before you go running off thinking about how to develop Clean-Tech credentials, it is much more meaningful to find a directly co-related skill set that is going to be needed in the industry you are seeking employment – and then develop relationships to capitalize on them, for example develop relationships and some market awareness.

What makes a good hire?
To demonstrate what I mean, I would like to introduce you to someone that I think is a very viable candidate for the right company in the Geothermal energy value chain, let’s call him Chuck to protect his identity. He is now keen on working in Clean-Tech, but before coming to that realization he has done some things that give him situational awareness and an ability to add value to the organization he may eventually join from day one.

As a high school student on Student Council he began to develop environmental health safety interests.  Professionally, he did not really do much more from that point on that would be related to saving the environment – but what he did do was to get a PhD in Marine Geophysics from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1996.

With the idea of becoming a professor, Chuck began to do work with 3D animation to allow students to have virtual tours into the deep. Then he took a job at Standford as a data center project manager to run systems that would allow students to have a simulated experience using GIS and more.  Given this experience, in 2003 he was pulled onto a team to do earthquake research – with the idea that he would help cope with the data that was going to be collected from the research.  The reality was that before the data could be collected, there was an immense amount of site preparation that needed to come together.  Given his Geophysics background, he was able to be a competent project manager for the tasks at hand and began dealing with the entire drilling process: finance, permitting, engineering and project management.

Chuck is now interested in applying his project management background to Clean-Tech.  Given his exposure to the entire drilling process since 2003 and his educational background, it is clear that he has a tremendous profile for any Geothermal company.  It is a value proposition borne of education, experience and a passion and interest early in his career that now has an application in Clean-Tech.  My advice to career seekers is that they find a niche within the value chain of some of the technologies classified as Clean-Tech that have a direct correlation with their work history.

Chuck has a background that will allow him to have meaningful conversations with potential Geothermal employers because he understands what their needs are and appreciates the constraints they likely face on at least some level of the company’s operations.  He might find the need to learn about the finer aspects of Geothermal electricity, but he understands some of the fundamentals of what needs to happen to get a project done and he can learn the rest on the job.

Capice?

[photo credit: MichaelMarlatt]

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• Some words of wisdom for career changers….

Clean Tech is sexy, and job seekers all around the world are looking for ways to enter this exciting market. But the job search can be daunting, and it can take months to land a job. Career changers with several years of experience in other industries are facing additional challenges as some are not confident applying directly for clean technology positions.

The best way to boost your confidence is to learn about the companies and technologies, to identify what you are passionate about, and to learn what roles your experience is best suited for. To do that, you need to research, attend conferences, and network! (See: Does Your CleanTech Job Hunt S***?)

The core tool you should have in your search is an outstanding resume. A professional resume writer can help you identify your most important skills, leverage your previous experience, and position yourself for a CleanTech job. CleanTechies talked to Andy Burnett, a seasoned Sales & Business Development professional, about his decision to work with a professional resume writer.

Why did you work with a professional resume writer?
After 20 years of starting my own companies and helping other start-ups expand their markets and sales, I decided to live my passion and pursue a career in Renewable Energy. I updated my resume and put two months of work into it, trying to make it sound just right. But I realized that it was going to be difficult for me to enter the CleanTech market, given that I didn’t have a typical career. I wasn’t sure about how to position myself and lost confidence in my resume – not a particularly good way to start looking for a job. When I came across a TreeHugger article on CleanTechies’ resume writing services, it made a lot of sense to me. I knew it was exactly what I needed to speed up my job search.

How did you decide which resume service to use?
What I particularly liked about CleanTechies’ professional resume writing service was the special focus on  CleanTech resumes. I really liked the idea of having a CleanTech recruiter and a professional resume writer working together. The resume writer knows how to write a perfect resume, and the recruiter has the necessary CleanTech knowledge to oversee the process. I liked the unique focus on CleanTech, and I was comfortable with the price – especially after having done a quick search on typical pricing for this kind of service. The combination of having an expert writer and a recruiter team up really made it for me, and I knew a strong resume was the first and very critical step in building a CleanTech career.

