Combating Negative Resume Client Reviews Online

What do you do about clients who post negative things about your service online? Today's Q&A with Bridget addresses that topic.

In July, the special report, teleseminar, and Pass-Along Materials on BeAResumeWriter.com addressed working with challenging (or pain-in-the-a$$) clients. You can check them out in this Working With Difficult Clients bundle.

I received the following question from a resume writer about clients who disparage you online:

Bridget,

Ever consider writing materials about how to handle PITA clients that give you scathing reviews because they want to showboat their frustration and anger?

The bad review I got from the one guy even went to the Better Business Bureau. As a result of his review, my last 7 thumbtack bids have been declined before they even consider me. for Yelp, I had 24 views and only 2 clicks to my website or calls.

Last night I decided to delete both profiles, which I'll do today. They weren't producing anyway, so why double the whammy with a negative reviews? Plus I had four positive reviews immediately following this bad one and Thumbtack said I could post them there. They did, but Thumbtack won't publish them because they aren't Thumbtack clients, so these four fabulous reviews are lost.  They could have bolstered Yelp, but Yelp has a bad reputation anyway.

I'm going to restart my blog and do my own marketing. I may switch gears from resume writing or expand it. Either way, how to handle a disgruntled client with a bad review is different in many ways from a PITA client. You might consider what to do about it. Especially when you send them the Client Release Form informing them you can sue for disparagement, but there's enough truth in there that you might lose the disparagement case. I'm still thinking about it. 

My response:

Great idea! I will add that to my possible topics list for a future special report.

Online reputation management for resume writers is handled in much the same way we suggest it for jobseekers! YOU control your brand identity and reputation online by creating POSITIVE content so that NEGATIVE content is pushed further down the page. 

When I Google YOU, I should see:

• A "complete" LinkedIn profile (with glowing Recommendations from happy clients)

• Testimonials and samples on your website that showcase happy clients and your best work

• Articles (or blog posts) that demonstrate your competency and expertise

Right now, Yelp and Thumbtack are showing up on the first page of your Google search results -- but unfortunately, I don't think that deleting your Yelp or Thumback profiles will eliminate them entirely (AND deleting them eliminates your opportunity to respond to clients -- both negative AND positive) ... so I would instead make a concerted effort to INCREASE your positive reviews on both sites, while simultaneously REDUCING your dependence on both of them as sources of new clients (Thumbtack in particular).

Thumbtack is the equivalent of our jobseeking clients applying for jobs online. It can work, but it's not a great strategy ... you are at the whim of the person at the other end of the keyboard.

However, for Thumbtack, go through your client database and look for clients who found you through the service -- and were HAPPY -- and ask them to write a review for you.

If you decide to continue writing resumes, the most important things for you to do are:

1. Standardize your client management process so that all clients have the same intake policy (and you don't make *exceptions* for clients -- as you found out with [client name redacted], that is a RED FLAG for a potential PITA client). They either work with you the way YOU want to, or you don't work with them. AND you need to make sure you meet 100% of client deadlines going forward, because that's critical.

2. TAKE CONTROL of your client marketing. In addition to boosting your positive responses on Yelp and Thumbtack, increase the content you have available out there that YOU control. Posting regularly on Facebook, adding at least one blog post a week, writing articles for third-party sites (these have to be UNIQUE content) like Ezinearticles.com, goarticles.com, etc.

You also need to figure out who your IDEAL client is, and identify how to connect with these folks. 

I've attached the "Attract Your Ideal Resume Client" special report (that was your Bronze member special report in April 2014) and I encourage you to work through it!

Hope that helps!!

Bridget

Do You Know Employment Law?

You're a resume writer, not a lawyer. But having a basic grasp of employment law is useful, because it not only informs the resumes you write, but it can help you position your clients appropriately when they have "special" situations.

