Good evening or Good Morning, wherever You are reading this. Yesterday I received an email from one of the many CV writing companies. At first I wanted to push the “Del” key because I used to write my own resume or CV and do not need their services, but I was curious and I started to read. It was too long of an e-mail, just to be the usual promo-junk one receives from many CV writing companies. Here is part of the mail and my analysis and comments.
” Hi, I have noticed, you have still not registered with us. We from “resume writing-company ” are reaching out to help you swim through this rough job search tide during this global pandemic. The ever changing job market is now moving towards newer, innovative solutions to get work done. While some of us are losing jobs, there are many firms investing in gearing up to work remotely which seems to be the “new normal”.
What she is saying ?
- She wants me to register: this means, she is actually applying to do a job for me.
- She writes that she wants to help me: How can she help me ? She does not even have my name or knows what kind of work I do (even though its in my e-mail).
- Then she writes something generic about the changing job market and that the job market is moving towards modern and innovative solutions to get the work done: Well, what else is new ? The job market has and will always change and evolve. This has always been the case and will not change. Everyone knows this or sooner or later finds out. So there is no reason to write this and waste the reader´s time. Its just a filler and a bridge to her next tactic: she is first creating curiosity and then the ultimate hook: The FEAR Strategy.
- She writes that many people are losing their jobs: My though: It is common knowledge that especially during times of crisis people do lose their jobs. The fact that this is happening at an accelerated rate due to the Corona Pandemic is regrettable. However, there have always been unexpected events which were the cause for the economic crisis and related loss of work and income. When someone loses his or her job it really does not matter why. A job loss is a traumatic event. Not only financially but also at a psychological level. A Job loss hits everyone at the core. But this happens to 80% of employees in hospitality for the most different reasons. More often for reasons which are beyond control of the employee. I have experienced both sides. Being terminated and having to terminate someone else is something nobody wants to talk about. It is a Taboo subject involving embarrassment, injustice, discrimination and perception. It comes in many forms and I will talk about this in another blog post, because it is a most important subject on a very deep personal level. It is an event a career hotelier has to be prepared for especially if one is an Expat working in a foreign country other than the USA or Europe.
- She writes about that firms are investing in “Remote Working” (home office) solutions: home offices started to emerge in California during the late 1990ties. , actually during my time in Los Angeles it was already a reality in large hotel groups like Hilton that sales people would come to the hotel only 3 times a week and would do their sales activities from home or go directly to the appointments they had planned. This is 25 years ago. HELLO – Home Office – Know History and then talk. But ok, maybe I am too sarcastic. A lot happens in the USA much earlier than in other countries. Not only for reasons like a pandemic.
- She continues: it is time for You to change the presentation and the overall representation of your career story and offers You to work together to create that one interview winning CV: Finally she is coming to the point. Its her sales pitch to sell you a new re-formatted CV or resume which is not only ATS friendly but ensures that whoever reads the CV will find what they are looking for with ease. What this means, the person in the HR office will be able to read your CV or resume with ease.
- She adds: I am sure you are like most of my clients facing a sudden shift and massive change in career. While you are good at what you do, are you wondering how to showcase your knowledge and your personal brand to a reader, so you land interviews ? Now she hits on You: She not only converts You into “Her Client” but also questions your ability to write your own resume and creates self doubt by using “ are you wondering how to showcase your knowledge”. If you have not wondered so far, You will start now. She does it very well indeed.
- She introduces her company: “which is as focused as You are in drafting that one killer resume that can create newer avenues for You in your job search”. She instills in your mind the thought, that You can have a “Killer Resume” which “CAN” create newer channels for your job search. You need to understand her clearly. She does not guarantee that You will have more interviews and definitely not that You will get a good job as a result of re-writing Your resume or CV.
- Now is the time for you to invest in yourself and spruce up your resume. Reach out to one of our experts: She now tells You that there is a price You need to pay. You will definitely check the website and search for the price you would have to pay, to review and get your existing resume in shape. She is making “Leading assumptions” about You and your resume. Basically she says: You need help, your resume is not good, we are here to help you because we are experts and you are not. This is my interpretation of her letter.
- Getting your CV in shape will give you the confidence to seek out opportunities, and position yourself: This is the one statement in this letter which is true and you must keep in mind. A well written resume or CV does give You confidence and a certain boldness. Both are necessary to seek out opportunities on your own and help You to position yourself well in the market place. The positioning takes place as you prepare your CV or resume. The content is what defines You and outlines your strength and what You have to offer to a potential company. Who is qualified best for this ? Only you !
