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Professional Resume Writers, worth it?
#7526029
06/03/19 05:59 PM
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Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 266
AdanV
OP
Bird Dog
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OP
Bird Dog
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 266 |
Are "professional resume writing" services worth it?
A few weeks ago, I was laid off from my last job after nearly 14 years. Started from low level pushover to go-to guy for practically everything. Unfortunately, the financial distress the company was in for the past 2 years finally claimed me as their latest victim. A dwindling industry + bad management decisions had my layoff written on the wall for a long time.
Ive already had my resume written for several months to be ready.
So far in these past 2 weeks, Ive submitted about 20 applications for open positions, but only had 2 interviews. Both came from Indeed. I was hoping for more interviews. So Im starting to wonder if my resume is actually working against me rather than with me. I forget how hard getting a good job can be.
On the plus side, a former boss of mine who left to start his own company a few years ago called me and gave me a temp position. The pay is not close to what I was making, but definitely better than collecting an unemployment check.
God Bless Texas Arsenal: Savage Axis II - 30-06 Stoeger P350 - 12 Gauge Diamond Edge SB-1 - Compound Bow
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Re: Professional Resume Writers, worth it?
[Re: AdanV]
#7526058
06/03/19 06:31 PM
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Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 5,399
PKnTX
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 5,399 |
A polished resume is important. I don’t know what cost would be but if it is too much ch you could get helpful hints online. I was “fortunate” that the company that laid me off provided job search training which included resume writing. Some points: Try to keep it to 1 page. Use numbers to show achievements and growth. Make it a living document, tailored to match the position applied for. Use key words found in job description so companies search programs will find your resume. Include your email address, telephone# and city you live in. Make a Linkedin profile and include the link in your resume.
And if you haven’t already, sign up for your unemployment benefits. You’ve been paying in for years so there’s no shame.
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Re: Professional Resume Writers, worth it?
[Re: AdanV]
#7526062
06/03/19 06:37 PM
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Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 1,687
SherpaPhil
Pro Tracker
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Pro Tracker
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 1,687 |
What industry do you work in and how do you feel your writing skills are? Resume writers can be really useful to people who don't write much and work in a general "business" kinda industry. If you are in a specialty field or are used to writing a lot, they seem to be a lot less beneficial. You might be better off just having someone in the industry review it for you.
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Re: Professional Resume Writers, worth it?
[Re: AdanV]
#7526064
06/03/19 06:39 PM
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Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 22,450
Superduty
"The Regulator"
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"The Regulator"
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 22,450 |
One page resumes are a thing of the past, just a FYI.
'It's Only Treason if You Lose."
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Re: Professional Resume Writers, worth it?
[Re: AdanV]
#7526065
06/03/19 06:40 PM
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Joined: May 2011
Posts: 2,917
Bear Charge
Veteran Tracker
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Veteran Tracker
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 2,917 |
"Democracy is a sheep and two lions voting. Liberty is a well armed sheep contesting the vote." Ben Franklin
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Re: Professional Resume Writers, worth it?
[Re: Superduty]
#7526070
06/03/19 06:45 PM
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Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 5,399
PKnTX
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 5,399 |
One page resumes are a thing of the past, just a FYI. Disagree but that’s fine. The training I was given recently from professionals paid off big time.
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Re: Professional Resume Writers, worth it?
[Re: Superduty]
#7526074
06/03/19 06:47 PM
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Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 1,687
SherpaPhil
Pro Tracker
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Pro Tracker
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 1,687 |
One page resumes are a thing of the past, just a FYI. I think it depends a lot on context. If you are a consultant who has worked on a ton of diverse projects over the last couple of decades, you need to show it off. However, if you have worked at the same general position for the last 15 years, you don't need to spend three pages explaining your job - pick the important stuff and highlight it. When I do a first review of resumes, each one gets about 30 seconds to grab my attention. Often, but not always, it is more beneficial to have a shorter resume that focuses attention where you want it.
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Re: Professional Resume Writers, worth it?
[Re: PKnTX]
#7526087
06/03/19 06:54 PM
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Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 60,486
BOBO the Clown
kind of a big deal
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kind of a big deal
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 60,486 |
One page resumes are a thing of the past, just a FYI. Disagree but that’s fine. The training I was given recently from professionals paid off big time. One page resume in the IT and engineering field is solely for entry level. With that said over 4 pages is also to much. Your resume is your interview before your interview
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Re: Professional Resume Writers, worth it?
