Ask Better Questions, Write Better Resumes

My goal, when I wrote the first edition of "Write Great Resumes Faster," was to compile in one place the great tips and resources I had assembled to help me write better resumes -- and to use them to write resumes faster, since I'm self-employed, and time equals money!

Over time, I expanded the book (leading to a second edition), and finally, this year, I turned it into a Resume Writers' Digest Special Report -- delivering it in electronic form as a PDF for immediate download so that I could continue to incorporate new information and ideas, without having to mess so much with the design (adding pages to an 8-1/2 by 11 special report is a LOT easier than paginating an 8-1/2 by 5-1/2 book).

I'm continuing to add new material to the special report. Consequently, a few months ago, I put together a survey to ask resume writers the best questions to ask their clients to get great information for the resumes they write. The results were fabulous, and are being incorporated into the Special Report. But the answers also sparked the cover story of the Summer 2009 issue, "10 Questions: Better Questions Yield Better Resumes."

The response to the article itself has been fabulous -- I've sold dozens of copies of the Special Report and was just asked by a prominent colleague to turn the article into a client-oriented piece for inclusion on her popular blog for job-seekers! (I'll provide the link when it's published.)

But in the meantime, feel free to incorporate these questions -- compiled from some of the best resume writers in the world!! -- into your data collection process. I've already done so, and am finding that these questions really DO yield better resumes. See if they work as well for you ... and be sure to let me know!

Also, if you don't currently subscribe to the Resume Writers' Digest newsletter -- you should! It's free (supported by the sale of our Special Reports and advertising).

Start Planning Now for International Update Your Resume Month

The ninth annual International Update Your Resume Month is this September. Career Directors International is posting 75 days of resume writing tips on the CDI Twitter page.

Resume writers (you do not have to be a member of CDI to participate) can download banners here to promote the idea that job seekers should keep their resume updated. You can use the banners to link to your own websites. (CDI members have access to promotional campaign materials.)

Now is a great time to send out your news releases on this topic to your local media.

Woman Sues Alma Mater for Not Finding Her a Job

Thanks to Barbara Safani for the heads-up about Trina Thompson, the recent college graduate who is suing her alma mater because they haven't "done enough to find her a job."

The story also lends a cautionary tale to professional resume writers: Manage your client's expectations as part of the career development process.

Ms. Thompson thought that paying $70,000 to Monroe College would guarantee her a job … and job seekers who pay anywhere from $49 to $4900+ for career services from you might think the same ... and, in fact, might expect you to do most of the the work for them. ("After all, that's what I'm paying for, right?")

I was reminded of this myself last week, when I received an e-mail from a client who wanted a customized cover letter for a position opening he had identified online. Following the link provided, I couldn't find the position listed online anymore. I e-mailed the client back, requesting that he contact the company and find out if the opening was still available.

The response I received back: "Can't you call them and find out?"

Ugh.

So be careful when you describe the services that you provide ... make sure that clients know that they are still ultimately responsible for the job search ... just as they're responsible for doing the job once they get it!

And be sure to read Barbara's commentary about the client's online brand profile ("digital dissing.") I just finished reading William Arruda and Kirsten Dixson's book, "Career Distinction: Stand Out by Building Your Brand" (highly recommend it, by the way),

and I have to agree -- it's doubtful that Ms. Thompson is going to win her lawsuit ... and in the meantime, she's created an online brand profile that is whiny and negative ... not exactly traits that companies are looking for in employees today.

One Recruiter's (Warped) Take on Resume Screening

I can't tell if this recruiter is serious ... bitter ... or just unhappy because he's now unemployed, but I'm a bit disturbed by his take on the resume screening process. Not to mention that he's disparaging the entire resume writing industry.

As an example of his "take" --

Perhaps the most common service offered is professional resume writing. These services promise that, for anywhere between 400 and 800 dollars, a professional resume writer will not only critique your resume, but also work with you to create a resume guaranteed to “break through the clutter” by using better verbs to craft the “story of your career.” Corporate recruiters, apparently, have very strict guidelines for formatting on a resume, and a secret code known only to them and somehow cracked by the Professional Resume Writer’s Association. I must have missed that workshop at ERE, but I suppose so too did a lot of my colleagues, who I have seen commit such violations to code as cut and pasting resumes off of Monster into Word or forwarding horrifically misformatted LinkedIn profiles to hiring managers.

Recruiters who have this attitude -- which is somewhere between being bitter that resume writers get involved with their clients at all (?) and just downright cynical that a professional resume writer might be able to "add value" to a candidate's positioning -- aren't likely to be as successful as those who partner with resume writers to identify top-performing candidates.

Perhaps it's no surprise that Mr. Charney is currently unemployed? I can suggest a professional resume writer to help him...