What were your expectations from a professional resume?
The challenge with my resume was to take my story and make it flow. I didn’t know what the resume had to look like specifically, but I trusted CleanTechies’ experience with hundreds of resumes written. Previously, I had asked some friends who work in HR to take a look at my resume and give me advice. While that was somewhat helpful, my resume never became a complete story. In contrast, the resume writer I worked with transformed a disjointed story into a career story that flows. She chose words that are going to help me succeed with my job search.

How did you figure out where to fit in within CleanTech?
In the past, I don’t think I was giving myself enough credit. I had 20 years of work experience, but I didn’t know how to leverage my experiences and position myself for a CleanTech career. It was great to have a professional resume writer look over my achievements and highlight the most important ones, thereby using the keywords CleanTech recruiters are looking for. The resume writer explained how my previous career experiences were a better fit for this market than I had realized. She raised my confidence and encouraged me to apply for positions such as VP of Sales & Marketing or a Regional Business Development position in CleanTech.

Do you have any advice for job seekers looking to enter CleanTech?
It’s definitely a good investment to have an expert look at your resume. Each industry has its own specific needs, and a generic resume is not going to get you anywhere. If you are applying for a CleanTech position, you need to pull out a resume that shows you have CleanTech experience – or other relevant industry experience that you can leverage in your new job. I talked to a lot of people, and some asked me whether I really needed to have an expert write my resume. I certainly didn’t want to throw away cash, but I don’t have a past that speaks for for itself. I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy sell, and I needed an expert to tie all ends together and offer a complete picture. I felt very comfortable spending the money on a professional resume writing service, and I think it’s a good investment in my future career. Now, I know that I have the best resume I could put forward, and that makes me feel confident.

Learn more about how CleanTechies can help you write a winning resume and cover letter.

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The title of this article is statistically correct. You may indeed have a great resume, but if so, you are in the minority.

If you are looking for a CleanTech job, and you think your resume looks great, you might want to run it by some friends – ideally with HR background. Most resumes out there are anything but good, not to say terrible. If you ever been a hiring manager, you know what I’m talking about: Five pages of resume for three years of work experience, endless task descriptions with no reference to notable achievements, useless information squished into a confusing layout, and a clutter of unrelated seminars, medals, and trophies – not to mention typos and grammatical mistakes…

The list of “no-goes” is long when it comes to writing a winning resume – and so is the record of tips and suggestions. But what does a winning resume look like?

Working closely with both resume writers and recruiters, I hear a lot about the dos and don’ts of resume writing and how candidates can best position themselves. Given that recruiters spend only seconds evaluating a candidate’s resume, as a job seeker you want to make sure your resume stands out from the crowd. Today, given economic uncertainty with recent layoffs in the millions, hundreds or even thousands of candidates applying for the same job. Here’s a summary of some of the most important things to consider when writing a resume:

• Instantly communicate the value you’ll bring
• Accurately summarize your competencies
• Maximize the use of recruiters’ top keywords
• Concisely describe your professional roles
• Clearly highlight your accomplishments
• Set your resume apart from the rest

Need help?
Your resume should make the recruiter’s job easy by instantly highlighting why you fit the role she is looking to fill. Not sure how to do that? You might want to consider working with a professional resume writer. An outstanding resume writer can transform your resume from a lackluster recounting of names and dates into a lively, impressive narrative that tells recruiters exactly who you are, what you’ve accomplished, and what you can bring to the table.

Changing careers?
If you’re a career changer looking to enter the CleanTech space, you have an additional challenge to master: You need to convince the recruiter that your previous industry experiences prepared you well for the CleanTech job you’re applying to. But what are transferable skills, and which experiences are relevant? If you want to work in CleanTech, but need help figuring out how to best position yourself for a career in this space, you may want to work with our professional resume writers. Not only do they have extensive resume writing experience, they also know the specific skill sets and keywords recruiters within different industries within CleanTech are looking for. They can help you put the right details in the right place, and they do a great job in showing how your skills are transferable.

[Photo Credit: Flickr]

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