New this year are services that solve my “all or nothing” problem. If you’ve been following me for a while, you probably know that I hardly ever edit resumes. I create them, strategize them, write them, design them. All in close collaboration with you, my clients. And all from scratch. It’s like having a designer resume. Actually..it IS a designer resume!
So when I hear from people who really need my services but can’t afford them right now, my only option was to give them some quick tips (which didn’t really help them out, in the end), or send them to a resume-writing service that charges – but also delivers – much less in terms of quality and effectiveness. Not my idea of fun.
Quality means the world to me. As does personal attention.
So how did I figure out a way to offer those that can’t or don’t want to invest in my one-on-one services something that’s still of high quality and value?
By creating some interactive services (more about this below) and something for free that you can use on your own! Go get it here: Self-Eval Resume Checklist
Now listen carefully because I want you to be crystal clear on this…
These services are developed based on my 10+ years’ expertise and with high standards. However, they can never take the place of a from-scratch resume that I create for my one-on-one clients after a very thorough process that includes in-depth data gathering and personal phone sessions.
I don’t want you to think that these services – resume evaluation, etc. will get you the kind of results my personal clients report back to me, such as a drastically shortened job search, a big boost in confidence, more invitations for interviews…
Having said that…any improvement is better than no improvement, so here goes… go check out these new services below:
Resume Evaluation
1 – A detailed checklist doing double duty as an action list. It is 6 pages long and goes over each aspect of your resume and cover letter and rates it “poor,” “fair,” or “excellent.” It covers your overall targeted strategy, your summary, your keywords, your responsibilities and achievements, your education and training, grammar, spelling, punctuation, and editing, format and design, and your personal branding.
In the end, you tally your “score” and see how you did. It comes with some basic comments in the end from me as well. This is very in-depth and analytical but does not contain specific examples of how to change things. This is for someone who really wants to understand how all the pieces of an effective resume fit together.
And with just a tad of creativity, you can simply transform the areas you rate yourself on as an action point. For example, if you scored “poor” or “fair” on “Placement of job years to best advantage (before job title if there are no employment gaps; tucked at end of employment line if gaps are evident) – you now know what to do, right?
What’s also unique about this checklist is that is gives you objective feedback. These 6 pages are full with aspects of a strong resume and cover letter that every professional resume writer – and hiring manager – will agree on. It’s not my personal preference – something that people often forget when they receive feedback from the next well-meaning colleague, friend, or family member who “also used to hire lots of people.”
The checklist is periodically updated to reflect the latest trends in resume writing.
Investment: $75
2 – A written, multi-page evaluation of your resume (and basic feedback on your cover letter) with specific examples of how you can alter your resume. Instead of an analytical checklist, you receive a document in which I describe in detail what and how you can improve your resume. Investment: $185
3 – A 50-minute Strategy Session by phone in which we go over your resume (and cover letter, if you want) in detail, together. I will share tips and can respond directly to questions or worries you may have about aspects of your background and how to handle these on your resume. Investment: $247
Let me pretend I can read your mind for a minute…
I can hear you think…
“Why should I pay for a resume evaluation when I can get them all over the web for free?”
Here’s why. Those free evaluations are only meant to tell you your current resume stinks and sell you on their services. Typically, they use a template that they tweak a tiny bit to make it sound as if it’s all about you and your resume.
My resume evaluation service is also different in that it gives you an objective perspective and – with the latter 2 options – LOTS of personalized feedback and examples you will never get from those free evaluations. You can see for yourself how your resume is holding up and you decide for yourself if you want to “upgrade” to one-on-one resume services. But I won’t be calling you at dinner time or filling up your inbox with attempts to sell you my personal resume services.
Going on an interview tomorrow and wondering how to deal with your recent gap in work experience? Just need a quick question or two answered related to anything about your job search or career management? Use my “Emergency Email” service. This costs $25 and here is how it works: You submit your payment through PayPal, then you fill in the form on my website and ask your question, and it will be forwarded to me. I will respond within 24 hours – even within the weekends. This is the ONLY work I do on weekends, so it’s also the only way to get a hold of me on a Saturday or Sunday!
Most likely I will have a few questions for you based on your question, which I will email you. When I have a clear picture of your situation and its context, I will give you my advice. You then get the chance to send me 2 follow-up emails to wrap up your question, which I will answer as well. These follow-up emails need to be about the same initial question. A new question or situation – or a new twist to the original question – requires a new Emergency Email.
If you *are* interested in my personal resume-writing services, here’s what you should know:
From-scratch resume-writing packages run between $995 and $1,995. These include personal branding, worksheets, up to 2 personal phone sessions of 1 hour each, strategizing, and completely crafting your resume and cover letter from scratch, as well as coaching on how to use your new resume.
My turnaround time is between 10 and 20 business days from the day we’ve held our phone session(s).
What others are saying
Having been taught in college how to write a resume, I thought I knew what I was doing…boy was I wrong. Ilona really knows what she is talking about. The quality and depth of her expertise is immediately recognizable and so refreshing. She is not just another resume writer, but stands head and shoulders above a sea of mediocrity.
Ilona also has a very caring way with people, and I think that really puts her over the top for me. She told me what I needed to hear, yet with just the right touch. She is able to extract a person’s qualities and present them clearly to a prospective employer. I think that her unique qualities make her perfectly suited for the service she provides – a real pleasure to work with.
It is abundantly obvious that Ilona is both very passionate and highly competent regarding her profession. She went above and beyond my expectations of value. She is a rare breed indeed, and I am very, very thankful to have found her. I look forward to using her services on an ongoing basis. ~ Sargon Zia
“Ilona’s analysis of my skills provided a resume for me the was primarily instrumental in getting 3 jobs in a down economy – and I’m over 50 years old! That’s really special.” ~ Fred Stohl