Comments on: My Number One Resume Problem http://www.jibberjobber.com/blog/2008/09/04/my-number-one-resume-problem/ advocacy for the job seeker Fri, 19 Mar 2010 20:17:00 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Jay http://www.jibberjobber.com/blog/2008/09/04/my-number-one-resume-problem/comment-page-1/#comment-352455 Jay Tue, 02 Dec 2008 09:14:47 +0000 http://www.jibberjobber.com/blog/?p=1451#comment-352455 I used to contend that people should not do their own resume due to lack of objectivity. I now believe they should seek help because they lack the confidence, skills, time and, in many cases, have been influenced by bad resume advice (It's everywhere! It's everywhere!). My views changed when I was commissioned to teach resume writing classes for an outplacement company. I found candidates armed with correct information were writing their own resumes and had remarkable success marketing themselves. I used to contend that people should not do their own resume due to lack of objectivity. I now believe they should seek help because they lack the confidence, skills, time and, in many cases, have been influenced by bad resume advice (It’s everywhere! It’s everywhere!). My views changed when I was commissioned to teach resume writing classes for an outplacement company. I found candidates armed with correct information were writing their own resumes and had remarkable success marketing themselves.

]]> By: John http://www.jibberjobber.com/blog/2008/09/04/my-number-one-resume-problem/comment-page-1/#comment-332845 John Thu, 02 Oct 2008 15:43:11 +0000 http://www.jibberjobber.com/blog/?p=1451#comment-332845 Sometimes people need boost or a basic idea to get started on their own resumes. Using a professional writer can put their own ideas down on paper and have it look professional. Today's economy has been putting a lot of people back on the job market. Sometimes people need boost or a basic idea to get started on their own resumes. Using a professional writer can put their own ideas down on paper and have it look professional. Today’s economy has been putting a lot of people back on the job market.

]]> By: Career-Resumes Blog » Budget Resumes, Cheap Resumes, and Your Resume http://www.jibberjobber.com/blog/2008/09/04/my-number-one-resume-problem/comment-page-1/#comment-327713 Career-Resumes Blog » Budget Resumes, Cheap Resumes, and Your Resume Fri, 19 Sep 2008 14:38:52 +0000 http://www.jibberjobber.com/blog/?p=1451#comment-327713 [...] I used a cheap resume when I was in my job search.  It was so cheap, it cost me nothing.  I have a strong DIY (do it yourself) mentality, and I figured I could write my own.  Shoot, I got two degrees in college, and am fairly smart… I could certainly put together a one or two page document, couldn’t I? [...] [...] I used a cheap resume when I was in my job search.  It was so cheap, it cost me nothing.  I have a strong DIY (do it yourself) mentality, and I figured I could write my own.  Shoot, I got two degrees in college, and am fairly smart… I could certainly put together a one or two page document, couldn’t I? [...]

]]> By: Peter M http://www.jibberjobber.com/blog/2008/09/04/my-number-one-resume-problem/comment-page-1/#comment-325079 Peter M Sat, 06 Sep 2008 09:51:12 +0000 http://www.jibberjobber.com/blog/?p=1451#comment-325079 I think that with the rapidly deteriorating economy. More time has to be spent researching potential job sectors and doing reality checks. the resume is a good tool but it's success in this market is limited IMHO. The bureau of labor statistics offers tools to get an overview of what is going on with the economy and job markets. I think the resume format has become extremely frustrating format of opening doors but it is still a primary tool. A career portfolio I feel is the better way to go, the only problem is getting it seen. Here is where networking and old fashion legwork comes into play. Of course there is still getting challenge of past the gatekeepers the dehumanization of the process with readers and some companies using behavioral testing as part of the online application. Most pseudo science without other any real regulations After seeing the job numbers on Friday and the global numbers on Thursday the reality of a global recession is becoming more real. I think that with the rapidly deteriorating economy. More time has to be spent researching potential job sectors and doing reality checks. the resume is a good tool but it’s success in this market is limited IMHO. The bureau of labor statistics offers tools to get an overview of what is going on with the economy and job markets. I think the resume format has become extremely frustrating format of opening doors but it is still a primary tool.
A career portfolio I feel is the better way to go, the only problem is getting it seen. Here is where networking and old fashion legwork comes into play. Of course there is still getting challenge of past the gatekeepers the dehumanization of the process with readers and some companies using behavioral testing as part of the online application. Most pseudo science without other any real regulations
After seeing the job numbers on Friday and the global numbers on Thursday the reality of a global recession is becoming more real.

]]> By: Karen Swim http://www.jibberjobber.com/blog/2008/09/04/my-number-one-resume-problem/comment-page-1/#comment-324995 Karen Swim Sat, 06 Sep 2008 01:51:32 +0000 http://www.jibberjobber.com/blog/?p=1451#comment-324995 @Jason, she is brilliant but so are you! More than likely it was my sleep deprived brain. My opinion still stands. It is an excellent post! @Randy, I applaud you for seeking ROI. Since I am a professional I won't answer your question but will offer additional detail. The marketing tool is only one component of the overall strategy. In my experience the clients that attained optimal results were those that implemented a comprehensive marketing plan. As professionals we are able to offer you more than tools but a strategy. You can have a great resume but if your search strategy is flawed you will not get results. Thus, I would factor that into any quantitative analysis. @Jason, she is brilliant but so are you! More than likely it was my sleep deprived brain. My opinion still stands. It is an excellent post!

