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What To Do When You Get “No Response”

More and more job seekers are reporting success in landing a new position.  That’s great!  But what do you do if that does not describe YOUR situation yet?

Level of Engagement: 

Look first to the level of engagement you foster with your application activities.  If all you do is apply online for a generically posted job with a company you don’t know anything about – don’t be surprised if you never hear anything further.  If you haven’t invested much in them; chances are they won’t invest much in you, either. You might get an automated response, as soon as you hit “Submit” or shortly thereafter by email.  While that IS a response, you can do better! 

Re-think Your Approach:

The number one thing you can do when applying for jobs is to send a targeted, customized resume and cover letter (wait – don’t stop there!) based on intelligence gathered first, which includes building and maintaining internal connections with the company in question.  Instead of saying, “But I don’t know anyone there”, start by looking at companies where you DO already know someone.  Talk to 10 people you know who are employed and ask about the companies they work for.  Gain insider information.  Ask about company culture, how they are organized, strategic objectives, management style, and actual job titles they use to describe positions that align with your talents.  Do not worry about whether or not those companies are currently hiring.  The point is, they WILL be, sooner or later.  Start building those connections now. 

Reality Check:

It is true; the “perfect” posting is often far from perfect.  There may be 400 applicants for it.  It may be so detailed that only one person in a million would be perfectly qualified.  Many HR departments avoid phone calls like the plague.  Others have no actual experience with the jobseeker-end of their own applicant tracking systems thus having no idea how un-user-friendly their processes really are.  The hiring manager (a.k.a. subject matter expert for the position in question) may not be involved in the initial screening process.  Posted positions are not always well-budgeted for, or there is restructuring afoot, or there is already an internal candidate all picked and primed. 

Lesson to be learned: the best way to know if your resume writing and related application activities are worth the time and effort is to gather more information FIRST.  Hiring is at the discretion of the company.  You need to meet their needs first before they will meet yours.  And there is always someone truly ready, willing, and able to meet those needs and can demonstrate it without a moment’s hesitation.  Is that “someone” YOU?    

 Last note: this process takes time.  How much time?  As much time as it takes.  Keep your hope, energy and faith in yourself alive.  You can do this! 

 -Lisa

Connect with Lisa Mauri Thomas in LinkedIN.  Visit the Change Your Job, Change Your Life website for more information on resume writing and related services.

Resume Builder, JobsInsider, and Portfolio Display 

There is no such thing as a “magic bullet” in job search.  It takes daily dedication, determination and a great attitude while networking outside of your comfort zone.  That said, there are new tools that help make smaller tasks a bit easier.  I’ve written and spoken about the benefits of LinkedIn for a couple of years now and the tool continues to evolve and thrive in the job search, business development, networking and staffing arenas.

Check out 3 LinkedIn Tools and Apps:

1. Resume Builder:  Start with this link:  http://resume.linkedinlabs.com/.  For this app to work most effectively, you need to have a fairly complete profile as it automatically pulls your profile information into a resume display.  You can then toggle between 11 template styles including Classic, Executive, Business, Law and others.  Then, Outline Mode allows you to rearrange or delete categories. 

Advantages: The builder is quick and easy to use.  It converts to .PDF which means it is portable and can be used, sent and uploaded outside of LinkedIn.  I do like that it formats your profile information in a resume style which can give you a fresh perspective on how your content may be coming across to viewers.  That said, I believe the cons outweigh the pros on this one. 

Drawbacks:  To edit the resume content you have to edit your actual LinkedIn profile which creates a mirror image of the two.  In other words, there’s no way to have a resume that isn’t basically an exact replica of your full LinkedIn profile page.  Also, the template types do not make good use of available space and organizing principles.  And overall, it doesn’t eliminate the typical problems associated with resume templates.  More importantly, you cannot customize your LinkedIn Resume for specific positions of interest.  For greater versatility, you should also attach your existing Word and .PDF resumes with the Box.net application instead.  Biggest drawback of all:  feedback I’ve solicited directly from recruiters in my network regarding this tool have been quite poor.     

2. JobsInsider:  This is a Toolbar app.  You can find it easily by Googling “LinkedIn JobsInsider” or click here.  It works with MS Outlook, Internet Explorer and Firefox.  Essentially, it “links” at a glance who is in your network that works at a company featured in a job posting on Monster, CareerBuilder, Indeed, Dice and others. 