For example, my clients have included:

• A woman who was two months pregnant and job searching -- and wondering if she should tell her employers she was expecting. (I directed her to information about the Pregnancy Discrimination Act)
• A young woman looking for her first teaching job who had graduated from college two years ago, but was diagnosed with cancer just a month after completing school. (The Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 prevents employers from asking medical questions in an interview, but I coached her to answer the question about the job gap in such a way that it would satisfy an employer that her health issues were resolved and she was ready to work!)
• A young man from Nepal who was interested in working in the U.S. (I had to educate myself about H1-B visas!)
• Numerous Army and Air Force veterans. Anytime you're working with a veteran, you should be aware of special consideration for veterans in hiring for federal agencies and government contractors)
• My 16-year-old niece. Her current employer cited a provision in the Fair Labor Standards act that allows employers to pay employees under age 20 just $4.25 an hour for their first 90 calendar days of employment with the company, even though federal minimum wage is (currently) $7.25 an hour.

Having knowledge of federal employment laws especially is important for resume writers, and I've got a Pass-Along Materials package you can share with your clients on the topic:

Jobseeker's Guide to Understanding Employment Law

It's also important to keep an eye on changes to employment law. For example, today I came across this article, "Quinn Signs Pregnancy Discrimination Measure" affecting pregnant women and new moms in Illinois.

Stay informed!

"Launch" Your Resume Writing Business Into Greatness

I'm reading Jeff Walker's new book, "Launch: An Internet Millionaire's Secret Formula To Sell Almost Anything online, Build A Business You Love, And Live The Life Of Your Dreams" and it is excellent.

Reading Facebook today, I found an interview of Jeff Walker on Forbes.com, sharing seven lessons ("Why Jeff Walker Is The 400 Million Dollar Man -- And 7 Lessons You Can Learn From Him").

My favorite lesson is #5: First Give, Then Receive:

What do you think of these lessons?

Six Books for Resume Writers to Enjoy, Learn From and Share

I was inspired by this post from Explore B2B of "20 Books to Enjoy, Learn From, and Share" -- and I definitely recommend several of their books (especially numbers 1, 7, and 20!), but most of these are geared towards entrepreneurs in general, not careers industry professionals.

I want to share with you six books for resume writers to enjoy, learn from, and share.

Books to Hone Your Craft as a Resume Writer
Resume Magic: Trade Secrets of a Professional Resume Writer (4th edition) – Susan Whitcomb
The "bible" of resume writing -- the fourth edition (updated in 2010), this book provides practical guidance for resume writers as well as dozens of samples that have held up to the test of time.

Start, Operate, Profit: The Ultimate Resource for Building a $100,000 Resume-Writing Business -- Teena Rose
The most up-to-date "getting started" guide for resume writers. It covers both business management and operations issues as well as pricing, client communications, writing resumes, and more.

Books to Help You Attract More Clients
Get Clients Now (3rd edition) – C.J. Hayden
If you're looking for a no-nonsense system for attracting more clients to your resume writing business in the next 28 days, this guide will help. You choose a set number of activities to engage in daily for 28 days.

Career Distinction: Stand Out By Building Your Brand -- William Arruda and Kirsten Dixson
One of the best books on personal and career branding, this book will teach you -- and your clients -- how to become "digitally distinct." Buyers of the book will also be able to access a workbook to help them build their brand and identity.

Books To Help Clients
Get Hired Now! -- C.J. Hayden and Frank Traditi
Taking the 28-day system she developed for Get Clients Now, Hayden partners with Traditi to offer a step-by-step system to help jobseekers develop a system to guide their jobsearch.

What Color Is Your Parachute? – Dick Bolles

Updated annually, the 2015 edition provides lots of tools and resources for jobseekers...making this a resource to share with clients. While I disagree with some of Bolles' assertions ("Google is the new resume,") there is enough good content to outweigh the bad (he also discusses online job search strategies extensively, which isn't a great source of new jobs for jobseekers, generally speaking). Resume writers will find his "Starter Kit" questions to be useful to ask clients.

Want more book recommendations? Check out my Recommended Reading list!

