NATIONAL BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT WEEKLY

July 27-August 2, 1997
Letters to the Editor

Contributed by

E. René Hart, CPRW
Executive Director/Career Development Specialist
First Impressions Resume and Career Development Services
(now Executive Career Solutions/Resumes For Success!)

I'm writing to offer another perspective on Alex Simone's "From My Perspective" column. It's ironic that Mr. Simone's bio cites 20 years' experience, since the essence of his article is that resume writers are concerned only with the bottom line, not in working with job hunters to create effective personal marketing materials. He wrote: "While it's no crime to pay for preparation, some writers are guilty of instilling candidates with a false sense of self-assurance by telling them their career prospects will improve if their documents are professionally crafted."

As with anyone who seeks professional advice, candidates contact me to boost their chances of competing successfully in the job market. I often meet people who are despondent over the appearance, content and presentation of their materials, as well as their lack of response from prospective employers. They often work under time constraints that don't allow them to create a competitive resume, or they've spent countless hours poring through "how-to" guides, but still don't produce documents worthy of representing them in the job market.

Mr. Simone continues: "Professionals imply that their hyped-up writing and production techniques guarantee success... when they actually can hurt job hunters. Indeed, employers find resumes less credible these days because they so often look and sound alike, and even the simplest tasks are inflated."

Most clients come to me with a "formula" they've copied out of a book or from template software. The results are cold, unexpressive documents that say little about them. From these humble beginnings, clients and I work together to create resumes that reflect their skills and attributes. Indeed, something must be working, since my clients receive a far greater response than before they sought my help. Of course, some people can duplicate these results on their own if they have solid writing skills and an understanding of what works and what doesn't.

Professional resume writers offer clients an objective view of their backgrounds, expertise that comes from years of experience, education and self-study, and a commitment to providing quality service. We focus on content and emphasize organization, design and layout, since an employer's interest must be captured within the first 20 seconds. We also encourage clients to plan every aspect of their searches, from resumes and cover letters to interviewing, following up and salary negotiations.

While Mr. Simone offers solid advice if you're going it alone, he should reassess the impact professional resume writers can have on a person's job search.