a question for resume writer

[Resume Writer]

Re: Resumes

CAVEMAN,

I don't understand why they gang up on you. I agree with you.

Most services provide what the "client" is reluctant to do for themselves. They become reluctant for a variety of reasons. For example; anyone can sell a house. Most people, however, use a Realtor because of time constraints, limited buyer sources [business/industry contacts] and lack of confidence [unless you sell houses regularly it is a pretty daunting experience].

Of course, a Realtor is not going to boost your confidence encouraging you to market your own house, it detracts from his interests. We work in a closed industry. Employers know, with some exceptions, who is in the market at any given time. Most jobs are acquired through inside contacts.

A Realtor will take any opportunity to promote his own value attempting to make you believe his service is essential. It is one of the three marketing primary tools. What a Realtor really does is free you for other tasks.

Thomas R -

Interesting analogy. However, we have a realtor here in PHX who advertises just that - a "no hassle listing." In his commercial on TV he says, "if you sell your house while listed, pay me nothing, if you are not happy, fire me." Guess he must feel pretty good about his track record. Much the same as I do about mine.

I do not think anyone is ganging up on Caveman, just giving him a different viewpoint. As I have said many times before, if people want to do their own resume, I have no problem with that. But, much like your analogy of the home seller/realtor, if you have ever tried to sell a house yourself, it is a hassle and people will turn to a professional who performs that service for a living. I would never try to do that myself, as I do not understand the intricacies of that profession. Same thing goes with writing your resume and cover letters. When you try to do it yourself and do not have results, you go to a professional. Hopefully, you will turn to someone who specializes in your industry. I would never go to a luxury home seller to market my house, because it is not a luxury home! I would go to someone who specializes in my type of home so they could bring me the most qualified buyers.

Kathy

 

[bobbysamd]

Doing it yourself v. hiring a profession

Most services provide what the "client" is reluctant to do for themselves. They become reluctant for a variety of reasons. For example; anyone can sell a house. Most people, however, use a Realtor because of time constraints, limited buyer sources [business/industry contacts] and lack of confidence [unless you sell houses regularly it is a pretty daunting experience]. . . . .

That's not the reason at all why people use professionals. They do it because they know better not try it themselves.

Several examples come to mind:

Income Taxes. I have a degree in Accounting. I did my own taxes for twenty-six years, first doing them manually with the forms and later with Turbo Tax. I acquired some knowledge. But, I am sure I might have gotten bigger refunds had I turned my taxes over to an accountant. I finally had my accountant do my taxes after my return became too complicated. It was worth it in terms of time saved, but also because he can accompany me to an IRS audit. If I still were doing my own taxes and were auditied, I would have to hire an (expensive) tax lawyer.

Worker's Comp. In Colorado, anyway, the workers' compensation forms are not hard to understand. I understand that California workers' comp is a real SOB. However, no matter how sophiscated you are, workers comp insurance adjusters still know more than you and have more resources upon which to draw if you're fighting them on a claim. You really need a lawyer to duke it out for you for a workers' comp claim because of the sheer authority a lawyer brings to the table.

Automobile Collisions. Same reason as above. Automobile insurance adjusters are extremely savvy, by virtue of their training and because of the sheer volume of claims they handle. Many bodily-injury adjusters will not take an ordinary citizen seriously. They generally take attorneys seriously, with some adjusters preferring to deal with attorneys.

Estate Planning. There are many computerized will kits available and any number of estate planning seminars. Usually, these seminars advertise setting up a trust for probating your assets. What they don't tell you is that trusts are not for everyone and sometimes a will is better. Some of the one-size-fits-all forms they promote may not comport to your state's laws. You need a tax or estates attorney to give you the best advice for your needs.

These are just a few examples. I realize the issue here is whether to draw up your resume yourself or have a professional do it. I go back to my post above. I worked up my own resume and got interviews, with regionals, and for jobs elsewhere. However, in looking back, perhaps if I had a professional whose business it is to give aviation H.R. coneheads what they want prepare my resume, perhaps I would have had more opportunities to get that regional airline job.

 

[bigr]

RW

I was refering to corporations in general. you can also address corporate flight departments and airlines as you wish.

bigr

 

[Resume Writer]

RW

I was refering to corporations in general. you can also address corporate flight departments and airlines at your pleasure.

bigr

Every corporation is different. For instance, if you want to work for Northrop Grumman (sp?) you have to be able to get a secret security clearance. In order to get that, they pull a full background check, in addition to a credit report. They pull a credit bureau because they do missile defense systems and want to know that you will not be hurting financially and possibly sell secrets to the enemy. Financial institutions such as banks are also ones for pulling credit reports, basically so you do not steal from the bank.

Some also pull bankruptcy filings, criminal records, domestic dispute issues - you name it.

One thing to keep in mind. If you go through any kind of employment agency (where the fee is being paid to the employment placement professional by the employer), when the recruiter calls your former employer, they can ask more in-depth questions about you because they are not the employer - they are an "agent" of the employer and the rules do not apply.

Also, recent lawsuits have come to light dealing with what former employers can say. For instance, if you have been fired because you embezzled company funds, then the former employer can disclose that. There was a very big case (bobbysamd can probably quote it), where the new employer got bilked out of millions because the former employer did not disclose why the candidate was fired. The courts ruled in favor of the new employer and the old employer had to pay retribution.

Employers may also want to pull a background check on worker's compensation issues. Not sure what all the laws are there. I am not a lawyer, so I cannot comment on that.

My question to you BigR would be this - are you worried about something on your background check? If so, there are several places that will conduct one for you. I think you can do a search as I remember a thread about this very topic.

I hope what I have told you is helpful.

Kathy