@Randy, I applaud you for seeking ROI. Since I am a professional I won’t answer your question but will offer additional detail. The marketing tool is only one component of the overall strategy. In my experience the clients that attained optimal results were those that implemented a comprehensive marketing plan. As professionals we are able to offer you more than tools but a strategy. You can have a great resume but if your search strategy is flawed you will not get results. Thus, I would factor that into any quantitative analysis.

]]> By: Kristen Jacoway http://www.jibberjobber.com/blog/2008/09/04/my-number-one-resume-problem/comment-page-1/#comment-324838 Kristen Jacoway Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:32:29 +0000 http://www.jibberjobber.com/blog/?p=1451#comment-324838 Jason, Again, a great post and so relevant! It is difficult to write a resume' for yourself because it's hard to be objective. It's your story and you want to tell it all. So many times, people come to me with resumes that are 4-7 pages long. When you realize that most hiring managers and executive recruiters only look at it for 10-45 seconds, it's worth having someone who can come from an objective point of view and make you shine. Design and formatting are particularly important--many times, people's resumes are difficult to read at first glance. It needs to be in a format that allows for quick review and that allows the reader to capture the highlights. Also, while it's great to have a professionally written resume', if you are not employing MULTIPLE strategies to find a job, then it's not going to be the golden ticket. You have spoken to that many times here and it is so true. I know my husband was guilty of that at first--he'd submit his resume' countless times to job boards and sit around wondering why no one had called him. I finally helped him understand the power behind using many tools in his job searching efforts. I've said it once before here, I am a CPRW and when my husband's job was being offshored, we shelled out $600 for another CPRW to re-write his resume'. It was worth every penny. I couldn't be objective during that stressful time. It did teach him a valuable lesson in career management--always be ready for a change. He hadn't needed a resume' in 20 years--now we constantly keep it updated. Thanks again for such a great post! Jason,

Again, a great post and so relevant! It is difficult to write a resume’ for yourself because it’s hard to be objective. It’s your story and you want to tell it all. So many times, people come to me with resumes that are 4-7 pages long. When you realize that most hiring managers and executive recruiters only look at it for 10-45 seconds, it’s worth having someone who can come from an objective point of view and make you shine. Design and formatting are particularly important–many times, people’s resumes are difficult to read at first glance. It needs to be in a format that allows for quick review and that allows the reader to capture the highlights.

Also, while it’s great to have a professionally written resume’, if you are not employing MULTIPLE strategies to find a job, then it’s not going to be the golden ticket. You have spoken to that many times here and it is so true. I know my husband was guilty of that at first–he’d submit his resume’ countless times to job boards and sit around wondering why no one had called him. I finally helped him understand the power behind using many tools in his job searching efforts.

I’ve said it once before here, I am a CPRW and when my husband’s job was being offshored, we shelled out $600 for another CPRW to re-write his resume’. It was worth every penny. I couldn’t be objective during that stressful time. It did teach him a valuable lesson in career management–always be ready for a change. He hadn’t needed a resume’ in 20 years–now we constantly keep it updated.

Thanks again for such a great post!

]]> By: Randy Steck http://www.jibberjobber.com/blog/2008/09/04/my-number-one-resume-problem/comment-page-1/#comment-324725 Randy Steck Fri, 05 Sep 2008 05:53:44 +0000 http://www.jibberjobber.com/blog/?p=1451#comment-324725 Jason... I'm glad I met you and really appreciate your help and advice. You really know this stuff. Now... addressing the question and responses... As is my nature.. I like to stir in things... see if I can whip up a little conroversy, which is why I went into management in the first place..... ;-) JK... actually, I'm looking for some comparitive comments to see what I can learn... I have the exact problem that Jason describes... I think my resume is being rejected for titles and failure to communicate what I could do in a transition from the C levels in a small company to Sr. Program Manager at a larger one... Or at least that might be one of the problems... there could be many more. Here is the question in my comment. What feedback can we get from bloggers not in the business of writing resumes...? Does anyone have a real-life story about results from a professionally written resume...? Sending resumes is a low yield activity, will the improvement in resume quality make a significant difference in number of interviews..? Does anyone on the hiring side have a before and after story where they rejected a person from the interview based on the first resume and brought them in for an interview when they saw a professionally written version of the same person....? Marketing tools are so 'fluffy' and hard to really measure. Does anyone have some hard numbers that describe the actual impact of a professionally writen resume...? What increase in Success Rate (interviews secured / resume sent) is typical for a good writers clients...? Jason… I’m glad I met you and really appreciate your help and advice. You really know this stuff.

