The value of investing in a professional resume

Do you know the value of investing in a professional resume?

A local prospective client called me to say he had heard so many good things about me. Apparently, he was impressed by what others said about my resume writing skills and he wanted to hire me. I asked him multiple questions, explained my process, and then he selected a package. He was fine with the price and I asked when he would like to start.

He surprised me when he said that if I was free that evening, he would love to start then. I happened to have the evening free so I scheduled his appointment.

When my phone rang later, he told me he had to cancel. He told me again how excited he had been to work with me but his wife pays the bills. She told him he was crazy to spend the money on a resume.

What is the value of investing in a professional resume?

I knew what the problem was. His wife didn’t understand the value of investing in a professional resume.

She was only saw price.  When you don’t understand something, you can’t possibly see the value.

Resumes come in a wide range of pricing.

You can find a $29.99 special from a site in a third world country or a $90 offer from a resume mill churning templated resumes with no interaction with the writer. But that’s not the value of working with me and that’s not how I work with clients.

I understand the wife’s perspective. She manages the budget.

Like many people, she probably thinks a resume is a piece of paper rather than an integral strategic document. Many people doubt the value of investing in a professional resume.

Let’s talk about price in relationship to the value of the job.

What value do I bring as a professional resume writer?

When I first started in the career industry 30 years ago, I would categorize myself as a resume typist with talent in writing.

Today:

• Tripled Certified Resume Writer
• Member of three international career organizations
• In-depth understanding of resume writing and job search strategies

I see the resume as the foundation of the job search. What happens in the resume writing process with a professional is the client starts to focus on the critical things he or she brings to the table.

As a trained professional resume writer, I ask penetrating questions to seek out the specifics:

• Examine what the client did on the job?
• Were there specific challenges he or she faced?
• What actions were taken?
• How did the results change the problem?
• I call that the resume success story. Anyone can capture only the job description, but that doesn’t sell the client’s value.

Design Resumes difference

I offer a personalized and interactive process and the client meets with me throughout the project to design, create, and write their resume, as well as plan and write their LinkedIn profile and other career marketing materials.

You may think that is fine for an external job search but certainly not necessary for an internal job search. People think insiders are automatically given the job. Regardless of your qualifications, if your presentation and delivery can’t compete with someone else on the inside or someone on the outside, you will not win the job.

What happens when you see the bigger picture?

As a partner with my clients, we look at strategic marketing that helps the client visualize the value they bring to the workforce and positions them to win the job.

• When one of my clients wins a job that pays $50,000, $100,000 or $350,000, the investment in resume writing and job search help  is pretty small in comparison to any of my packages.
• The confidence you get when you are entering your job search with a strategic resume and career marketing strategies is priceless.

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