If You Want Jobseekers To Take Your Blog Seriously, You Need To Take It Seriously

If you're a resume writer who blogs, you need to read this article by Gary Korisko:
The Guilt-Free Guide to Earning an Honest Buck From Your Blog

It's long, but completely worth the read, especially this paragraph:

I don't want to scare you, but as someone who has been blogging for 7 years, there will be times when you're writing just for you. People are reading, but not commenting. But the good news is, those posts will be there when someone discovers you for the first time. But you need to be there for them, even when they're not there for you.

But if you go for extremely long stretches of time without blogging (because some other part of your life -- or your resume writing business, even -- needs you), you may have a hard time keeping your audience.

So read the entire post (yes, the whole thing) ... and take his advice to heart.

Helping Clients Master the Phone Interview (Infographic)

Source: TalentandRecruitment.com

More and more companies are using phone interviews (and virtual interviews) to screen potential clients. Share these tips ("10 Tips to Master the Phone Interview") from the Talent and Recruitment blog with your clients.

Or create your own helpful guide for clients using the BeAResumeWriter.com Pass-Along Materials:
Jobseeker's Guide to Virtual Interviews

The Big Job Boards Are Dead ... But Are Niche Boards Still 'Working' For Clients?

The "big" job boards — Monster, Careerbuilder, etc. — have had their heyday … and it's over.

Job board aggregators are still working – Indeed.com is probably the best of these.

The SmartRecruiters blog has collected 50 of the "best" niche job boards and sites here.

Just keep in mind that only 5% of jobs are found online. So you can share these niche job boards with clients, but make sure to emphasize that 95% of jobs are NOT found online!

Blog Post Formula

I'm a big believer in blogging for resume writers. It's a great way to establish your expertise by providing information and ideas to jobseeking clients, and can drive a significant amount of traffic (visitors) to your website and generate clients!

You can read my blog post from last year on Blogging Basics for Resume Writers for more information on how to integrate blogging into your content marketing strategy in your resume writing business.

I came across this article that I want to share with you, "4 Simple Steps to Writing a Blog Post That Floods Your Inbox with Inquiries" -- it promises a "blog post formula" that I can't wait to try!

Remind Your Clients to Personalize Their LinkedIn Connection Requests

As a resume writer, do you receive LinkedIn connection requests from people, but you have NO IDEA who they are, or why they might be asking to connect?

Most resume writers I've surveyed will connect with almost anyone who requests a connection … but they are MORE likely to connect if the individual personalizes the LinkedIn connection request.

If you haven't written your own blog post or article on the importance of personalizing LinkedIn connection requests, you can share this post with them:
Want to Make Better LinkedIn Connections? Get Personal

It includes three examples of personalized connection requests.

Do you personalize the LinkedIn connection requests YOU receive? If not, you should!

23 Social Media "Rules" Resume Writers Shouldn't Ignore

Okay, so the author of the article actually calls it "23 Tips Successful People Use for Social Media Strategy," but it just so happens that I think the tips are good enough that savvy resume writers should consider them to be RULES to follow, not just suggestions.

I like how the author focuses on engagement and authenticity. Too many resume writers have a Twitter profile because they think they should. Or do LinkedIn profile writing even though their profile isn't populated and they have fewer than 100 connections.

Pick a platform and OWN it. (If you don't have a preference, pick LinkedIn. Not only is it a great source for connecting with clients, but you can also connect with recruiters, learn from colleagues in LinkedIn Groups, raise your visibility online by trying LinkedIn publishing, and you've got status updates on there just like you'd have on Twitter and Facebook. So yeah, if you're going to pick one, pick LinkedIn.)

Which is YOUR favorite tip from the article -- and why?

What Is The Worst Resume Suggestion You've Ever Heard?

Robin Schlinger
@robinresumes

Resume writing colleague Robin Schlinger served up a LinkedIn post today, "The 10 Worst Resume Suggestions You Ever Received."

Unfortunately, many jobseekers seek advice from well-meaning friends and relatives. Sometimes this advice isn't just unhelpful … it's just plain wrong.

