If you’re a resume writer who wants to write faster, you can accomplish this in part during the prewriting phase.

Before you begin to write, review the prospect’s ho-hum resume and give the content objective criticism.

Write down quick questions that hiring managers expect answers to, make brief notations of relevant keywords that come to mind, and put a circle around opportunities to expand the content.

Questions you’ll often find in resumes include:

• Why is X meaningful?
• What became of X?
• Where in the department did X help?

Notice how these questions start with a W. You might remember our recommendation from a previous resume writing tip: ask questions that cover the who, what, where, when, and why of things.

Spot anomalies that require client explanations, too, such as mismatched employment dates or odd job titles.

Make notations on the printed resume using a red marker or pen because it’s fun. 😉 Though, using a soft copy and typing using a red font is just as good. Since this prewriting and mark-up phase is for your eyes only, you can do as much or as little as you want.

Create a quick list of career assets and liabilities, too. For example:

• Pros -- holds an MBA, recent job titles match current job target
• Cons -- unemployed, date gap is a year old, and changes jobs too often

Make big decisions during the prewriting phase as well.

Immediately put an X over old jobs that won’t go in the new resume.

Identify brief job roles to merge and streamline employment dates.

And lastly, identify more senior job roles to downsize because they provide little value to your client’s current job focus.

The above sounds like a lot, though I assure you it’s quick work now to help you focus your attention and better utilize your writing time later.