[Re: AdanV]
#7526088
06/03/19 06:57 PM
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Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 8,340
Dave Davidson
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 8,340 |
I spent 25 years as a headhunter and learned that there some important considerations. 1. It needs to be a marketing document; not a chronoligical history of your different jobs. To shorten the rejection odds, look at the target company’s needs and change your resume to meet their needs. Yep, it’s a lot of work but your current job is to find a job. 2. The first “look” at your resume will be an automated resume “picking and scoring” program. It’s like most programs , very sophisticated and dumb as a box of rocks. If they are looking for the word canine and you say dog, it doesn’t know the difference. And, the more times you say canine, the higher your score goes.
Only then does a human see your resume. He/she will be a Personnel type. They may or may not understand your job. Their job will be to send the highest scoring resumes to the decision maker.
Send it to me and I’ll call you. Ddavidson1942@att.net
Without a sense of urgency, nothing ever happens.
Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley, Rancher Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
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Re: Professional Resume Writers, worth it?
[Re: AdanV]
#7526093
06/03/19 07:00 PM
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Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 11,099
kwrhuntinglab
"The Guardian"
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"The Guardian"
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 11,099 |
Having been in education as a teacher, I have helped my students to write resumes and continue to work on polishing my resume. if you want to send it for me to take a look at I would be glad to look at it before you decide to pay someone. if so, message me and I will give you my email.
But i will say that out here in the oilfield, too much can be overlooked just as much as too little. You have to have a fine line.
Spend time with the ones you love. Time is not guaranteed.
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Re: Professional Resume Writers, worth it?
[Re: Dave Davidson]
#7526099
06/03/19 07:09 PM
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Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 60,486
BOBO the Clown
kind of a big deal
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kind of a big deal
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 60,486 |
I spent 25 years as a headhunter and learned that there some important considerations. 1. It needs to be a marketing document; not a chronoligical history of your different jobs. To shorten the rejection odds, look at the target company’s needs and change your resume to meet their needs. Yep, it’s a lot of work but your current job is to find a job. 2. The first “look” at your resume will be an automated resume “picking and scoring” program. It’s like most programs , very sophisticated and dumb as a box of rocks. If they are looking for the word canine and you say dog, it doesn’t know the difference. And, the more times you say canine, the higher your score goes.
Only then does a human see your resume. He/she will be a Personnel type. They may or may not understand your job. Their job will be to send the highest scoring resumes to the decision maker.
Send it to me and I’ll call you. Ddavidson1942@att.net What Dave is telling you is companies and recruiters use Boolean word searches to auto rank candidates. More hits, higher the rank. Example: if you are an Autocad analyst/engineer. Autocad is very relevant and the more times your resume states auto cad the higher the ranking. In addition a sub set of the job may be more 3D experience then 2D so, all the different Autocad versions and Products like 3D are very relevant and will help rank your resume higher.
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Re: Professional Resume Writers, worth it?
[Re: AdanV]
#7526116
06/03/19 07:32 PM
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Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 29,609
SapperTitan
Taking Requests
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Taking Requests
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 29,609 |
Read the job application and make sure your resume reflects what they are looking for. If it emphasizes time management then your resume needs to emphasize time management. That goes for all the attributes they are looking for.
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Re: Professional Resume Writers, worth it?
[Re: AdanV]
#7526148
06/03/19 08:19 PM
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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 7,133
SR025
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 7,133 |
Some companies use software to sort applications so if it doesn’t contain certain words it is never seen by a real person.
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Re: Professional Resume Writers, worth it?
[Re: AdanV]
#7526154
06/03/19 08:24 PM
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Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 6,864
HuntnFly67
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 6,864 |
I bet Colt.45 could write you up a sure fire humdinger attention grabbing CV. I was in your shoes a couple of years ago. Was considering hanging up my own shingle or joining an existing firm. I chose the latter and the resume base template from Microsoft Word got my foot in the door.
Last edited by HuntnFly67; 06/03/19 08:24 PM.
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Re: Professional Resume Writers, worth it?
[Re: AdanV]
#7526164
06/03/19 08:43 PM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 20,758
cbump
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 20,758 |
Length depends on the industry I think. I looked through Chief applicant resumes for the pd a few years back. They were all much longer and in depth that one page.
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Re: Professional Resume Writers, worth it?
[Re: AdanV]
#7526169
06/03/19 08:55 PM
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 18,954
ChadTRG42
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 18,954 |
You 100% need to have a great, not just good, resume. My wife hires a lot and she will sort out candidates first solely based on their resume, and sort them fairly quickly. After that, she will get into the details of the resume based on how well the applicants resume fits their needs. She can sort from 100 resumes down to 20-30 really fast. IMO, you have to have a resume put together well enough to get past the first sort or two. She has shown me some resumes and they were awful. So, yes, a great resume is 100% worth it if you have to pay to get there. Have several people look at it that have seen resumes and look at them.
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Re: Professional Resume Writers, worth it?
