Professional Resume Services & Career Coaching

Due to popular demand from my clients, I am pleased to offer a full line of Career Coaching services!

While I don’t guarantee employment for anyone utilizing my services, I assist you with finding legitimate job opportunities, resume tweaking, social networking, cover letters, thank you letters, interview preparation/follow up and salary negotiations. Everything from the first step to the last. I provide my services until you are employed, or for a period of 6 months, whichever comes first.

I also offer all services a la carte, if you are just interested in pieces of the process:

Job Search/Career Consulting Services: One-time fee of $1500
(which includes all a la carte services, unlimited for 6 months)

Resume Re-Write: $150
($100 for each additional resume, should you want multiple versions)

Cover letters/Thank you letters: $25/each

Job Search/Career Consulting: $50/30 mins or $75/hour

Social Media/Networking Tutoring: $75/hour

When just any Career Service won’t do, put me to work for you! I can provide many references and samples from happy job seekers.  For more information, Email me at: robin [at] jobshouts.com

Why do I need Career Coaching?

The last time you interviewed for a job, did you have someone with industry knowledge counseling you on how to prepare, what questions to ask, what red flags to watch out for? How about help writing your cover letter or thank you letter? A professional Career Coach is your advocate; your “upper hand” in the job search. I’ve spent more than 15 years in the staffing industry working with hiring managers within Fortune 500 companies.  My experience affords me firsthand knowledge of what hiring managers are looking for but don’t always put in the job description. Most importantly I have 15 years experience in counseling job seekers, giving them everything they need to get that job!

Why do I need a professional Resume writer?

In my 15 years in the professional staffing industry, I have seen a lot of bad resumes. A lot of so-called resume writing services will happily take your hard earned money and deliver sub-standard resume content. Does your resume read like a job advertisement, stuffed full of the important “keywords” but lacking the right content to get you that call or interview? Does it contain grammatical errors, poor writing or just desperately need updating? Is your resume properly formatted? If it contains bullets, tables and a lot of bolding and italics, then it isn’t.

I can help. I will transform your dull resume into a proper sales pitch of your personality, capabilities and accomplishments.  I know how put the correct keywords, content and formatting into place. Your new resume will clearly demonstrate to the reader that you are great at what you do.

Recently, I was hired by a client with a “professionally” written resume that had cost him in excess of $200. The opening statement on his “professional resume” read as follows:

Strategic, dedicated and analytical operations, production, and distribution manager with over 20 years experience exceeding revenue, cost, productivity, quality, service, and delivery goals. Track record of devising cost effective programs and policies to streamline processes, reduce operational costs, and boost profit margins. Communicator and mentor able to lead highly skilled cross-functional teams in the design, development and implementation of cutting-edge solutions to complex business challenges

What does this candidate actually do? Overuse of keywords in a resume can be detrimental to your job search.  If this resume came across the desk of many hiring managers, it would likely have been tossed after reading the first two sentences. Let’s take a look at how I rewrote that same statement, explaining his experience and position in much better form:

Senior Manufacturing and Plant Operations Executive with more than 20 years experience working in high output environments. Consistently exceeds goals within revenue, cost, productivity, quality, services and delivery. Strategic, dedicated and analytical Manager experienced in operations, production, and distribution. Proven track record devising cost effective programs and policies in order to streamline processes, reduce operational costs, and boost profit margins. Possess strong communication skills and the ability to interact and mentor at all levels within highly skilled cross-functional teams.

This resume now more clearly tells the reader what the candidate does, then proceeds to explain in a concise manner how those tasks were performed effectively. It also highlights what skills were used to accomplish those tasks. The first sentence alone conveys a more experienced candidate; one who is not trying to impress the reader with his choice of “keywords”.  The use of keywords is important, but they must communicate a clear message to the reader. Many “professional” resume writers have a difficult time with this task. The average writer doesn’t specialize in resumes. I’m not just a writer; I am an experienced staffing professional that knows how to build a great resume.

Why do I need Social Media/Networking help?

Unless social networking is a way of life for you, you likely feel very overwhelmed by the number of options available and how to use them. Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook – which networks are right for you? Most of all, how do they work in your favor? Most job seekers fail to realize how effective these networks can be in developing their “online” reputation (both positively and negatively). If you’re not careful with your online conduct, you could lose a job opportunity. I have more than 15 years of experience in online networking; I help you determine what social networks are right for you, coach you through building your profile and creating real connections to build your network. More importantly, I can show you how to keep certain networks private.  Social networks are vital to your job search success. Let me show you how! You’ll be amazed at the doors it can open up for you.