Now… addressing the question and responses… As is my nature.. I like to stir in things… see if I can whip up a little conroversy, which is why I went into management in the first place….. ;-)

JK… actually, I’m looking for some comparitive comments to see what I can learn…

I have the exact problem that Jason describes… I think my resume is being rejected for titles and failure to communicate what I could do in a transition from the C levels in a small company to Sr. Program Manager at a larger one… Or at least that might be one of the problems… there could be many more.

Here is the question in my comment. What feedback can we get from bloggers not in the business of writing resumes…? Does anyone have a real-life story about results from a professionally written resume…? Sending resumes is a low yield activity, will the improvement in resume quality make a significant difference in number of interviews..? Does anyone on the hiring side have a before and after story where they rejected a person from the interview based on the first resume and brought them in for an interview when they saw a professionally written version of the same person….?

Marketing tools are so ‘fluffy’ and hard to really measure. Does anyone have some hard numbers that describe the actual impact of a professionally writen resume…? What increase in Success Rate (interviews secured / resume sent) is typical for a good writers clients…?

]]> By: Jason Alba http://www.jibberjobber.com/blog/2008/09/04/my-number-one-resume-problem/comment-page-1/#comment-324641 Jason Alba Thu, 04 Sep 2008 21:43:13 +0000 http://www.jibberjobber.com/blog/?p=1451#comment-324641 @Karen - hm... you made me do a double-take. I wrote this post... I see that I should probably change the box where I say "brought to you by" as it can be assumed she wrote it. She's too brilliant to have made my mistake :p @Karen – hm… you made me do a double-take. I wrote this post… I see that I should probably change the box where I say “brought to you by” as it can be assumed she wrote it.

She’s too brilliant to have made my mistake :p

]]> By: Susan Ireland http://www.jibberjobber.com/blog/2008/09/04/my-number-one-resume-problem/comment-page-1/#comment-324601 Susan Ireland Thu, 04 Sep 2008 19:08:59 +0000 http://www.jibberjobber.com/blog/?p=1451#comment-324601 Jason, a good resume writer can serve as an objective eye to see exactly the things you pointed out. Resume writing is marketing -- you're marketing yourself for your next job. It's really hard to marketing yourself, so sometimes hiring a professional resume writer is a good idea. A good resume writer will write your resume as a document about your future, not your past. This is the the most important concept in resume writing. It tells you what to put on your resume and how to say it. If you use this concept, you'll use every word on your resume to paint the picture of you at you next job, even though you're writing about your past. If a resume writer is really good, your resume will influence the reader (a potential employer) to start envisioning you at HIS company, while he's reading your resume. That's good marketing! Jason, a good resume writer can serve as an objective eye to see exactly the things you pointed out. Resume writing is marketing — you’re marketing yourself for your next job. It’s really hard to marketing yourself, so sometimes hiring a professional resume writer is a good idea.

A good resume writer will write your resume as a document about your future, not your past. This is the the most important concept in resume writing. It tells you what to put on your resume and how to say it. If you use this concept, you’ll use every word on your resume to paint the picture of you at you next job, even though you’re writing about your past. If a resume writer is really good, your resume will influence the reader (a potential employer) to start envisioning you at HIS company, while he’s reading your resume. That’s good marketing!

]]> By: Miriam Salpeter, Keppie Careers http://www.jibberjobber.com/blog/2008/09/04/my-number-one-resume-problem/comment-page-1/#comment-324573 Miriam Salpeter, Keppie Careers Thu, 04 Sep 2008 16:50:49 +0000 http://www.jibberjobber.com/blog/?p=1451#comment-324573 Jason, Your story is not unique. I meet many, many people who tell me they have been sending resumes out for months and getting no response. They blame the economy. They blame age discrimination. They curse the small gap in their job history. I ask to see the resume they are using, and it is very clear to me that, while those factors may play a small role, it is the resume that is the problem. As a job search coach who writes resumes, I obviously have a strong bias in favor of hiring a professional, but facts are facts. Wasting time sending out the same resume that isn't getting results over and over again is like watching money fly out the window. Just as (most of us) would hire a professional to pull a tooth, re-wire a home and cut our hair, it makes sense to partner with someone who spends their time focusing on how to help people land in jobs of their choice. Going it alone (or relying on uninformed advice) is like playing Russian roulette with your job search. Jason,
Your story is not unique. I meet many, many people who tell me they have been sending resumes out for months and getting no response. They blame the economy. They blame age discrimination. They curse the small gap in their job history. I ask to see the resume they are using, and it is very clear to me that, while those factors may play a small role, it is the resume that is the problem.

As a job search coach who writes resumes, I obviously have a strong bias in favor of hiring a professional, but facts are facts. Wasting time sending out the same resume that isn’t getting results over and over again is like watching money fly out the window.

Just as (most of us) would hire a professional to pull a tooth, re-wire a home and cut our hair, it makes sense to partner with someone who spends their time focusing on how to help people land in jobs of their choice. Going it alone (or relying on uninformed advice) is like playing Russian roulette with your job search.

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