Resume writers...anyone use them?

[Jason Strauss]

re: unsolicited resumes
I disagree with this.

John,

Your point is well taken. And admittedly, my perspective is aimed from a large corporation. We have to deal with issues that many small employers do not. Specifically, under regulations enacted several years ago, we have to collect race/ethnicity and gender data on all those who express an interest in a particular job. Dealing with a person who submits a resume (expression of interest) to no job in particular is cumbersome. Now, if I have a job open and happen to receive a resume through an unspecified channel, fine, I’ll look at it and go through the hassle of chasing down the person’s data; particularly if they look good on paper. But, if they aren’t applying to a specific job, it makes my task much more arduous.

My perspective tells me that if I were actively seeking another job, I would want to make hiring me the best decision, but also the easiest. Making the HR guy’s job tougher gains you no points.

Bottom line for me, finding a good job still seems to be about networking and who you know. Giving a resume to a friend who works at the company you want to work for is a better bet than just sending in a resume cold. As an HR person, having that friend connection gives me a point of reference.

That being said, I’m certain we’ve hired more than a few people over the years who submitted an unsolicited resume, but it’s rare and getting rarer. So many large employers, including mine, now use electronic applicant tracking systems. If you don’t get into that system somehow, the odds of getting hired go way down.

Just my $.02, and I know there are tons of ways to skin this cat.

[John Coloccia]

You're absoluty right. That's exactly why it hasn't happened at my current job. I work for a very large company, and resumes that aren't immediately used get rejected, signed and straight into the file so we don't get sued.

[Eric Larsen]

A professional resume writer will simply write your resume in a format or fashion that they prefer. You can do this yourself. Take a stab at it, show it to your friends and family and ask them to be brutally honest. Be open to suggestion and willing to spend some time editing.

I think friends and family make the worst editors. They're usually incapable of being brutally honest. And they haven't been trained to spot errors.

[Jason Strauss]

I think friends and family make the worst editors. They're usually incapable of being brutally honest. And they haven't been trained to spot errors.

Then you haven't met my friends and family