Do you offer a 100% guarantee on getting a job?
While my résumés are sure to increase your chances of becoming employed, I will never make a 100% guarantee. Like they say, the only guarantees in life are death and taxes! Be very leary of any résumé writing service/company that provides you with a 100% guarantee on obtaining a job or interview. We have no control of the actions of your prospective employer, so a guaranteed job offer or interview will NEVER be offered by this company.
what is the turnaround time?
The average turnaround time is 3-8 business days, however, if you have a RUSH project, schedules can be adjusted accordingly. In some instances, there may be an additional cost for RUSH services that offer a turnaround time of less than 24 hours.
Do you write the resumes or do you contract your work to other writers?
All work that comes to me is written by me. Period.
Should my resume be one page long? or two pages?
The answer to this question is based on many factors, including objective, years of experience, and notable accomplishments and skills. I have created 2-page résumés for clients with only 10 years of experience. On the flip side, I have created 1-page résumés for clients with over 20 years of experience. You need to include the most noteworthy and relevant information on the résumé, and if that forces you to go to a second page, then go ahead and do so. It is important that a 2-pager contain distinguished achievements instead of a laundry list of generic skills and traits. There are no rules on page count, although, it is recommended that you do not go over 2 pages, especially if you have very little work experience and a limited skill set.
why do you require upfront payment?
Prospective clients often ask why I require upfront payment before writing the résumé. It’s a very fair question and I have no issues in addressing it. I determined that requiring upfront payment was the most appropriate policy to implement after examining two possible scenarios.
Scenario #1:
The client pays 100% upfront, but is not provided a résumé and/or the résumé does not meet the client’s approval. In this case, the client would request a refund from the résumé writer. If by chance the client is denied the refund, the client then has the options of processing a credit card chargeback (which are very simple to do) to get his or her money back. Also, the client can respond to the poor results by writing and posting negative reviews about the business all over the Internet, which can be devastating for any small business. With this in mind, you can rest assured that the writer will do everything he/she possibly can to meet customer expectations and maintain a positive reputation online.
Scenario #2:
The writer creates and provides the résumé to the client before accepting any payments. After receiving the résumé, the client suddenly “disappears” and never submits payment. The résumé writer attempts to contact the client to collect payment, but never receives any type of response. In this situation, the writer has no “convenient” method of retrieving the money from the client. One of the few options would be taking it to small claims court, but that would likely be more trouble than it’s worth.
Conclusion:
The writer takes more of a risk than the client if there is no upfront payment required for résumé writing services (in the humble opinion of Résumé Phenom LLC).
Scenario #1:
The client pays 100% upfront, but is not provided a résumé and/or the résumé does not meet the client’s approval. In this case, the client would request a refund from the résumé writer. If by chance the client is denied the refund, the client then has the options of processing a credit card chargeback (which are very simple to do) to get his or her money back. Also, the client can respond to the poor results by writing and posting negative reviews about the business all over the Internet, which can be devastating for any small business. With this in mind, you can rest assured that the writer will do everything he/she possibly can to meet customer expectations and maintain a positive reputation online.
Scenario #2:
The writer creates and provides the résumé to the client before accepting any payments. After receiving the résumé, the client suddenly “disappears” and never submits payment. The résumé writer attempts to contact the client to collect payment, but never receives any type of response. In this situation, the writer has no “convenient” method of retrieving the money from the client. One of the few options would be taking it to small claims court, but that would likely be more trouble than it’s worth.
Conclusion:
The writer takes more of a risk than the client if there is no upfront payment required for résumé writing services (in the humble opinion of Résumé Phenom LLC).
Why not use a more familiar name instead of Resume phenom llc?
There are some very recognizable names out there that offer professional résumé writing services, however, you will more than likely be disappointed with the results. Some people feel a sense of comfort when using a household name, but be warned, as there are many downsides to using a "résumé mill" to create your résumé, including the following:
-Large résumé mills and organizations employ countless writers and staff members, which means more overhead, translating to higher résumé writing rates to make up for this expense. I am essentially a 1-man operation that works out of a home office, so I have no overhead or significant office expenses or leases to worry about, hence, I can afford to offer lower rates than a typical résumé mill.
