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I teach classes in an Administrative Support Certificate program at a local college. Coming from a Recruiting and Human Resources background, I teach about careers and job hunting skills. The students are required to take my class(es) as part of the program. The students mostly come from an immigrant background or are recent High School Graduates.
I volunteer to help as many students as possible with their resume. It is rewarding and frustrating at the same time. Even though there is countless books and Internet sites showing how to write a resume, most of the students resumes that they had been sending to potential employers, before I met them, were just terrible.
I can not help everyone for FREE, so I have hired a woman who comes off as really friendly and helpful. She is an expert in writing, editing, a certified resume writer, a professional recruiter and quite an impressive individual. She has attended my classes and made a pitch for the students to hire her to help them edit and improve their resumes. So far she has spoken in a class room setting to over 50 students. She has lowered her price to $20 an hour. So far not one student (all who are currently job hunting) has hired her to help with their resume.
I understand that the unemployed are broke, but with a poor resume you will be unemployed alot longer. You have to spend money to make money. If you got a job one day sooner you would pay off the cost of the professional resume review immediately.
She has had very little success selling her sideline business editing people's resumes using a variety of other marketing techniques and audiences.
You would think that the resume writing/job search support business is booming. But people just are not interested.
(She does not write people's resumes, she edits them and gives them advice on improving the document)
Why is there such little interest from people who are job hunting to have a professional look at their resumes for a second opinion for such a small amount of money? Would you ever consider having someone (other than a friend) look at your resume for a small cost? Why or why not?
Personally I wouldn't, but only because I can get that service for free if I want it. If I had no access to resources, wasn't having much luck with a job search, and saw it as only a $20 1 hour expense, I might consider it. Remember that the people who need resume help are usually unemployed and usually financially strapped. This service could be more lucrative for her if she targeted corporations. They would pay her for her service, she would be available as a resource to those being laid off.
Developing an excellent resume in this job market is difficult
Quote:
Originally Posted by annerk
No, because I've got half a dozen friends in the HR field or professional editors who will help for free.
Writing a resume isn't rocket science. Writing a strong cover letter is much more difficult.
The average person does not have these contacts. Resume writing is extremely difficult and the fact that people think it is easy, maybe is the reason so many resumes are not effective and so poorly written.
If a corporation develops marketing materials for new products does it go out with just one person's perspective? No! A resume to be effective should get multiple view points. Your best friend should not be the only person to look at the document. Get an outsider who is an excellent writer and understands the recruitment process.
Last edited by Weekend Traveler; 05-13-2009 at 08:49 AM..
No, because I've got half a dozen friends in the HR field or professional editors who will help for free.
Writing a resume isn't rocket science. Writing a strong cover letter is much more difficult.
Unless you are a rocket scientist
Seriously though, resume writing can be difficult for certain professions. The reality of it is that the basics of writing a resume are simple, but making a GREAT resume is not so easy. How to speak to someone in so many words, create a buzz about your experience and set yourself apart from everyone else on a piece of paper while there could be hundreds or thousands of others is not that simple.
It's about speaking to your audience, leaving out the obvious and stating why you can contribute and succeed from day one.
No because I have the necessary writing skills. I also know where to find the information how to write a resume and cover letter. I have also written them for other people and they've gotten great jobs.
I teach classes in an Administrative Support Certificate program at a local college. Coming from a Recruiting and Human Resources background, I teach about careers and job hunting skills. The students are required to take my class(es) as part of the program. The students mostly come from an immigrant background or are recent High School Graduates.
I volunteer to help as many students as possible with their resume. It is rewarding and frustrating at the same time. Even though there is countless books and Internet sites showing how to write a resume, most of the students resumes that they had been sending to potential employers, before I met them, were just terrible.
I can not help everyone for FREE, so I have hired a woman who comes off as really friendly and helpful. She is an expert in writing, editing, a certified resume writer, a professional recruiter and quite an impressive individual. She has attended my classes and made a pitch for the students to hire her to help them edit and improve their resumes. So far she has spoken in a class room setting to over 50 students. She has lowered her price to $20 an hour. So far not one student (all who are currently job hunting) has hired her to help with their resume.
I understand that the unemployed are broke, but with a poor resume you will be unemployed alot longer. You have to spend money to make money. If you got a job one day sooner you would pay off the cost of the professional resume review immediately.
She has had very little success selling her sideline business editing people's resumes using a variety of other marketing techniques and audiences.
You would think that the resume writing/job search support business is booming. But people just are not interested.
(She does not write people's resumes, she edits them and gives them advice on improving the document)
Why is there such little interest from people who are job hunting to have a professional look at their resumes for a second opinion for such a small amount of money? Would you ever consider having someone (other than a friend) look at your resume for a small cost? Why or why not?
Anyone who needs help in having their resume done is not that employable to begin with. I created my own resume and made tweaks when I felt it was necessary. So I don't think no one should pay for a resume service
No because I have the necessary writing skills. I also know where to find the information how to write a resume and cover letter. I have also written them for other people and they've gotten great jobs.
Plus if anyone needed an example it's something called GOOGLE-lol This is not 1989 anymore it's 2009
Anyone who needs help in having their resume done is not that employable to begin with. I created my own resume and made tweaks when I felt it was necessary. So I don't think no one should pay for a resume service
And how long did it take you to find work?
Here is the thing. Everyone can use some type of assistance with their resume from a peer critique, to a font/spacing check to a complete overhaul. There are some people out there who have not written a resume in decades and were at a director level position within their previous employers. Are they unemployable or have they not had to write a resume in a long time?
The stupid thing to do is assume there is nothing wrong with your resume in the first place. Whether it's the layout, the content, the amount of white space, the font or whatever.....it's always best to have a 2nd opinion. Why is that? Because the opinion that matters is not yours...but the person receiving and reading your resume for a job opening.
Here are some simple templates to get people started but the content itself is what going to sell your resume once the structure and design is "accepted".
Plus if anyone needed an example it's something called GOOGLE-lol This is not 1989 anymore it's 2009
So your suggestion is to do what every other person out there is doing so your resume is the exact duplicate as 500 other people?
Go back to bootlegging tv shows unless you have some good advice to add to the thread.
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Developing an excellent resume in this job market is difficult