Looking up and connecting with company insiders through LinkedIn has been advisable for years now.  This widget provides a shortcut. Once the toolbar is installed, visit one of the job search sites listed, pull up a posting of interest, and look for the JobsInsider window that opens alongside the posting. 

It will list how many of your LinkedIn connections exist at that company with direct links to the company’s profile as well as the individual profiles of those who work there.  This feature was already available for jobs posted within LinkedIn; now, it’s linked to external postings as well. 

3. Creative Portfolio Display:  For those requiring portfolios or simply to “go the extra mile” to showcase your talents visually, the Portfolio Display application comes in handy.  Similar to the SlideShare app, signup is free and easy with email opt-in verification.  You create a custom URL for your new Behance portfolio and build your new profile.  Current drop down choices are specific to creative fields such as Production Artists, Digital Imaging professionals and others. 

These 3 apps can be explored further to either take your job search to a new level, to jog creative ideas of your own and to jumpstart your networking efforts.  None of them are a “job search cure-all”.  For job search success you still need daily dedication to networking, company research, and active outreach through prescribed application channels.   And follow up, always follow up.  You can do this.  Good luck!

-Lisa

 Need more help?  Visit http://changeyourjob.us

The “usual tactics” just won’t cut it

Here’s a quick snapshot at the start of 2011:  The U.S. unemployment rate moved to 9.8% in November 2010, though  numbers vary widely from state-to-state. 

North Dakota’s unemployment rate is a mere 3.8%; Virginia, a modest 6.8%; Nevada and Puerto Rico top out at 14.3% and  15.8%, respectively. Look up your state’s numbers.  That’s the macro level.  On a micro level, I’m hearing from more and more individuals that they have landed jobs, with increasing frequency, in the past 30 days alone.  Just from my subscriber base, I heard successful reports from 2-3 people per day over the past 2 weeks, all across the U.S., including those who had been looking for more than 1 year.  Common denominator:  they networked like crazy, had a sound strategy, and never gave up.

Go Beyond the Basics: 

Following basic advice will yield basic returns.  That simple statement speaks volumes, especially in this ultra-competitive and saturated job market.  Your local, government-sponsored workforce center probably isn’t helping your resume, especially if the prevailing advice only applies to the in-house job board they promote above all else.  Resume templates should be avoided.  Stay away from the default messages in LinkedIn, whether for connection invites, recommendation requests, etc.  As always, rise above!

Stop Chasing Job Leads – Too Basic:

Conventional advice tells you to find job openings that match your skills and qualifications.  These days, the emphasis needs to be upon the companies themselves, not posted openings.  For example, if you are looking for work in higher education, create a list of all the colleges and universities in your target area.  Learn all you can about each one and build your network alliances within each.  Looking for a job in finance?  Build your list of financial institutions.  No matter what industry you want to work in, first build your list of companies within that industry and your geographic location.

Build Allies, Not Contacts – The New Basic:   

It is not about your number of contacts, especially if you are not maintaining a productive dialogue with a large percentage of them.  Pull up your list of contacts and objectively evaluate each one.  Which ones are currently employed with direct access to the hiring managers within their organization?  Which ones are hiring managers themselves?  Which ones previously worked at a company on your list of desired targets and can give you the inside scoop in terms of company culture, hiring process, and divisional structure?  Once you have them identified, see my tips on Working Your Network.  

Basically… Find Out, Never Assume:   

Check your assumptions at the door.  These could be assumptions about your resume, job search strategy, opportunities that do or don’t exist, your age, your industry, your certifications… you name it!  Question your sources of information.  What qualifications do the people have who are providing you with advice? Are they providing you with real, usable knowledge?  Or, are they simply fueling your assumptions in faulty ways?  One useful starting point is the latest edition of the 2008-2018 Employment Outlook produced by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  Previous employment projections were based on 2006-2016 horizon and had not taken current economic conditions into consideration. 

Kick off 2011 armed with the very best information and tactics.  Keep your hope, faith and ENERGY alive.  You can do this!

-Lisa

Want more help?  Visit http://changeyourjob.us 

5 reasons why resume templates should be avoided

Beware the lure of “fill in the blank” resume templates.  They present multiple problems such as forcing you into a “one size fits all” box and blocking your way when trying to make even the simplest of edits and updates.  Don’t let resume templates box you into a corner.

5 good reasons to avoid bad resume templates: 

#1: Wasted space.  With many resume templates, there is an inefficient use of “real estate” on the page.  For example, category labels such as Objective, Experience, and Education are all listed down the left side.  This leaves YOUR information (i.e. the good stuff) off to the right.  Most people read from left to right.  That puts generic headers in a primary position, relegating your information to second place.  Plus, by shoving your informaton to the right, it forces you to craft very short, ineffective statements or spill  onto another page, unneccesarily. 

