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.

Raves & Praise

Jean S.

PMP Certification Training, Lombard, 2008

I was laid off for many months and not really getting many callbacks for my resume and no job offers. After I put the letters PMP on it, not only did I see an increase in quantity, but also quality of interviews. I had been spinning my wheels for 5 months, and after the PMP went on, I had 2 job offers in 6 weeks. It really was the "golden ticket"

David

A Cisco Success Story

I attended a resume writing seminar & conducted mock phone interviews with a Microtrain career counselor. These two activities gave me a leg up on distinguishing myself from all the other people looking for work. Since the career counselor's at Microtrain had a track record of getting people hired, their insight and positive past experiences helped me tremendously in getting hired with a Cisco Voice Systems Integrator in the Chicago area. I was hired as a Cisco Voice Tech Engineer with a starting salary of $65,000 / year with a Cisco voice systems reseller located in the Chicagoland area. Microtrain was very instramental in making this a reality. From expediting my WIA grant, to providing excellent hands-on training from knowledgable instructors I was able to achieve becoming certified with my CCNP. Microtrain's career services was the final catalyst in connecting me with this company by communicating with them on my behalf and with me in setting up the interview. One week later and I was hired. No joke. Thanks Microtrain!

Christopher Fowler

MCSA

Very thorough, good mix of lecture and lab work. Al is great! Keeps classes interesting and supplements required test material with need-to-know items from real world experience.

Ron Cwik

PMP Certification Training, 2008

Great training facility. Great instructors. Great experience.

Scott Wilson - Team Bradley

Employer Partner Feedback

Dawn has been a pleasure to work with. She is diligent in her efforts to give MicroTrain’s students the best opportunities to connect and network with various companies and players in the job market. The curriculums and certification programs are in line with today’s current IT needs. It’s good to see that they evolve with what employers are most seeking out there. I would recommend to any employer that hires skilled IT workers that they look into MicroTrain’s career services department as a potential source of candidates. The business of hiring can be quite costly, and Dawn and her staff provide a free service to outside companies. This value-add for MicroTrain’s students aligns with their mission in both training and job assistance to set up a win/win scenario for all involved.

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