I’m going to save you between $250-$500 because there are times when no professional resume writer in the world will help you get that special job.

OK, so you’ve seen a job. It’s your dream job. You think, ‘I’ll hire a professional writer to help me. That way I’m sure to get an interview!’

You notice in the job advertisement that you don’t have any experience in that field. Will a resume writer be able to help? Maybe but you’d have to have very strong comparable experience and it needs to be proven.

That’s not easy and it will take a number of resume drafts and they cost money.

The job advertisement says it wants the candidate to have a university degree and you don’t have one. That’s not negotiable. If you don’t have one, you won’t get short-listed, even if you get Shakespeare to write the resume.

The ad says it wants the applicants to have a Certificate IV and you’ve only got a Certificate III. You’d have to have strong case that you are currently working at Certificate IV level. If you can’t, you won’t get short listed.

The job says you need tickets X,Y and Z. You’ve got ticket X and Y but not Z. You’re not going to get short-listed. When they state they want candidates to have these tickets (and sometimes licences), they are being categorical. It’s not negotiable.

This sounds deflating and depressing. Unfortunately – and this is depressing  – every week I get calls and emails from people who want a resume and cover letter for a job that they have no experience, skills, qualifications, tickets, licences or referees for. I don’t write them as it’s a waste of my time and theirs.

Ask yourself: do I have all or most of the skills, experience, qualifications and capabilities they want? Will my referees back me up in the application?

No matter how much you want the job, be objective. If you need more experience, volunteer. If you need more qualifications, go to TAFE or a private training provider.