#2: Generic formatting.  Often, a generic style sheet is hard-coded into the document.  This is intended to be helpful, but it’s not.  While you do want to achieve a consistent look and feel throughout, sometimes you need to break the mold in order to showcase the uniqueness of your particular blend of talents.  Fighting pre-formatted templates is often a losing battle.

#3:  Expertise required.  It’s ironic that “easy template” users are frequently baffled during the construction phase.  You need to know exactly what you are doing at the beginning to craft a good-looking document as an end result.  You will need to know which category headers to use and the best order to place them in, relative to each other.  If you don’t start with the right pieces in place, they may be impossible to move or edit later.

#4:  Tabled information.  I routinely see old Word templates in use that were created when job seekers still mailed hard copies of their documents as a primary mode of distribution.  Many templates are outdated because they were made before the wide use of online applicant tracking systems.  Example: in order to achieve a crisp look, your information is inserted into a table.  The problem is that many applicant tracking systems cannot effectively parse (or read from) tabled information.  This impacts how your information is stored in the database and displayed upon retrieval (if it meets search criteria, which it may not if your best keywords are in a tabled format).  Note: Resolve this problem by converting your document to .pdf format if you have the proper software.

#5: Generic presentation.  The bottom line is that these generic, poorly formatted resume templates are not only a bear to work with, initially and over time, but they do nothing to showcase how unique you really are.  You simply “blend in” and go largely unnoticed.  And if you are tempted to “opt-out” of making necessary and essential customizations because your resume template won’t let you, it will take even longer to be successful in your job search.

Write a better resume: 

Resume writing is both an art and a science.  There are best practices around any industry and resume writing is no exception.  Best bet:  start with a blank Word page and create your resume from scratch.  Be sure you understand the basic principles of page layout, persuasive argument, and word craft.  This approach allows for greatest flexibility while communicating effectively with both people and automated software systems.  

Caution: If hiring a resume writing service, make sure they won’t sell you a pretty yet pricey template that is hard to actually use and customize.            

You can do this!  And if not, I can help.  Ask me how.

-Lisa

Want more help?  Visit http://changeyourjob.us 

Make Sure Documents Look Crisp, Polished on Receiving End

The purpose of your resume and cover letter is to generate interviews.  Therefore, you have probably spent countless hours making sure your documents look absolutely perfect on your screen before using them to apply for positions of interest.

Will your documents look as good upon receipt?

Companies, recruiters and others receive resumes all day long.  Resume reviews are done quickly, on a cursory basis at best, and generally speaking, it is only those documents that look great at first glance that get a longer, more appreciative look.

Therefore, it is imperative that TWO things happen:  1) that your documents look their very best to those viewing them and 2) that your resumes and cover letters generate requests for interviews.

Here are 4 quality checks to conduct before sending out your materials:

1. Know what operating system and which word processing software and version you are using. 

For example, are you using a PC or a Mac?  Learn about any word processing compatibility issues that might arise from Mac to PC.   

2. Know which fonts are compatible between Word 2003 and Word 2007. 

 To further narrow best choices beyond Times New Roman and Arial, consider Arial Narrow, Book Antiqua, Garamond, and Gill Sans.  Otherwise and upon receipt, your document may contain bizarre page breaks, altered symbols or bullets, garbled text, or unintelligible characters.  And don’t make the mistake of thinking that simply “saving as” a .doc versus a .docx file will eliminate potential problems, even if you check the little box to “maintain 1997-2003 compatibility”.  No guarantees without further testing.

3. Know how your materials display on a sampling of 3-4 computers. 

Send your resume and cover letter as attachments to a handful of friends and relatives.  Ask them to comment upon the formatting, spacing, readability.  For best effect, select those who have similar and different types of operating system and software than yours.  For best feedback, provide them with a printed or .pdf exact visual comparison OR view on their screen to conduct your own evaluation.

4. Know which resume formats your recipients are best able to open, view, and store effectively. 

This is an excellent question to ask during an informational interview or outreach activity.  Follow application directions to the letter.  If you don’t have Microsoft Word in either the 2003 or 2007 version, you have great, free alternatives to explore:  OpenOffice, GoogleDocs, MS Office Web Apps, and Zoho Office Suite which also has a free CRM module with which to track all of your job search contacts!      

