Be Careful Who You Listen To

by James Ellis on April 22nd, 2010

When I was looking for a job recently, I knew that I needed to get my resume into tip-top shape. So I did everything you're supposed to do: I sent it to some friends, one of which was a professional copy-editor, to make sure I didn't say anything  (or spell anything) stupid. I sent it to a co-worker asking if they had thoughts on how I worded some sections. I sent it to my dad to look it. I took all their notes and digested them and polished my resume to a shine. I even spent a little money on a professional headhunter (I found one who was donating an hour of her time to an alumni auction, and I got it at a steal) who made some very excellent suggestions about the direction and tone of the piece.

When I thought it was as perfect as I thought it could be, I started in on the usual haunts like careerbuilder.com and monster.com. As someone looking to stay within the management world, I even spent a few bucks on an "elite" job board (it rhymes with TheMadders.com) who gave me a resume review that had some valid things to say, which I considered.

Then, I came across a site that said it would give me a free resume review if I signed up. I won't name the site, but the review they sent me sent chills down my spine. They made it sound like my resume was written by a 10-year-old who had never held a job. They found spelling mistakes and told me I didn't do anything to show the outcomes my work had on my employee's bottom line. 

I couldn't believe it. Could I have messed up so badly that I had to start from scratch?

Well, I couldn't find any spelling mistakes, and neither could a copy-editor. And there were plenty of places that I showed how my work positively affected the bottom line. 

Surprisingly, this company wanted me to feel bad about my resume. Why? So I would spend $250 to have them fix it. Yes, it was a scam. Had they even read my resume? I had a friend of mine submit her very different resume, and she got almost the same response. This place was looking to bilk me out of cash, which is bad enough, but targeting people who are potentially unemployed is doubly bad.

So keep this in mind. Know who you trust and who's just looking to make a fast buck off your desire to find a new job.

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