If you don't already know me, when it comes to resume writing I firmly believe "One Size Does Not Fit All." This is not a slick marketing slogan, but a highly effective approach to writing custom resumes in a field dominated by resume mills fronted by job search engines. To spread this mantra to the uninformed I critique resumes sent to perry@perrynewman.com for free; and instead of emailing my critique I offer it to you live over the phone. This way you can ask me questions about how you can make it sizzle and sell.What I find disheartening is nearly half the people I critique resumes for already paid $399 to $999 for a resume the salesperson said is THE ONLY RESUME FORMAT that works, only to find out the resume is well written but underperforming. What I and most people who review resumes for a living find laughable is we can look at these resumes and 90% of the time tell you who it was purchased from.
Is this ESP? No. Its simple; most of these companies write resumes using only one style that describes a generic person holding a job title (i.e. CEO, CIO, CFO, President, Marketing Director, Operations Manager, lawyer, civil engineer, auditor), rather than describing the special attributes of the person who is paying the bill. I admit these resumes are well constructed; and the words, grammar and sentence structure are erudite and very professional. The problem is these resumes are sterile and lack a personal touch.
Is this ESP? No. Its simple; most of these companies write resumes using only one style that describes a generic person holding a job title (i.e. CEO, CIO, CFO, President, Marketing Director, Operations Manager, lawyer, civil engineer, auditor), rather than describing the special attributes of the person who is paying the bill. I admit these resumes are well constructed; and the words, grammar and sentence structure are erudite and very professional. The problem is these resumes are sterile and lack a personal touch.
What I also found alarming is when I asked "how were you referred to this service," I was told it was from the resume critique offer they accepted after they registered to get access to the jobs posted on the parent company's search engine. They told me that after attaching a resume they received a pointed email critique with a nice sales pitch and no guarantee. I asked for a few people to send me the critique and I registered with a few services submitting resumes they wrote changing the name and email address.
What I found was that each critiqe used the same boilerplate generic format and suggested the exact same problem in each resume with slightly different words for each. They all read something like this: "This is a straightforward assessment of your current resume, and not a judgment of your skills and qualifications. Here’s the good news, my first impression of you is that you have an impressive array of skills and experiences. You’re a qualified (widget maker) with a lot to offer an employer. Now, here’s the bad news: Your resume and the content is not up to the standards one would expect from a candidate like you.
I got the same remarks for a low level candidate with limited experience, a mid-level manager who is subpar at best, and for a seasoned executive who was fired from his last two jobs for just cause. Sound familiar.
So what can you do to avoid getting a pedestrian product for a king’s ransom?
1: Get a verbal critique of your resume, not just a cursory written email review.
2: Inquire as to the exact qualifications of the person who is critiquing your resume, and ask for specific examples of what they feel needs to be changed, why, and how they would handle it.
3. Ask how many different styles of resumes they work with, and which ones would be best for you and why.
4: Avoid layers; make sure the person who critiques your current resume is the same person who will write your new resume.
5: Your resume is not like receiving Social Services. You should be the one to choose who writes your resume instead of having someone who you don’t know and does not know you arbitrarily say “we are assigning writer XYX to your case.”
6: Ask if there is a money back guarantee of at least a partial refund if you are not satisfied with the final draft and a free rewrite if you are not getting results after a specified period of time.
7: Have someone you trust who knows you professionally look at the resume and see if it captures what makes you unique and special and then discuss their opinion with the resume writer.
8: If you want someone to critique your resume with you over the phone and tell you if it needs minor adjustments you can do on your own, major revisions, or is good as is, email a copy with your phone # to perry@perrynewman.com
Author:
Perry Newman, CPC CSMS is a nationally recognized executive resume writer, career coach, and certified recruiter and social media strategist renowned for his ability to produce resume, social media profiles and job search strategies that get results. You can view sample resumes at http://www.perrynewman.com/ and email him your resume at perry@perrynewman.com for FREE resume critique.