- Why choose us: Here she tells you more about the company, their credibility, the team she is working with and creates the curiosity for you to go to their website. She reinforces her pitch very well and points out that all writers are certified by the International Human Resources Academy. I did a Google search and there are many HR Academies around the world. This one has a Facebook Page with a few followers and is operating out of India but has a Dallas Texas phone number. I do not want to discuss this further but leave it to You to review each company offering this kind of services critically. At the end of the day, it is Your money You are spending and you should evaluate if You want to use a CV writing company or not. On a positive note: This CV writing company delivers good creativity and good content and does it for half the price of the same services offered by European companies. So, if I use a CV writing company, I would choose an Indian company. But this is my personal choice. For you it is important that you compare and analyze offers critically with a focus on price and value.
So much about CV writing companies. It is my opinion and also recommendation, that You prepare Your CV or resume yourself. The templates you can choose freely online. There are even Apps You can use to create your resume or CV. You should be the one to write the first content. This is an important exercise because it makes you think about yourself, your education and career accomplishments so far. In the beginning it is also about your own positioning and your objectives. Go to https://cvbuilder-online.com/cv-builder.html and begin writing your own resume or CV depending in which country you are and what format You need.
In Pre-Internet and PC days, writing a resume or CV was a real act. Not only did You have to prepare the content but once You also had to type it with a typewriter not making any mistakes. You even had to choose the right paper. It was real work and took for the inexperienced person in the 1970ties real effort and real time. If I would have had the option for my resume to be written by someone else, I probably would have taken the offer, but when I began my career there were lots of things I did not know and especially not resume writers. Despite the challenge putting a proper resume together, I took it as a personal task, I had to do alone. Even today, I still think that you should have the ability to prepare your own CV or resume.
With the advent of the personal computer – I had my first one in 1987 things became so much easier. For people of my generation it is therefore somewhat hard to understand, that many of today´s young and career oriented people struggle with writing their own CVs and resumes. As a former Hotel General Manager, Regional Director and CEO of international hotel companies I had to look through many resumes and CVs. I did not scan through them but I actually read them. Over time I read through resumes very quickly by focusing on key dates and of course also on key-words, just as today. It is a time consuming process but it has always been my belief that the applicant who had spent a considerable amount of time to prepare and to mail his or her application deserved the respect that the documents were read and evaluated by a real and qualified professionals. It was routine to contact the applicant via mail or phone even if they were not selected. I would say, an applicant was at least acknowledged as a person. This is not happening today anymore and speaks books about the modern culture in the job market and the modern Human Resources specialists. They present themselves as employee oriented and talk about that people are their most important asset. The reality looks different and can be seen everywhere.
I am aware of the benefits of ATS systems and the increase in productivity it brings to companies. The more I find it inacceptable, that applicants are not even informed about the status of their application. The modern standard of “No Answer” is also an answer is deeply regrettable, especially in hospitality companies, where human interaction is essential. In my hotels, every applicant received at least a phone call or e-mail. Its all about respect to other fellow co-workers and employees.
Summarizing, I recommend that you design and write your resume or CV first yourself. If you are just starting your path it should be easy because you do not have to much information. Focus on a simple design , easy readability and a well written objective. As already mentioned, pick a template which suits You but it should not be a “over designed.” Focus on the content with the right keywords. The right keywords depend on the job You are applying for and the best and fastest way to do this is to check the job description for a job You want to apply for. You can use LInkedin or Google for keyword research. There You will find the most comprehensive list. I found a useful young Youtuber – “The savy hotelier – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1v0EGNqu9fY ” who explains the keyword research quite well. You should check on Job Boards and study job descriptions for a job. Best way to get a feeling for it is simply to read a few job description in the area you want to focus on. You will know the top keywords You need to integrate into your resume. Understand, they will vary from job to job and be different for different positions and different employers. This work You need to do without any compromise. Again, let me point out the simple truth. With the thousands of resume writers all over the world, few are specialized in your specific field of hospitality. I go so far to state, that 95% of them are not ready or qualified to generate a professional resume or CV for you. And do not get mistaken by design. Most designs are simply over the top. And do not forget. The ATS machine is not programmed to evaluate and judge the design of your CV but rather find the important keywords. These you find in the profile and job description section of a job advertising.
We experiment with different and more prominent resume writers from time to time. We sent them a perfectly well written and laid out resume. Almost all the time we come to the conclusion, that the original was better, than the product of these resume writers. No offense, there are some really good ones and if you do not mind paying $ 400.– and more we will happily share their name with You, however, as You are still in the early stages of your career, you should master the task to create your own CV and resume yourself. Trust me, you will feel good about yourself ! I will write more about CV and resume in the next blog. Until then, have a successful day !