A Cautionary Tale: Avoid the Hard Sell

The resume writers and career coaches I know are extremely ethical and reputable, but as our fees rise (as they should!) we have to be careful not to be lumped into the ranks with the Bernard Haldane firms of the world.

Prominently featured on Nick Corcodilos "Ask the Headhunter" website is the story of "Executive Career Counselors, Inc.", a fictionalized name for a real firm ... not a professional resume writing firm, mind you, but one of those firms that promises "access to the hidden job market."

I urge you to read it carefully -- and consider the promises we make to our clients. We are ethically bound not to overpromise -- and we must ensure that they take an active role in their own job search, lest they spread the word about you and your firm.

"Mr. CFO" is complicit in his own misfortune too -- he claims he knew better than to "spam" HR personnel, but admits he sent out over 6,000 resumes through his affiliation with "ECC." They did have some useful ideas for him -- joining professional associations and attending industry conferences -- but he was reluctant to throw good money after bad. He'd spend $10,000 on the EEC services, but not $1,200 to get face-to-face with peers in his industry who know of job openings (by attending conferences).

These types of individuals are ripe for being sucked into scams -- they would rather spend money than their time -- but they are also the first to blame you when "the resume" doesn't get them the job. (Nevermind that, like Mr. CFO, they change the resume.)

It's a cautionary tale -- not just for job searchers but for the careers industry. We are lumped in with these firms and the myth is perpetuated that anyone who you pay to help you with your job search is out to rip you off.

Even when the company name is fictionalized, stories like this give us all a bad name.

Thursday Survey: Association Conferences

Yes, I know it's Friday. But I got my days mixed up because my hockey team played yesterday (Thursday) instead of today (Friday). So I sent out my new "Thursday survey" on professional association conferences today.

I sent an e-mail to all active subscribers today with the link to the survey. If you have NOT yet signed up to receive your free subscription to Resume Writers' Digest, use the form in the upper right hand corner of the blog.

Already, I've received more responses to this survey than I did for the Subcontractor Survey (although that survey will remain open until March 31, so if you haven't taken the survey yet, do it!)

I will report the results on the blog.

Getting Your Mojo Back

I came across an article in Fast Company magazine from January 2005 in the "Corporate Shrink" column. A reader asked Dr. Kerry J. Sulkowicz:

Having built many successful business relationships with customers, I suddenly find myself experiencing call reluctance. I've lost all confidence in my ability to create the win-win scenario. How can I get my confidence back?

Does that sound familiar? Do you ever find yourself dreading answering the phone, because you just "know" there's going to be a price shopper on the other end? Or worse, it will be a good prospect, but you won't be able to "close" the sale?

Dr. Sulkowicz offers some excellent advice:

First of all, realize that everyone "is prone to slumps." He says that "sometimes you have to understand why you've lost something before you can get it back." Was it a particular client that shook your confidence? Was it a series of calls that just didn't seem to go your way? Or is something going on in your personal life that is affecting your business?

Just thinking about these issues might be enough to get you back on track. Maybe you'd benefit from writing out a call script to help guide the conversation. Or maybe you need "a mentor whose confidence is contagious," as Dr. Sulkowicz put sit.

Me and My Space Heater

I've written before that my favorite spot for writing resumes is me, on the floor, parked in front of my space heater ... even if it's 98 degrees outside. Now I've got science on my side:

In a landmark study evaluating the impact of environmental conditions on productivity, Cornell University ergonomics professor Alan Hedge found a 74% increase in typing mistakes and a 46% reduction in typing output when office temperatures fell from 77 degrees (Fahrenheit) to 68 degrees.

Hedge says, "This study shows that when employees get chilly, at least in this case, they are not working to their full potential."

-- From a news release from Onset Computer Corporation, as reported in Fast Company magazine (1/05).

I could have told you that!