“How is your job search going? Recently, you signed up to CentralOregonJobs.com – as part of your membership, we would like to offer you a complimentary evaluation of the MS Word resume that you uploaded.
If you’re interested, please click here and we would be happy to take a look at it:”
So I clicked the link and they evaluated my resume
Results:
“It looks like your resume needs a little work. Here are some of the issues we noticed:
Words like “detail-oriented,” “problem solving,” and “team player” are too generic and could be applied to nearly any job seeker out there. You would be much better off by getting right to the point and presenting your skills and accomplishments, because this type of language will not sell you as a candidate for the job.
Naming your document “Functional resumesuellenrevision12901.doc” might work on your own computer, but imagine a recruiter getting hundreds of files per day without their job seeker’s names on them. Don’t risk your resume getting lost forever on a recruiter’s hard drive. Instead, name it “Last Name, First Name Resume.doc”
You never sold yourself, especially in the top 1/4 page. When a recruiter opens your document, only the top 1/4 of your first page is viewable on the computer screen. You are not giving your reader any clues as to why they to scroll further down the page to learn more about you. Recruiters often receive hundreds of resumes per day and spend less than 10 seconds looking at a resume. It is imperative that your resume convey to the reader your specific expertise and level of experience in 5-10 seconds. In that same time frame, it must also be very obvious how you meet the requirements of the job.
Your overall layout structure and presentation is not Internet friendly. The advanced formatting features of MS Word do not convert well to the plain text only resume format of online job boards such as Monster, Careerbuilder, Hotjobs, etc., nor will it upload well into HR/Applicant tracking systems. In terms of layout, your goal should be to make it clean and easy to read on the computer screen, as it is very unlikely that your resume will ever be printed out.
Your resume is impossible to customize for each job that you send it to. Remember, you have only 5-10 seconds to grab a recruiter’s attention these days. Do not assume that your reader is aware of any individual skills you have, even if it is obvious to yourself – you need to spell everything out for them. Even when you are explicit about your background, you still need to make the particular items each recruiter is looking for impossible to overlook in that 5-second window of opportunity. Your job search will benefit immensely by addressing this problem.
When we say these things, please understand that we are not criticizing your background, just how it’s presented. Addressing these issues will make your job search much easier. We would be happy to work with you to fix these issues – to get started please give us a call or click the sign up button below
But of course even if the resume were PERFECT–and I fully admit that it isn’t–they wouldn’t admit that because they aren’t doing this ‘free resume evaluation’ out of the goodness of their heart. Oh no, they want you to sign up for their services ……. services they charge $249.00 for.
What do you get for your $249.00? Below is copied and pasted from their actual site
# Report assessing your existing resume.
# Detailed information and tutorials concerning your new resume.
# The first draft of your resume in MS Word format, upon receipt of the information we request.
# Follow-up revisions and approval of final resume draft.
And who does MOST of the work? Not THEM, below is again copied and pasted from their actual site.
What we require from you:
* Pay by Visa or MasterCard. The cost of the service is $249 USD
* A copy of your existing resume in MS Word format.
* A detailed “target” job description consisting of either an actual job in which you plan to apply, or a sample job that closely matches your qualifications.
* Fill out our job description questionnaire. This process is an important step in helping us understand how you are qualified for the jobs you are pursuing. Think of this as explaining to a job interviewer why you are qualified for the job.
* Upon request, you must provide us with any missing or unclear details about your background not present on your original resume – this information often includes your overall accomplishments or role at an employer, missing dates, unclear education, etc.
Sure sounds to me like I am doing most of the work. I can fill in missing or unclear details myself, without spending $249.00 that I do not have.
I am massively overqualified for most of the jobs I am applying for and I address that in the cover letter(s) if I think it is necessary. I am certainly not going to spend $249.00 for a resume service when I am applying for jobs manning a booth at a fair or janitorial jobs or jobs at my local fast food restaurants.
So IMO Resume Doctor’s services are of no more value to me than the resume review offered by Career Advisors (http://www.i-dont-think-so.com/?p=385 and http://www.i-dont-think-so.com/?p=368).
Here I was thinking that Job.com had quite the scam going on (http://www.i-dont-think-so.com/?p=416) but they could take lessons from Resume Doctor in how to scam the unemployed.
Obviously if Resume Doctor is getting $249.00 for their service then Job.com is massively undercharging when they ‘only’ charge $70.00 to send your resume to employers that aren’t even in your geographical location.