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Archives for the 'Career Transition' Category
Real Market Pain
This month’s already been a rough one.
One client, upon receipt of her resume, wanted to forgo the revision process, wanted a partial refund, and asked to “end this relationship” with no further explanation. Wow.
Another resume client refused to do career counseling despite her being completely at a loss for where to go next.
One job-seeker sent us a list of demands and concerns a mile long, and hadn’t even placed an order yet!
A valued former client threatened to stop making referrals if we didn’t get her in our already tight project queue.
Sheesh.
It’s enough to make a business owner want to throw in the towel and go pick Pink Lady apples for a living. What’s going on? Let me make sure we’re doing our job right, here.
Is it our product?
We’ve put together the most talented resume team out there; Seriously, our writers are word wizards; they’ve won awards; they’re nationally certified, even multi-credentialed with certifications, degrees, and relevant career paths. More than that, they take the whole client into account to design a personalized document that addresses every single stated challenge and concern. People would be amazed at how much thought we put into a 1-3 page document.
Is it our process?
We have the most comprehensive information gathering process I’ve seen, comprised of an hour of coaching/consulting and a very well crafted questionnaire to both help clients generate resume content and prepare them for their interview process.
What about customer service?
We’re responsive as all get-out. When I can’t answer the phone personally, our administrative manager certainly does, if only to get back to customers with a real live voice to say “we’re super busy, how can I help”.
Maybe we’re slacking on followup?
Our infrastructure is technologically rich, making it possible to track projects through every step and get back to existing clients immediately to address their needs. At any given time, 3 people are paying attention to a single client.
Am I ranting?
That’s not the goal here (well, not the primary goal). The point is we’re doing all we can to keep customers happy. We’re staying relatively small, offering a high-touch service, and bringing clients into the process all along the way. Put another way, we’ve set up a system to control our extensive resume development process so that nothing and nobody gets overlooked or under-serviced.
But I guess there is one thing that we can’t control:
The economy.
In following up with all of the aforementioned aggrieved clients, this what they had to say
“Things are tight right now.”
“I was really counting on this resume to change everything.”
“I just don’t have the money.”
“It’s hard to justify paying for anything.”
“I need help now, not in a month.”
“No one will hire me no matter what I do.”
The pain is real and it flows amongst anyone involved in the job search process, directly or indirectly. I suppose I need to buck up with my self-absorbed complaints of “difficult months” and instead relish the fact that I’m employed and in a position to help. And although my intentions with BrightSide are honest, simply offering or even successfully delivering, such help may not be enough to make the pain disappear.
Only getting a job can do that.
If I’m truly open to criticism (which I try to be), it hurts a little. And I suppose we’re all hurting at least a little in this economy. If it’s not us, someone we know is out of work and not getting the recognition they deserve–sometimes for no other reason than there are just too many applicants for each job available.
After several months of non-response, anyone–even the most seasoned, well-established career professional–will get discouraged. It’s a lonely, frustrating feeling and it seems to be inextricably linked to looking for work.
At the base of the issue, it just hurts.
And I guess one way to offer support to anyone in this position is to hurt a little bit with them.
Resume Tips For Overcoming Recession-Related Challenges
Give employers the real scoop, not just your work history.
Recessions tend to push hardworking people into two groups. On the one hand is the layoff survivor handling the load of multiple former employees. On the other is the hyperqualified job seeker who nevertheless remains overlooked. Both types of people often need to write a new résumé, and neither can afford to do it the same way they might have in the previous millennium. Continue reading this entry »
Cliff Flamer, Owner of BrightSide Resumes, Named “World’s Best Resume Writer” After Winning Contest
Press Release: Cliff Flamer, seasoned résumé writer and owner of BrightSide Résumés, wins #1 public vote for crafting the world’s best résumé.
San Francisco, CA — Cliff Flamer, résumé expert and career counselor, was just deemed The World’s Best Résumé Writer” after winning the public vote for the first-ever worldwide résumé-writing contest sponsored by Career Director’s International (CDI).
So what makes his résumés the world’s best? Continue reading this entry »
Mature Workers And The Fountain of Youth
As a seasoned professional, you have much to offer but remember to make room for new experiences as well.
An effective résumé for will balance your strengths (i.e. what you can teach) with your areas for growth (i.e. what you can learn). In regards to the latter, I’m certainly not suggesting you claim ignorance. Rather, consider showing a recently developed interest in a new industry or field.
This is best done by illustrating how you’ve already Continue reading this entry »
Are “Job Gaps” A Good Thing?
Recently, a resume client of mine forwarded a newsletter article from job board discussing ways to overcome “job gaps” of 3-6 months.
Here’s a snippet from the article, and my subsequent retort as to why we should redefine the criteria for a job gap: Continue reading this entry »
Gen Y’ers Create New “Happy” Unemployment Group
The CBS news covered an interesting story on a support group that promotes the positive side of being unemployed. Recent generation-Y layoff victims claim liberation and relief from their jobs. With their new-found freedom they’re joining a different kind of support group Continue reading this entry »
“Is A Cover Letter Really Necessary?”
Truth be told, some hiring managers will never read your cover letter.
According to a 2008 focus group of 150 senior recruiters*:
- only 23% said a cover letter was absolutely mandatory;
- 63% said they could go either way; and
- 14% gave an emphatic “nay” to this age-old document.
These findings are right in line with my conversations with hiring professionals.
I know screeners who delete the cover letter immediately, some who forward it on to others but never read it themselves, and others who print it out only to staple it behind the resume.
But you know what else they tell me? Continue reading this entry »
Is An Online Job Search Enough?
Everyone would like to think they’ll find the ideal job from the comfort of their living room, or while they sip lattes at Starbucks and troll through listings on their laptop. However, research shows that Continue reading this entry »
Career Fields That Remain Strong During a Depression
The number one request of job seekers during these challenging economic times is “Find me a job with some stability”. A tall order but famed careerist and radio personality, Marty Nemko, has some great ideas on depression-proof career fields. He covers everything from utilities to prostitution.
Human Resources Speaks Out About What They Want
In Sept. 2008, I had the privilege of attending an HR panel who took the time to share what they wanted to see (and did not want to see) on a job candidate’s resume. Here’s what they had to say: Continue reading this entry »
The Most Common Question About Resumes
As an ex-recruiter, career counselor, and résumé-writer, I’m often asked the ever popular question: “Should my résumé be 1 or 2 pages?”. This concern is valid, especially since lengthy résumés can make an applicant appear arrogant, unfocused, anxious, old, or overqualified.
So how do you know when to stop writing? Continue reading this entry »
“Should I Lie On My Resume To Recharge My Job Search?”
[After sending out 1000+ resumes with not a single job offer, a job seeker concluded that he needed to lie on his resume. In his case, he felt he was overqualified and therefore needed to dumb down his resume to get some interviews. It's my estimation that he's looking in the wrong place Continue reading this entry »
“How Do I Get a Management Job If I’ve Only Held Positions As An Individual Contributor?”
[A software developer was looking to move further into management but had no idea how to build a resume to support this transition. My response includes a detailed explanation as to what I've done in the past with clients in this position.] Continue reading this entry »
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