[Re: AdanV]
#7526261
06/03/19 10:40 PM
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Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 266
AdanV
OP
Bird Dog
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OP
Bird Dog
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 266 |
Feel free to bash it, but be constructive for privacy concerns, Ive removed names
its just a copy & paste:
Career Summary My career is built on over 14 years of service dedication and initiative in the fields of global logistics, supply chain, hazmat compliance, asset support, and export compliance.
Professional Highlights
Global Logistics & Supply Chain Coordination  Generated export & import shipping documentation for international & domestic shipments. Managed all shipping record keeping.  Obtain multiple quotes with freight forwarders while simultaneously weighing multiple shipping options.  Coordinate internal & external supply chain for upcoming projects to ensure efficient & timely delivery.
Hazardous Materials / Dangerous Goods Compliance  Generated Dangerous Goods Declarations for dangerous goods being transported via land, air, and sea. Managed all hazmat record keeping.  Research IATA, IMDG, and DOT regulations for all company equipment & supplies.  Established company-wide procedures & policies and maintain them with latest updates.
Export/Trade Compliance  Run screenings of customers against the BIS’ Consolidated Screening List to ensure compliance. Advise sales departments of any issues or concerns.  Research BIS regulations on items that are export-controlled or restricted.  Establish & implement company-wide procedures & policies to ensure all personnel conduct ethical business practices that are compliant with regulations.
Global Asset Support  Supported accounting & sales departments with weekly reports of all fixed assets spread out on a global scale.  Established & maintained a MS-Excel database for all fixed assets that totaled over $70 million dollars in value.  Assisted auditors for fixed asset & inventory audits that were done per quarter.
Skills  MS-Excel  Fluent in Spanish  Hazardous Materials  Forklift Operation  Warehouse Supervision  MS-Office  Project Management  U.S. Export Controls Trained  Shipping/Receiving Supervision  Project Planning
Employment History Global Logistics Coordinator Houston, Texas 10/3/05 to 5/17/19 Shipping/Receiving Houston, Texas 1/10/04 to 1/20/05
Education A.A.S. in Electronics Engineering Houston, Texas 6/1/2001
God Bless Texas Arsenal: Savage Axis II - 30-06 Stoeger P350 - 12 Gauge Diamond Edge SB-1 - Compound Bow
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Re: Professional Resume Writers, worth it?
[Re: AdanV]
#7526268
06/03/19 10:52 PM
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 2,044
Eagle 1
Veteran Tracker
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Veteran Tracker
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 2,044 |
I see "a lot" of resumes each year and NO, I don't recommend paying a service for one. I've helped several people including a couple on this site and would be willing to look at yours and make suggestions. Just let me know.
Last edited by Eagle 1; 06/03/19 10:52 PM.
JMc
This message is brought to you by the Department of Redundancy Department...
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Re: Professional Resume Writers, worth it?
[Re: AdanV]
#7526542
06/04/19 11:20 AM
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Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 8,340
Dave Davidson
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 8,340 |
When I have taught this stuff to groups I always tell them to sell what someone wants to buy. Don’t ever hope someone will buy what you want to sell.
Professional sales types spend time studying a potential target. Then they design their sales pitch to show how their product will benefit the potential client.
A resume that isn’t designed for effectiveness becomes junk mail.
Last edited by Dave Davidson; 06/04/19 11:21 AM.
Without a sense of urgency, nothing ever happens.
Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley, Rancher Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
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Re: Professional Resume Writers, worth it?
[Re: Dave Davidson]
#7526569
06/04/19 12:15 PM
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Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 65,533
SnakeWrangler
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 65,533 |
When I have taught this stuff to groups I always tell them to sell what someone wants to buy. Don’t ever hope someone will buy what you want to sell.
Professional sales types spend time studying a potential target. Then they design their sales pitch to show how their product will benefit the potential client.
A resume that isn’t designed for effectiveness becomes junk mail. Great advice...I have a multi page complete work history including dates of employment, responsibilities/accomplishments, etc I then can pull from that to customize a resume and/or application specific to the company/job...
I believe in science and I’m an insufferable [censored] Actually, BBC is pretty damn good "You Cannot Simultaneously Be Politically Correct And Intellectually Honest!"
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Re: Professional Resume Writers, worth it?
[Re: AdanV]
#7526576
06/04/19 12:22 PM
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Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 43,948
Stub
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 43,948 |
Faith, Family and Freedom
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Re: Professional Resume Writers, worth it?
[Re: AdanV]
#7528462
06/06/19 02:02 PM
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Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 8,340
Dave Davidson
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 8,340 |
Another consideration. Ina sea of words, numbers stand out. The size, budget, # or amount of resources, etc. what difference did your involvement make?
What did you accomplish? Without these, you were standing around when things happened.
Without a sense of urgency, nothing ever happens.
Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley, Rancher Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
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