Resume Writer Pet Peeves

Published On: July 5th, 2020Last Updated: February 28th, 2024Categories: Job Seekers Blog, Tips & AdviceTags:
Resume Writer Pet Peeves - Job Seekers Blog - JobStars USA

The following post explores my top Resume Writer Pet Peeves.

With 10+ years of experience as a Certified Professional Resume Writer and 10,000+ Resumes under my belt, I understand the challenges of being a provider of Resume Writing Services.

Read: Is Resume Writing a Scam?

Related: Things to Consider When Hiring a Resume Writer

I generally find the overwhelming majority of JobStars clients respectful and easy to work with! However, along the way, I have developed a few pet peeves from serving some difficult clients.

Here are some of the top faux pas’ to avoid when working with your Resume Writer.

Baggage

Some clients enter into the Resume Writing process with unresolved baggage from a negative past experience. These clients are eager to communicate what went wrong with their last Resume Writer. This is akin to going on a first date and telling your new dating partner about everything that went wrong with an “ex”. It’s totally unrelated, doesn’t really add any value, and makes the other party wary of how things will go from the very start. If you have baggage from a past experience, try to keep it to yourself, learn from it, and use it to anticipate potential problems.

Distrustful

Giving carte blanche to your Resume Writer means granting full authority. When shopping for a Resume Writer, you should study their background, education, and credentials to develop your own sense of trust. Distrustful clients may enter into a Resume Writing engagement without a sense of who they’ve hired (or why). This makes granting carte blanche and trusting the expert nearly impossible and upsets the rhythm of the process.

Judgmental

Building an ATS-friendly and visually-appealing Resume is both an art and a science. Generally speaking, most experienced Resume Writers are familiar with the common “do’s” and “don’ts” for ATS-friendliness. However, visual appeal is largely subjective. This means injecting personal feelings, tastes, or opinions. Judgmental clients are usually quick to express their feelings without considering the subjectivity of their own tastes and opinions. You may avoid being judgmental by trusting your Resume Writer and using your Resume in the marketplace (let the market decide).

Definition of Subjective - Resume Writer Pet Peeves - Job Seekers Blog - JobStars USA

Overbearing

Professional boundaries make up the code of conduct to follow when working with your Resume Writer. Most boundaries are pretty obvious ones. They are based on societal norms like common courtesy and the golden rule (“do unto others as you would have them do unto you”). Overbearing clients may lack the knowledge (or consideration) to respect certain professional boundaries. Examples of overbearing behavior include calling your Resume Writer multiple times daily or sending several messages on the weekend (expecting a response).

Perfectionist

Striving for excellence in the Resume Writing process is a highly desirable target to pursue. Striving for perfection is counterproductive. Understanding the difference between excellence and perfection is critical. When it comes to the practice of Resume Writing, excellence is the goal (not perfection). This doesn’t mean spelling and grammar are unimportant. Your Resume must be thoroughly proofread and free of errors. Perfectionist clients typically operate on arbitrary, unrealistic, and subjective standards that are impossible to meet. Perfectionists should avoid being overly scrupulous with the Resume, and instead, redirect that energy into applying to jobs (play the numbers game).

“Strive for excellence, not perfection, because we don’t live in a perfect world.” ― Joyce Meyer

Rushing It

Time is the single most precious asset in life. We’re all on the clock. On a daily basis, most Resume Writers have 6-8 hours of productive working time to dedicate. Of course, this assumes your Resume Writer will avoid distractions, maintain good health, and steer clear of countless other factors which eat into available time. Rushed clients prioritize their own needs and timeline with little appreciation for how much time is available. Most reputable Resume Writers offer rush service for an additional charge. If you’re in a hurry, it’s best to consider paying for faster service.

Uncooperative

Resume Writing is a time-consuming and challenging endeavor. Most veteran Resume Writers serve multiple clients at once and rely heavily on their own process for managing everything. Personally, I ask all JobStars clients to complete an introductory questionnaire and then partake in a telephone call (prior to first draft development). This allows me to stay organized and clear-headed on their needs and objectives. Uncooperative clients may view aspects of the Resume Writing process as inconvenient and worthy of bypassing. This is not an ideal level of cooperation.

In Conclusion

My daily commitment is ensuring the delivery of top notch career services for every valued JobStars USA client. As such, I wrote this post to transparently share my pet peeves. My hope is to help prospective clients make the most of their engagement.

Seeking help with your Resume? We offer a range of services at multiple price points for revising an existing Resume or building a new one from scratch. Check out the Resume Writing homepage or send a Contact Us with more information.

About the Author: Doug Levin

Doug Levin is the owner and operator of JobStars USA, a career services practice serving job seekers of all industries and experience levels. He is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW), and Career Coach (CPCC) with a decade of experience in the Resume Writing niche.

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