Hey, let’s get real. Paying someone to polish up your resume? That’s old-school and, frankly, a waste of time and money in today’s competitive job market. If you really want to stand out, you need to roll up your sleeves and build a portfolio that screams relevance and experience. Here’s why freelancing and volunteering beat resume fluffing every single time.
The Cold, Hard Truth About Resumes
- Everyone’s Got One: In an economy flooded with applicants, a shiny resume won’t cut it. Hiring managers have seen it all – the buzzwords, the formatting tricks, and the exaggerated claims. What they want is proof of your skills, and a resume rarely provides that (Best Bank).
- Easily Forgotten: Let’s face it, most resumes end up in the trash. They’re skimmed for a few seconds and then tossed aside. Without concrete examples of your work, your resume is just another piece of paper in a stack (hipCV).
The Power of a Portfolio
- Show, Don’t Tell: A portfolio allows you to showcase your actual work. Whether it’s a website you built, a marketing campaign you ran, or a community project you led, a portfolio provides tangible evidence of your abilities. Platforms like LinkedIn and personal websites are perfect for displaying your projects, achievements, and testimonials.
- Diverse Experiences: Freelancing and volunteering expose you to a variety of tasks and challenges, making you adaptable and versatile. These experiences are far more impressive than any bullet point on a resume. They offer real-world proof that you can handle different scenarios and deliver results.
- Real Impact: When you volunteer or freelance, you’re not just talking about what you can do – you’re doing it. This real-world impact is what employers are looking for. They want to see that you can take initiative and deliver results, not just talk about them.
Why Freelancing and Volunteering are Better
- Skill Development: Both freelancing and volunteering push you out of your comfort zone and help you develop new skills. Unlike a static resume, your portfolio grows and evolves with each new project, reflecting your continuous improvement.
- Networking Opportunities: These experiences also help you build valuable connections. Networking through freelancing gigs or volunteering can lead to job offers, recommendations, and collaborations that you won’t get from a resume writer.
- Authenticity: Employers can tell when someone has real experience versus when they’ve just had their resume professionally polished. Real experience trumps a well-written resume any day because it’s authentic and verifiable.
Time to Ditch the Resume Writer
Sure, a professional-looking resume might get you an interview, but a solid portfolio will get you the job. Stop wasting money on resume writers who dress up your skills without adding any substance. Instead, invest your time in gaining real experience through freelancing and volunteering.
How I Can Help
If you don’t know by now, I’m a business coach helping solo entrepreneurs build businesses that provide the lifestyle they want. Now, I understand not everyone is cut out to run a business, but you can still gain entrepreneurial benefits without the same risks. If your enhanced portfolio makes you think about going solo but you’re unsure if it is for you, my eBook, Entrepreneurship vs. Employment: 47 Arguments to Choosing the Right Path and the Hybrid Approach, offers valuable insights. It’s designed to help you navigate the job market and make informed career decisions.
Check out the rest of my website to learn more about how I can Be of Service to you in building a standout portfolio that gets you noticed.
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