-In addition to lower rates, I can offer higher quality. You may think that these high-profile organizations only have the best of the best when it comes to selecting résumé writers, but truth be told, most of these companies contain MANY entry-level résumé writers. Myself and many other resume writers all started at a résumé mill. Once we got a couple of years under our belt to hone our skills and gain CPRW certification, we left the company and went on to work for ourselves. This is the story for many résumé writers, so it is very possible that your writer at the résumé mill has barely begun the art of résumé writing. All of the seasoned experts are running their own operation, not working for a "résumé factory."
-To continue with the issue of quality, it should also be known that a typical writer at a résumé mill is expected to churn out 2 to 4 résumés in an 8-hour span. On top of that, they are doing revisions for previous clients that they wrote for. And on top of that, they are doing revisions for the clients of writers that are no longer employed at the company. Revisions alone can easily take up 3 to 4 hours of writer's day at a résumé mill, leaving minimal time to meet their "résumé quota." I don't need to tell you what happens next, but I will, anyways. A résumé writer that needs to meet a tight deadline will cut many corners and likely copy and paste most of your information from your original resume. If not that, the writer may just simply miss your most noteworthy skills and highlights because the writer did not take enough time to read over and review all of your provided information. As for Résumé Phenom LLC, I never write more than 2 résumés a day. As far as revisions go, I'm the only writer here, so I'm not using any of my time to manage revisions of the clients of previous writers.
-To take the topic of quality one step further, you have to remember that large résumé mills, like any other business with multiple employees, will have staff that cut into their work times by chatting with co-workers, initiating water cooler talk, attending meetings, and taking long lunches and cigarette breaks. At Résumé Phenom LLC, I have no water cooler, no co-workers, and no cigarettes. Every project receives devoted, undivided attention from me, without disruption.
-Large résumé mills and organizations employ countless writers and staff members, which means more overhead, translating to higher résumé writing rates to make up for this expense. I am essentially a 1-man operation that works out of a home office, so I have no overhead or significant office expenses or leases to worry about, hence, I can afford to offer lower rates than a typical résumé mill.
-In addition to lower rates, I can offer higher quality. You may think that these high-profile organizations only have the best of the best when it comes to selecting résumé writers, but truth be told, most of these companies contain MANY entry-level résumé writers. Myself and many other resume writers all started at a résumé mill. Once we got a couple of years under our belt to hone our skills and gain CPRW certification, we left the company and went on to work for ourselves. This is the story for many résumé writers, so it is very possible that your writer at the résumé mill has barely begun the art of résumé writing. All of the seasoned experts are running their own operation, not working for a "résumé factory."
-To continue with the issue of quality, it should also be known that a typical writer at a résumé mill is expected to churn out 2 to 4 résumés in an 8-hour span. On top of that, they are doing revisions for previous clients that they wrote for. And on top of that, they are doing revisions for the clients of writers that are no longer employed at the company. Revisions alone can easily take up 3 to 4 hours of writer's day at a résumé mill, leaving minimal time to meet their "résumé quota." I don't need to tell you what happens next, but I will, anyways. A résumé writer that needs to meet a tight deadline will cut many corners and likely copy and paste most of your information from your original resume. If not that, the writer may just simply miss your most noteworthy skills and highlights because the writer did not take enough time to read over and review all of your provided information. As for Résumé Phenom LLC, I never write more than 2 résumés a day. As far as revisions go, I'm the only writer here, so I'm not using any of my time to manage revisions of the clients of previous writers.
-To take the topic of quality one step further, you have to remember that large résumé mills, like any other business with multiple employees, will have staff that cut into their work times by chatting with co-workers, initiating water cooler talk, attending meetings, and taking long lunches and cigarette breaks. At Résumé Phenom LLC, I have no water cooler, no co-workers, and no cigarettes. Every project receives devoted, undivided attention from me, without disruption.
What if I don't agree with strategy of the new resume?
My clients consistently agree with the changes and enhancements that I deliver, however, once in a blue moon, I will have a client that does not see eye to eye with me. Approximately 1 out of every 200 clients insists that I utilized the wrong strategy to create their résumé. Yes, there is a saying that goes “the customer is always right,” but sometimes you have to make an exception to this phrase.