In order to get interview requests, your application materials must be up to the task at hand and they must be delivered in multiple ways to truly “hit their radar”.  Are your resume and cover letter documents as professional as they could be?  Think about how you market yourself and the quality of your outreach efforts in LinkedIn.  Need help?  Ask Lisa!  

 -Lisa

Visit Lisa at ChangeYourJob.us

Make Sure Your Application Isn’t Immediately Discounted

Fact #1: Applying for anything and everything will NOT yield eventual success. Be specific, be choosy, and always, always play to your strengths and experience.

Fact #2: HR Directors and Recruiters routinely estimate that roughly HALF of all resumes submitted for a particular position don’t even come close to meeting the requirements of the job and are immediately discounted. Interpretation: odds are good that your resume falls in to this category.

Fact #3: In the current job market, employers have the privilege of selecting from only the very, very best candidates, which goes back to reinforce Fact #1.

Fact #4: In order to BE the best candidate, you have to LOOK the best on paper, you have to RESPOND the best in phone screens, and you have to consistently DEMONSTRATE how and why you’re the best during every interaction from application to final round interviews.

Fact #5: Job search takes a lot of time and energy; to be successful you have to work constructively and strategically at it over time, and not take shortcuts.

Make Sure Your Resume Aligns Perfectly with the Posting:
Sending out a generic, universal resume and cover letter combo “as-is” is one of the fastest ways to be discounted. Typos are another application killer. Applying for a job is an exercise in persuasive argument and generic or error-laden materials won’t persuade anyone of anything except to confirm the impression that you didn’t care enough to take the time to do it justice. Sounds harsh, but true.

If the posting says they need someone with 3+ years of experience, make it clear and showcase your very best work across those 3 years in ways that supports your claims. Specify that you can do what the prospective company needs from you. The operative word here is NEED: the company NEEDS competent, qualified, personable help of the highest caliber. Your talents are auditioning for the next big role; check any arrogance, cynicism, or anger at the door. It is nearly impossible to hide such feelings; if they exist, they’ll show. If they show, you’re done.

Acknowledge What You Know About the Company:
There is SO MUCH information available out there about companies; corporate websites, press releases, LinkedIn, Facebook, Hoover’s, word-of-mouth… you name it! Pick a company you’re really interested in working for and articulate 3 reasons WHY you want to work there without sounding selfish. Is it their corporate culture? Full support of ongoing professional development? Global operations? Family-owned business that supports the local economy? Recognized efforts and impact around social responsibility? Invests in the latest and greatest technology? Manufactures products or delivers services that are important to you, personally? Be clear about “what” and “why”. Genuinely align yourself with what’s important to them.

Infuse Passion and Personality:
Understand your core drivers around creativity and “giving back”. In these lean times, creativity trumps traditional values around “operational effectiveness, influence, or even dedication” as reported by BusinessWeek, May 19, 2010. And this idea of “giving back” is not new but the younger generation live and breathe it better than anyone. For example, qualifications are important, without a doubt, but corporate social responsibility has been trending positively for several years in a row and a candidate’s willingness and ability to support those efforts can go a long way to demonstrating “overall best fit”.

How do you make another person feel good about you and like you? Give them attention, sincerely acknowledge and compliment what they’re about, be consistent in your approach, and be genuinely likable in return. These same tips work for companies and the hiring managers and recruiters who work there. It’s impossible (and exhausting) to do this for everyone, so you need to be choosy or trim your sphere of contacts.

You can do this!

-Lisa

SPECIAL EDITION

Job fairs and career-related networking events are on the rise, once again.

In May, job fairs are happening in California, Minnesota, North Carolina, Texas, Colorado, Florida, Nebraska, Ohio, Washington (state and DC), Arizona, Georgia, and Missouri – just to name a few. More are scheduled for June. Simply Google “job fair or career fair” and your state, region or country and 2010.  Work the Career Event for best results.

Professional organizations are capitalizing on the current economic momentum. Check the Calendar of Events of all of those to which you belong. The information below is geared toward job fairs but you can easily adapt the suggestions for networking events.  Again, work the Career Event for best results.

Before the Event:

Find out which companies will be represented, in advance, if possible. Do you already know anyone working at any of the companies? Research those companies – visit their website, find where they are located, what they are hiring for. Also find them in LinkedIn. This may give you a better sense of the kinds of positions they staff, whether currently open or not.

