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BrightSide Blog
Archives for the 'Job Market' 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 »
Impressing Your Colleagues On Your First Day
We all hustle to prepare for job interviews, but how many of us take the time to prepare for the first day. Your new colleagues want to see what you’re made of? They want you to succeed and they’re curious how you’ll contribute. It’s no wonder we’re all a bit nervous.
Here’s a great article with 5 tips to calm your nerves and make sure your first day sets the right tone.
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 »
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 »
Let the Government Pay For Your Career Expenses
One of the best kept secrets in job-hunting: The government has offered to pay part of your expenses!
You read correctly: Career expenses, including fees incurred for Continue reading this entry »
Headhunter Reveals The Ladders scam
Looking for $100K+ Jobs? You might want to look somewhere other than TheLadders. According to this in-depth exposé by Nick Corcodilos, one of the industry’s most trusted voices of recruiting, TheLadders is making promises they’re not even coming close to keeping.
More and more career professionals and job seekers are making complaints about The Ladder’s resume-critique and job-posting services, often claiming this household name in job boards to be a scam.
As you’ll see, his article evokes equally frank reviews and experiences from resume-writers, career counselors, coaches, recruiters, and regretful clients of TheLadders. The message is clear: TheLadders came up with a concept on which they can’t deliver.
Gift Ideas for the Unemployed
It’d be great if you could go out and buy a job at Walmart for someone you love but, unless you know something I don’t, retailers aren’t stocking their shelves with job requisitions (yet).
The closest you can come to giving someone a job, is giving them someone that can give them a job. 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.
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