Why Does Your Resume Cost What It Does?
"How much does it cost?" is the number one question posed by job seekers to resume writers.
And, indeed, it's only natural to want to know how much a service is going to cost before you take on that practitioner, right? You wouldn't buy a suit without a price tag, or a car without knowing the list price ahead of time, after all.
So why doesn't the same logic apply to a resume? One reason is that suits and automobiles are commodities; manufactured goods.
You can go to a store and be shown a suit made of silk, polyester, worsted wool, or other such popular fabric, and priced accordingly.
You can visit a high-end clothing store and pay high-end prices for a suit, or a department store for a different price; you can even find a suit at a thrift shop for $10 or $15 if you want.
And the same applies to automobiles.
You have your Cadillac, Mercedes, BMW, and others at one end of the pricing spectrum, and such brands as Fiat, Ford Aspire, and Chevrolet Spark at the other.
All commodities.
The dictionary defines a commodity as "an article of trade or commerce.
" Which brings us to the subject of resumes, ladies and gentlemen.
Every four or five years, your car wears out, and you trade it in on a new one.
Or your suit gets worn or too small, and you need to buy another.
But a resume is not like that at all.
A resume is a service, not a commodity.
You don't go to the resume writer and ask to be shown something in a moderate price range, size 36 regular.
A resume is a document that results from the cooperation between you, the job seeker, and the resume writer, in order to present a clear picture of your value to a prospective employer.
A resume springs from the education and skills of the resume writer, in much the same way as the advice of your doctor or lawyer.
When you're sick and go to the doctor, do you ask, "How much will this cost?" Probably not.
If you've been picked up on a DUI, do you ask your lawyer, "How much will this cost?" Why, then, do we ask that question about resumes and resume writers? Could be because there's such a wide disparity in prices and services out there.
We've all seen the ads for $50.
00 and $100.
00 resumes.
Don't you wonder what you get for such a low price? A talented, professional resume writer will spend several hours with you beforehand, to get a sense of "who you are.
" A true professional, regardless what his/her fee is, will never use a template.
A true professional isn't a typist or a word processing service.
A true professional is a writer, who will create for you the strongest possible marketing document within his/her capabilities, one that demonstrates your full capabilities and accomplishments in a way that will make the hiring manager eager to meet you.
Because that's what a resume is.
It's not a piece of paper created to show where you've been.
If that were the case, you could simply copy your job descriptions from your company manuals, paste them in place, and call it a "resume.
" A resume is a document that shows where you're going, written by a professional who will interview you to draw you out on your strengths and accomplishments.
So perhaps, instead of "How much will this resume cost?", your question might be "How much will not having this resume cost me?"
And, indeed, it's only natural to want to know how much a service is going to cost before you take on that practitioner, right? You wouldn't buy a suit without a price tag, or a car without knowing the list price ahead of time, after all.
So why doesn't the same logic apply to a resume? One reason is that suits and automobiles are commodities; manufactured goods.
You can go to a store and be shown a suit made of silk, polyester, worsted wool, or other such popular fabric, and priced accordingly.
You can visit a high-end clothing store and pay high-end prices for a suit, or a department store for a different price; you can even find a suit at a thrift shop for $10 or $15 if you want.
And the same applies to automobiles.
You have your Cadillac, Mercedes, BMW, and others at one end of the pricing spectrum, and such brands as Fiat, Ford Aspire, and Chevrolet Spark at the other.
All commodities.
The dictionary defines a commodity as "an article of trade or commerce.
" Which brings us to the subject of resumes, ladies and gentlemen.
Every four or five years, your car wears out, and you trade it in on a new one.
Or your suit gets worn or too small, and you need to buy another.
But a resume is not like that at all.
A resume is a service, not a commodity.
You don't go to the resume writer and ask to be shown something in a moderate price range, size 36 regular.
A resume is a document that results from the cooperation between you, the job seeker, and the resume writer, in order to present a clear picture of your value to a prospective employer.
A resume springs from the education and skills of the resume writer, in much the same way as the advice of your doctor or lawyer.
When you're sick and go to the doctor, do you ask, "How much will this cost?" Probably not.
If you've been picked up on a DUI, do you ask your lawyer, "How much will this cost?" Why, then, do we ask that question about resumes and resume writers? Could be because there's such a wide disparity in prices and services out there.
We've all seen the ads for $50.
00 and $100.
00 resumes.
Don't you wonder what you get for such a low price? A talented, professional resume writer will spend several hours with you beforehand, to get a sense of "who you are.
" A true professional, regardless what his/her fee is, will never use a template.
A true professional isn't a typist or a word processing service.
A true professional is a writer, who will create for you the strongest possible marketing document within his/her capabilities, one that demonstrates your full capabilities and accomplishments in a way that will make the hiring manager eager to meet you.
Because that's what a resume is.
It's not a piece of paper created to show where you've been.
If that were the case, you could simply copy your job descriptions from your company manuals, paste them in place, and call it a "resume.
" A resume is a document that shows where you're going, written by a professional who will interview you to draw you out on your strengths and accomplishments.
So perhaps, instead of "How much will this resume cost?", your question might be "How much will not having this resume cost me?"
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