Bring a folder or other organizer, and a brightly colored pen or highlighter. Organize your materials so you can walk, talk, collect and give materials, and take notes. Bring 2-3x the resumes you think you’ll need. Unless you’re looking for a “universal” position, those found at all organizations, like Maintenance or Accounting or Customer Service, leave goals or desired titles off of your resume. You can literally write them in while talking to recruiters – don’t hesitate to write things directly on your resume during the fair while talking to them. Print on nice paper. Bring personal / business cards, too, if you have them. Prepare a sample application form (downloadable off the internet) if the jobs you apply for favor application forms over resumes. If applications are requested on-the-spot, you have all your details ready for transfer. Or, download copies of application forms directly from their company websites. If online applications are used, go ahead and apply in advance, then use the job fair for follow-up purposes.

Prepare good questions in advance, such as: What are their current and foreseeable recruiting needs? What are their biggest recruiting challenges? How would they describe the company culture? What are their practices around promoting from within? Do they have employee referral bonuses? What’s the best way to navigate their search and selection process? Have they been hiring on a freelance or contract basis, and if so, in what ways? Create questions of your own, too.

Prepare to dress very well. Just because other people there are dressed in jeans or worse, doesn’t mean you get to do so! Step it up. Wear a suit or at least VERY nice business casual clothing. Shower; don’t smoke before hand and avoid cologne or perfume. Everything should be clean, pressed, polished, understated… you name it! Buy thank you cards and stamps in advance. Bring a water bottle with a secure cap and quick, no-mess, “easy to eat on the go” food items.

During the Event:

Arrive early. In this job market, such events fill up fast. This is an opportunity to conduct numerous informational, in-person mini interviews – all in one place. Make the most of it! Visit with everyone that you can. If your time is limited, target the ones most important to you. Don’t overlook the employers that don’t have anyone else to talk to at the moment. Take very good notes.

Collect business cards of everyone you meet. If they use generic “no name” cards, ask for their name and write it on the card for your own reference. Even if YOU can’t use a particular set of information, it might come in handy for someone else, and you’ll be in a better position to swap favors. Jot down reminders to yourself on their cards about your talking points and specific job titles of interest. Find out specifically what recruiters need from you in order to move things forward.

Hand out your resume, but do so while talking with recruiters and making eye contact with them. Ask good questions. Use your pen or highlighter to make notes directly on the resume to help keep your materials extra memorable when they get back to the office. Be polite, outgoing, curious, and energized.

Stay till the end if you can and swing through one more time to make one more memorable impression on those of greatest interest. Have extra resume copies on hand. On your way back through, give them an extra – put a star on it, smile, and ask them to please keep yours at the top of their stack. Yes, recruiters will likely shred your resume once they are back in the office – don’t let that stop you! It’s only because of the heavy reliance on applicant tracking systems these days.

After the Event:

Immediately after the job fair, go through and organize all your materials while everything is still fresh in your mind. Write your Thank You notes in the car and mail them on your way home. Remind them of something you spoke of together, something memorable. Indicate that you have tackled or will tackle all the follow-up items they suggested (and be sure you actually do!). Mention something that really impresses you about their company. Let them know you’ll follow up with them in the next 3-4 days regarding next steps. Follow-up as intended. Continue to add to your notes each step of the way.

Need a Checklist to keep you organized? Visit Lisa Mauri Thomas on LinkedIn – the job fair checklist is available for download on my profile: in .doc and .docx formats http://www.linkedin.com/in/lisamaurithomas. Good luck!!

-Lisa

Whether currently employed or not, this blog is for you passive and active job seekers out there.  This blog champions YOU whether you are currently working in a job you love, waiting for the economy to ease up so you can find something better, or you have been searching for work for many months.  The point is this:  no matter what stage you are at, you want your efforts to be productive.  Solid, proactive efforts can include managing the finer points of your career, finding ways to cope in a less-than-satisfactory job, or re-vamping your job search strategy for maximum impact.  Managing your career starts with understanding Career Management 101.  Now, I am more of an applied gal – not overly theoretical by nature.  But let’s tackle a bit of theory to get started.

Career management theory
This starts with understanding where you are at within the career lifecycle.  Career or vocational lifecycle theorists have been around for 100 years, starting with Parsons in the early 20th century.  If you would like to dive in further, check out the other big names in this area including Ginzberg, Ginsburg, Axelrad, Herma, Super and one of the biggest, Holland in the 1960′s.  My point in including these names is to remind us all that questions around career development have been swirling for a long time.  This also means there is a large body of knowledge out there for you to delve into whenever you’re ready.

