Compare a Hyundai motor car with a Mercedes. Both have engines, a gearbox, 4 wheels and internal upholstery for the driver and passengers. Both will get you from where you are (geographically speaking) to where you want to go, and in the same time if you obey the speed limits. However there is a massively different perceived value between them, which accounts for the huge price differential. That price differential and difference in perceived value is derived primarily from the way the vehicles are marketed and sold, rather than any real physical disparity. It is almost certainly true to say, I think you will agree, that most people, if all other things such as price, were equal, would prefer and buy a Mercedes. This buying decision is made based on the benefits of the product (reliability, comfort, kudos) rather than on the features or specification (4-cylinder engine, synchromesh gearbox, 16 inch wheels etc).

It is just the same with a professionally-written CV. All other things being equal, do you think your future employer would prefer a Mercedes or a Hyundai? The only way he will perceive any difference between two candidates he hasn’t met before, particularly if their qualifications and experience are similar, is by comparing the look and feel of their CVs. Unfortunately this initial appraisal is over in approximately 8 seconds, so he or she needs to be sold the relevant factors in that brief interval. In Sales language, the selector needs to be presented with the benefits of employing you rather than just the features of your previous experience and qualifications.

Your CV is your Sales and Marketing Document; your Product Brochure. Just as all cars are not created equal, neither are two individuals. However, unless the benefits to the organisation of employing you rather than the next person in the pile, are presented quickly and credibly to the “buyer”, then he won’t even consider the features.

Agencies exist to provide a steady stream of traffic to interviewers. It makes no difference to them whether the company placing the vacancy with them hires you or the next person they send. The agency doesn’t care – they get paid anyway. With regard to the CV they produce for you, the quality will reflect this "scatter-gun" approach. Usually you will fill in a form or have a brief interview, and that information will be inputted by a data-entry clerk into a software package or word-processor. A document purporting to be a CV will then pop out of the printer. Then the process is repeated for the next candidate, and the next, and so on.

Agencies might handle hundreds of new candidates in a week, all of whom need to be processed and have a CV “written”. Compare the CVs produced by any agency and they will all look almost identical. How will that help you, as an individual, get through the door? It’s more likely to be chance and good fortune than design. With your CV, like most other things in life, you get what you pay for. As the saying goes:

“The bitter aftertaste of poor quality lingers on the palate long after the sweet taste of low cost (or no cost) has gone forever”.

Are you prepared to leave such an important issue as getting your next job to a mass-produced, unfocussed and indiscriminate word-processed specification sheet?

Or would you prefer a targeted, tightly-focussed, purposeful, dynamic and relevant “Personal Sales Brochure?”

Today there are more software tools for automating and labour-saving processes in the marketplace than there are computers – and that’s a lot! They are almost all of value to somebody, and CV or Resume Writing software is no exception. If you have the expertise and objectivity to write your own CV (but see the answer to all 3 earlier questions also), then such software can make the job easier. They will give you a choice of formats or layouts (do you know whether to use a Chronological or Functional format, and in what circumstances), and will inject pre-formatted and pre-written blocks of text describing generic jobs or tasks etc etc.

At a price.

However, what none of these packages can do is take your personal qualities, experience and circumstances into account. They will not – cannot – be objective with regard to the preferences and aspirations of the Client or the target employer. They will not have industry-specific terminology built into spell checkers, and cannot give advice on which skill-set to highlight, which weakness to minimise or eliminate (and these can be particularly problematic or subjective, dependent on the position applied for ), nor can they help you get around periods of unemployment or similar “blanks”.

For these you need human intervention – the services of a Professional.

See the answers to all of the above [grin].

Either he was lucky, or he had the expertise. Give us his contact details – he can come and work for PCVWS!

(One of our staff writers came to us in exactly this way, which is why we included the question. You never can tell…..

There are many other CV Writing Services around today, which gives you, the customer, a great deal of choice.

 

We would always recommend a potential client has a look at them before making the obvious selection [grin].

 

However, we feel we give a service that is second to none, and our clients endorse this. At the end of the day you basically have to decide on just two things:

 

• Who do I feel will do the best job and get me an interview quickly?
• Which organisation, having evaluated all the options available, represents the best value for money? As with all things, the cheapest is seldom the best!

 

Of course we are a little biased, so won’t answer the rhetorical questions above. However, we have been doing this for over 18 years, have many satisfied, are members of the PARW/CC (Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches – see below), and have a genuine desire to help you get that all-important next job. If we can be of any assistance with any aspect of your quest, then please do not hesitate to contact us.

 

We would obviously prefer you to become a valued Client. However, should you for any reason decide not to use our services, please take a few minutes to complete our feedback form so that we might improve our services to others. Who knows, you may come back!

 

Thanks for your time.