The strategies, formats, and wording that I use are proven to work. Ultimately, the client has the final say on what stays on the résumé and what is deleted from the résumé. Just keep in mind that if you are the 1 in 200 that has issues with the résumé, I am a Certified professional and have written SEVERAL more résumés than the average Joe. I ask that you trust my judgement. If my strategy does not work for the first couple of months, then contact me ASAP and we can take another route. Give it a chance, though, and you most likely will not be sorry.
The following is a perfect example: A couple months ago, I worked with this client and provided him a top-quality résumé that emphasized all of his key skills, credentials, and achievements. Despite being given a stellar résumé, the client disagreed with the provided documents. He was convinced that this new résumé would not garner phone calls from potential employers. We then exchanged numerous emails, during which time I was able to convince him to stick with my résumé for at least a couple of months. Here is the email I got from him last week:
“Hi Brian,
I think we both gave each other a hard time last year about my resume LOL. However, I'm happy to report that the resume you created was enough to get me an interview (out of 100 applicants) with a tech company in Atlanta. I went through a series of three interviews and was hired as the social media project manager. Thanks for your work and I hope your business continues to flourish.”
The strategies, formats, and wording that I use are proven to work. Ultimately, the client has the final say on what stays on the résumé and what is deleted from the résumé. Just keep in mind that if you are the 1 in 200 that has issues with the résumé, I am a Certified professional and have written SEVERAL more résumés than the average Joe. I ask that you trust my judgement. If my strategy does not work for the first couple of months, then contact me ASAP and we can take another route. Give it a chance, though, and you most likely will not be sorry.
The following is a perfect example: A couple months ago, I worked with this client and provided him a top-quality résumé that emphasized all of his key skills, credentials, and achievements. Despite being given a stellar résumé, the client disagreed with the provided documents. He was convinced that this new résumé would not garner phone calls from potential employers. We then exchanged numerous emails, during which time I was able to convince him to stick with my résumé for at least a couple of months. Here is the email I got from him last week:
“Hi Brian,
I think we both gave each other a hard time last year about my resume LOL. However, I'm happy to report that the resume you created was enough to get me an interview (out of 100 applicants) with a tech company in Atlanta. I went through a series of three interviews and was hired as the social media project manager. Thanks for your work and I hope your business continues to flourish.”
Do you offer assistance with revisions?
I offer free revisions for 30 days after creating your new résumé. After that 30-day period is over, I charge $30-60 per update.
DON'T YOU THINK YOU WENT OVERBOARD WITH YOUR TESTIMONIALS PAGE?
As you may have noticed, I have included more testimonials than most other businesses online --- you could easily fill up nearly 20 pages if you were to copy and paste all of the client testimonials onto a Word document. Some would say this is too much, but I say TOO LESS! I take such great pride in every positive experience from my clients, that I don't want to leave anyone out! Despite the fact that the average reader is not going to read every single testimonial, I will still be adding to this list on a continual basis. Seeing this list grow everyday gives me even MORE incentive to excel in my field and exceed expectations.
sHOULD i PROVIDE you with INFORMATION FROM THE PRE-1990'S?
Yes! When you are providing your information to me, I want to see EVERYTHING that you have! There is no such thing as providing too much information to me. I am against listing job dates in the 1980's; however, that doesn't mean we can't pick and choose some highlights from that time period to showcase on your résumé (especially if those highlights are relevant to your job objective).
can i use a headshot on my resume?
My answer to this question will almost always be "NO." Unless you are applying to be an actor/actress or a model, you should not be including your photo on your résumé. By posting your photo, you are possibly eliminating yourself based on appearance. The person looking over your résumé may think you look too young, too old, too pretty, too fat, too skinny, too ugly, too white, too black, etc., etc., etc....
You want to ensure that the only reason you were invited for an interview (or turned down) was because of your credentials and background. With that said, if you are applying to a job in which you have no relevant skills, education, or traits, then maybe adding an amazing professional headshot wouldn't hurt!
You want to ensure that the only reason you were invited for an interview (or turned down) was because of your credentials and background. With that said, if you are applying to a job in which you have no relevant skills, education, or traits, then maybe adding an amazing professional headshot wouldn't hurt!