As a resume writer, this is my "favorite" of the worst suggestions:

Usually, this can be attributed to jobseeker fear. If their resume isn't "perfect," they don't want to send it out — but they're really just afraid of rejection. Instead of 20-30 of their friends and family criticizing their resume (friends and family members who are most likely unqualified to judge the resume, unfortunately), they're afraid of a hiring manager criticizing it.

YES, your clients should have a couple of friends/family members look at their resume. But these are the questions they should ask them to answer:

1. Do you see any errors or typos? (If you've been looking at any document a lot, you won't "see" errors.)
2. Does this sound like me? (The resume should be the "best" reflection of the jobseeker's skills, abilities, and qualifications — but it should SOUND like the client, not like the resume writer.)

What is the worst resume suggestion YOU'VE ever heard? Share it in the comments below.

Q&A: What Good is a Client Agreement Form if PayPal Won't Honor It?

Every week, I get questions from resume writers -- when I answer them, I usually excerpt/reprint them on my blog so you can learn from them too!

Today's question was about my Dealing With Difficult Clients bundle -- three tools designed to help resume writers identify possible PITA clients and what to do with them if they do make it through your screening process!

Question: 
A question about the client management forms. In my experience I've created a contract that I have all clients read, and sign, before making payment. I've developed this contract by consulting with an attorney and also basing the contract on one I reviewed and obtained from another resume writing service that is owned and operated by an attorney. She knows what she's doing.  However, when I've had two clients who wanted refunds and got angry because they were PITA clients, the contract didn't hold up much merit. I've never yet gone to small claims court, but the contract itself isn't recognized as a legal and binding contract by companies like Square or PayPal. 

How do we as professional writers ensure our contracts are recognized as legal, binding documents with both parties? Of the thousands of resume I've written, I've had to only refund about 3 people. But, as time advances, I'm finding more and more unrealistic clients with hot heads and no idea how to professionally handle a contract, let alone pay a writer up front for work hired and to show they are committed to the project. Of late I've had a couple people disappear, so I collect up front to ensure my services are covered.


My answer:
I can't speak to your experience with Square, but PayPal has backed me up on two occasions when I had clients request refunds and I had signed client agreements. They initially pulled the money, but then requested documentation that they sent to the client's credit card company and I "won" both chargebacks. My only cost was the $10 "investigation" fee that PayPal charges.

I'm not sure if you accept both Square and PayPal, but it might be worth your while to have the client sign in the client agreement form that they will use PayPal's dispute resolution service to resolve any disputes. That phrase is probably not binding, but it would be a first step after you talk to the client -- if they're still unhappy, refer back to the contract and ask them to open a dispute ticket with PayPal.

You can read about PayPal's chargeback info here:

https://www.paypal.com/webapps/mpp/security/chargeback-guide

Ultimately, it's not up to PayPal or Square to honor the chargeback or not -- they are just a payment processing service. Your complaint is really with the customer's credit card processing service ... and generally they will side with their customer (cardholder) unless your documentation is strong. So that means having a signed client agreement, records of correspondence (I always have clients sign off on their approval via email so I have that record), and responding quickly if clients are unhappy (the strategies in the teleseminar are a good place to start -- sometimes the client just wants to be HEARD!)

In the bigger scheme of things, I tend to believe that clients are generally NOT out to screw me, and if I do come across maybe 1 year who is a true PITA who is "stabbing me to death with a thousand tiny knives" as one resume writer put it, I tend to refund them (having them sign the Client Release Form, of course!) and send them on their way. I prefer to spend my energy on clients who are a pleasure to work with, and "release" the unhappy ones to the world. :-)

On a related note, and I hope you won't take offense to this, but if you are finding "more and more" clients who are becoming problems, you might look at the types of clients you are attracting ... perhaps even unintentionally. I know we've talked in the past about the unemployment in your geographic area ... perhaps putting together an "ideal client profile" and working to attract more of these clients instead of just working with anyone who contacts you might help. Or using the Referral Request form in the Client Management forms PAM to reach out to HAPPY clients that you LOVED working with and asking them to send their friends/colleagues your way.