More recently, the National Career Development Guidelines were implemented to show that we repeat phases throughout our lives at ever increasing levels of complexity.  We are continually exploring themes of self-knowledge, educational and occupational opportunities, and career planning tools from childhood through adulthood.  Assuming a purely adult audience here, let’s look  more closely at what these phases mean to us now.

Self-knowledge involves maintaining a positive self-image, continually improving upon effective behaviors, and understanding how changes and transitions affect your career goals.  The exploration of educational and occupational opportunity ultimately lends itself to understanding societal changes and the implications such changes have on your career path.  Career planning tools incorporates your understanding of and the extent you adhere to concepts of work/life balance, gender roles, and the resources available to you in times of change and transition.  You approach these themes again and again throughout your 20′s, 30′s, 40′s, 50′s and beyond.

As disruption and alternate paths have become inevitable in our personal and professional lives, “change” has become a central principle to most recent theorists including Savikas, Miller-Tiedeman, Hansen, Guindon, Hanna, and Krumboltz.

Applying theory to career management
First, start with acquiring stronger self-knowledge which ranges from your likes and dislikes to resources available and sources of support and on further to your attitude about yourself, your choices so far, and life in general.  All of this requires honest self-reflection; not always comfortable but necessary.  Second, explore the concept of opportunity in any of the following ways… Is your industry or career field fairly new to the scene (i.e. social media marketing, electronic publishing), has it become standardized and is now leveling out in terms of growth and entry requirements (i.e. e-commerce, human resource specialists), or is it in decline (i.e. photo finishing, lithography)?  How many companies in your area frequently hire for what your skills and talents allow?  How can you differentiate yourself from the pack through additional training and branding techniques?

Last but not least, make use of career planning tools such as free self-assessments and related career assessments, develop your skills for optimal decision-making, apply strategy to your job search that takes into account your skills, industry conditions, geographic considerations and more.  Get expert help in designing and developing resumes and cover letters that are geared specifically to your goals and align with your job search strategy.

Stay tuned…  next week I will dive into things you can actively do to benefit your career.

Have a great week!

Lisa Mauri Thomas
www.changeyourjob.us

Every day I witness these amazing examples of two teams on a shared playing field, jobseekers and employers, who can’t FIND each other! Hireway combines ethical recruiting on behalf of human resources and hiring managers with the diligence, fairness and feedback that jobseekers deserve.

While there is a cost to drive employment success, costs should be justifiable, manageable and sustainable – for both sides. That said, employers can post jobs for free on Hireway (most job posting sites are moderately to outrageously expensive for employers). This benefits jobseekers directly. A more affordable search process can mean a quicker process; and today more than ever, jobseekers need to see faster results. I am a former HR Director and hiring manager, now championing the jobseekers out there who need to be able to navigate this current job search minefield with their dignity intact.

Jobseekers have also born a cost. Recruiters are now charging jobseekers thousands of dollars with the “hope” of finding them something that will pay the mortgage. Happens in every bad economy; saw this up close and personal back in 1991 when I was looking for my first job out of college in a recession. If that is not your direction of choice, you should still be able to get substantial, in-depth guidance at an affordable price.

For example, everyone has become more of a “do-it-yourselfer” in this economy. Writing your own resume is not new yet resume writing firms are everywhere. These firms charge hundreds of dollars to write your resume for you. But that begs the question: why pay someone hundreds of dollars to write about you, when YOU are the expert on you? So I urge you to take a stab at writing your own resume.  If that doesn’t work for you, resume writers are easy to find.

But that said, let’s talk about resume critiques. Free resume critiques are everywhere, which brings to mind the old adage, “you get what you pay for”. Resume writing firms offer free resume critiques to capture your contact information and upsell their resume writing packages to you. Some of these free critiques are even automated. You’ll know which ones are when you receive your resume critique feedback in under 2 minutes from the moment you hit “submit”. There is NO way a pair of human eyes reviewed your credentials or provided thoughtful yet critical evaluation of your content that fast. Beyond that, many resume writers are trained as persuasive writers, which is not the equivalent of bringing an HR or hiring manager’s perspective to your resume.

How do you get insightful, in-depth feedback on your resume that will go the distance and be transferable to every resume version you can produce? Seek out truly professional, qualified expertise. And you should be able to find such a service for roughly the price of a tank of gas. Your career progression is a worthwhile investment but it shouldn’t break your piggy bank.

Whether you are an employer or a jobseeker, enjoy this site and succeed beautifully!

Lisa Thomas
http://changeyourjob.us