Answers to FAQs (continued)

Q: What kinds of services are offered by résumé writing or career coaching firms?

A: Most firms offer printed résumés and cover letters, scannable résumés, and e-mail résumés. Many firms offer résumé packages, reference lists, web posting, résumé distribution services, interview thank-you letters, job search coaching, and interview coaching. A select few provide HTML résumés, recommendation and resignation letters, testimonial sheets, career transition coaching, lifetime updates, portfolio compilations, and grant/business plan writing services.

Q: Why should I hire a member of the NRWA?

A: Because it will maximize your résumé’s results and your job search success. Firms with NRWA membership offer you the distinct advantage of top-quality writers who remain on the cutting-edge of résumé writing. The NRWA provides continuous educational, mentoring, and training opportunities for its members, so you can be confident that your résumé will be expertly prepared.

Test Your Résumé IQ

Is your résumé ready for the job search? Will it help or hinder your interview chances? Take this self-quiz to evaluate your résumé’s effectiveness.

[ ] My résumé is packed with industry-specific language and crucial keywords.

[ ] My résumé emphasizes and quantifies my achievements to show not only what I have done, but also how well I have done it.

[ ] My résumé contains superior grammar, spelling, sentence structure, and punctuation.

[ ] My résumé uses varied action verbs and powerful marketing phrases.

[ ] My résumé emphasizes how I will benefit employers and meet their precise needs.

[ ] My résumé engages the reader from the outset and maintains interest throughout.

[ ] My résumé clearly communicates my job target and the key strengths I bring to the table within the first few lines of text.

[ ] My résumé uses an eye-catching, inviting, and original design (not a template).

[ ] My résumé includes ASCII (plain-text) and scannable versions to enable e-mail, web, and electronic distribution/storage.

[ ] My résumé communicates and targets my key transferable skills.

[ ] My résumé minimizes my potential weaknesses and turns negative “red flags” into positive assets.

[ ] My résumé uses the most effective format, style, and strategy for my particular situation.

[ ] My résumé utilizes CAR (Challenge, Action, Result) statements in a compelling way.

[ ] My résumé uses the same marketing techniques used by companies to sell my unique “brand” to employers.

If you checked 13-14 boxes: Congratulations! Your résumé writing abilities appear to be sound. (Have you thought of a career in résumé writing?) You just might want to avail yourself of a critique from a professional résumé writer to be sure you didn’t miss anything important.

If you checked 10-12 boxes:

You have some distinct abilities that will help you write a résumé more solidly than most. Leaving out some critical components, however, can cost you interviews. Having your résumé professionally crafted can help ensure you optimize your results.

If you fewer than 10 boxes:

You will miss many opportunities that may be perfect for you unless you have your résumé professionally prepared.

National Résumé Writers’ Association

Why Hire a

Professional

Résumé Writer?

• Win More Interviews

• Maximize Your Strengths

• Stand Out from the Crowd

• Land Your Dream Job Sooner

• Elevate Your Earnings Potential

• Solve Tough Job Search Challenges

• Succeed in Transitioning to a New Career

Company Address
The CV Workshop
Rm. 1102, 11th Floor
Wealth Commercial Centre
48 Kwong Wa Street, Mongkok
Kowloon, Hong Kong

Tel/Fax: (852) 2332-4200
Mobile: (852) 6684-4550
email: admin@thecvworkshop.com

Are You …

• The perfect candidate for the jobs you are targeting, but frustrated by low or zero response to your résumé?

• Transitioning from the military or seeking a career change into another field/industry?

• Wondering how to best present your background to win a promotion with your current firm?

• A recent graduate trying to secure your first full-time position?

• Re-entering the workforce after a prolonged absence?

• Struggling to overcome job search challenges like “job-hopping” or employment gaps?

By partnering with a professional résumé writer, you can realize your career dreams and overcome any of these challenges!

Even if you are the “perfect” candidate for a position, someone less skilled might get the job of your dreams because their résumé was written more skillfully. It happens all the time. Many people think that since they know their jobs well and have adequate (or even excellent) communication skills, they can prepare their own résumés.

But when writing about themselves, people tend to undersell the “product.” In addition, a full 98% of résumés created by unskilled professionals lack several of the most important ingredients. As a result, many opportunities are missed.

Some job seekers regard the résumé as “just a piece of paper.” But in today’s highly competitive job

market, where the typical nationally advertised

position opening will receive literally hundreds

of responses, it takes an effective résumé to get interviews.

Think of it this way – a $1 bill and a $1,000 bill are both “just paper,” too. But like a résumé, their value is determined by what is printed on that piece of paper.

Your résumé is one of the most important documents you will ever create. This “make-or-break” marketing tool is what stands between whether an employer will call you for an interview or pass you by.

Common Résumé Pitfalls

Most people who write their own résumés are unsure of how to best present their strengths, downplay their weaknesses, and appeal to employer needs. Common mistakes include the omission of important information and/or strategic sections, the inclusion of irrelevant (and/or ill-advised) details, a shortage of keywords, a failure to emphasize transferable skills, a lack of a specific career focus, and an uninviting page design. And, perhaps most critically, the majority of applicants write “task-oriented” résumés vs. “achievement-based” résumés.

An Investment in Your Future

A professionally prepared résumé is an investment in your future earning power and career happiness. Professional résumé writers have the experience and skills necessary to present applicants from diverse industries, career fields, and experience levels at their very best. They know how to set you apart from the competition, ensure that your résumé gets read, and prompt the reader to take action by calling you for an interview.

Answers to FAQs

Q: What are the main benefits to hiring a “pro?”

A: By hiring a professional, you’ll gain access to:

• Expert résumé writing/editing/design skills.

• Needed objectivity and expertise to play up your strengths, downplay your weaknesses, and position you for interview success.

• The precise know-how to target your career and industry correctly.

• Winning résumé, job search, interviewing, and salary negotiation strategies from the recognized “experts.”

• Experienced professionals who have passed rigorous résumé industry exams and demonstrated their commitment to the profession by obtaining ongoing training.

Q: What kinds of credentials do professional résumé writers have?

A: Credentials are varied and can include degrees, certifications, professional memberships, supplemental training, résumé expert classification by online career databases, industry-related positions, and/or being a published writer or convention speaker. Résumé writers across the

country who are serious about their profession are members of one or more professional organizations. The highest standard in the résumé profession is attainment of one or more certifications.

Q: How much does it cost?

A: Résumé costs vary widely and can range from US$75 to US$1,000 or more, with fees depending upon the services included, credentials of the writer, and scope of the project. Résumé writers who are certified generally command a higher price because of their expertise, credentials, number of years in the business, and success rate.