These blog posts might help:

http://rwdigest.blogspot.com/2011/11/how-to-select-best-clients-to-work-with.html

http://rwdigest.blogspot.com/2007/11/avoiding-bad-clients.html

http://rwdigest.blogspot.com/2013/01/new-free-special-report-finding-your.html

Bridget

P.S. –- Did you know that even if a client wins a chargeback, you can still take them to small claims court and win a judgment? I have never personally found it to be worth the time/effort involved, but the burden of proof is actually EASIER to win with a judge than with a credit card company. (As I mentioned, when in doubt, they will side with their cardholder -- your client -- so that's why it's important to try to resolve the issue with the client directly ... and have clear documentation that you tried.)

---

I Use the "5" Trick When I'm Stuck Writing a Resume

Ever get stuck when you're writing a resume? Psychology Today has published an article, "Want to Be Happier? It's as Easy as 2, 5, 11, 15, 20, 43" that may help you get un-stuck.

I use the "5" trick outlined in the article:

I actually read "This Year I Will" in February 2014, and I highly recommend it. Even though it's not a "careers" book, it's a great book to recommend to clients who are "stuck" in their current jobs. For example, Ryan suggests a strategy to help clients believe they can make a change. She suggests:

• Look at your past successes

• "Past performance is the best predictor of future success"

• Inventory your "islands of competence" (Steve Jobs)

• Write down 4-6 accomplishments and the strengths and skills you used

• These are your competencies

But the next time you're stuck writing a client's resume (or any other task you're procrastinating about), just tell yourself that you'll work on it for five minutes. I use the timer on my iPhone and I set it for 5 minutes. When it goes off, many times I'll keep working ... or set the timer for 5 more minutes. Even if I don't finish it, I'm a lot closer than when I started!



What are the tricks YOU use when you're stuck writing a client resume?

Resume Writers: Have You Found the Secret Room?

Last year, I delivered a teleseminar for the National Resume Writer's Association on: "Ask Better Questions; Write Better Resumes."

Asking clients the right questions to uncover their skills, gifts, and accomplishments isn't always easy.

In addition to the strategies I outline in the teleseminar, and in my book, "Write Great Resumes Faster," check out the "Secret Room" -- 20 industry-specific questions for professions -- compiled by Career Thought Leaders.

You can find them here:
http://www.careerthoughtleaders.com/secret-room/

© Ainoa - Fotolia.com

Are You Doing Your Best?

Are you doing your best work? Are you doing GREAT work?

Seth Godin, always one to challenge us to think differently, had this very short post on his blog this past week, and it's food for thought.

Not only doing great work makes us uncomfortable, but being challenged about it can make us uncomfortable.

I'm guilty of sometimes saying, "I'm doing the best I can." But am I? Probably not. In reality, like Godin says, "I'm doing the best I'm comfortable doing."

I can probably do more. Can you?

Get Listy with Listly

One of the best ways to populate your blog and social media profiles is content curation. And one of the best tools for content curation is Listly.

Photo credit: Fotolia

This blog post that shares ideas and information about using Listly:
"Getting Started with Listly: A Beginners Guide"

It has a great "getting started" guide plus ideas for how and what to curate.

If you're struggling to figure out what to share on your social media profiles, create lists of other resume writers, recruiters, HR pros, and others in the careers space and share the resources you find. Don't be afraid that by sharing information from other resume writers that prospective clients will choose to work with them! Instead, they'll look to you as an expert who shares the best stuff!

The Changing Federal Resume

Although the first resume I wrote, at the age of 12, was technically a federal resume, I don't write federal resumes anymore (unless it's for a friend or family member).

Robin Schlinger
@robinresumes

That said, I do like to keep up on trends. And Robin Schlinger is one of the top federal resume experts in the U.S., so I recommend you read her LinkedIn column, "Federal Resumes: What Has Changed?"

I agree with her assessments -- getting hired for a federal position has become much more difficult in recent years, and her five-part assessment of "why" is right on track.

And the four questions you can ask clients to assess their likelihood of being hired is an eye-opener.