Clients have objections and issues — you’re going to experience these regardless of whether you’ve been in business 20 weeks or 20 years.
The words that clients express about our resume writing skills WILL NOT always be positive.
Most often, you can overcome client objections and challenges by hitting the problem head-on.
In fact, I HIGHLY recommend this.
Sure, it’s painful and stressful at times. Yet, resolving these issues promptly go a long way to deterring refund requests and elevating customer satisfaction levels.
There are approx. 5 primary issues that clients can have with their resumes.
I’ve outlined these below and detailed solutions to help you with each.
Issue#1: It’s been 2 weeks since using the resume you wrote for me, and I’ve received no inquiries or job interviews.
SOLUTION:
EDUCATE YOUR CLIENT. Two weeks isn’t enough time to gauge the (in)effectiveness of any resume. Some experts state that 1 month of job search is needed for every $10,000 in salary to jobseeker is seeking. This means, a $50,000 job potentially takes 5 months to secure.
ASK YOUR CLIENT FOR LINKS TO 3-5 JOBS THEY’VE APPLIED FOR. Because you’ll find that clients, at times, target positions outside their skill level. Clients target these positions because they see themselves as capable of handling these untargeted positions, but unfortunately, the hiring company see those same capabilities.
Issue#2: The resume doesn’t target my ideal job target.
One of two things happened here: the client changed their job focus or you misunderstand his/her initial job target.
Either way, this is an easy fix.
And because your client relationship may be on the line, kick into gear and resolve this issue immediately.
SOLUTION: Conduct a follow-up question-and-answer (Q&A) session with your client BY PHONE. Remember, you MUST remedy the client’s concerns immediately.
Start your call by asking your client straightforward questions to uncover what your client feels should be included, emphasized, or scaled back. For example, ask “tell me what you DO NOT like about the resume summary” and “tell me what DO like about the resume summary.”
Asking for this small bit of information will provide you with just about everything you’ll need to rework the summary so it better fits your client’s ideal job target.
Other questions you might need to ask:
What primary job tasks will you be performing in your ideal job? (this helps you identify if your client is thinking of the correct job title in the first place/plus, helps you better understand the client’s ideal job target)
If I eliminate X, what do you want me to replace it with? (this further helps you identify what the client wants eliminated/replaced with)
You mentioned incorporating X. However, I’m not sure that fits the overall value to the resume. Do you think incorporating X is going to make you more marketable in the eyes of employers? (this helps you identify the client’s motivation for the inclusion/plus, open up the conversation for you to educate him/her on WHY the inclusion MAY NOT be ideal)
Issue #3: I showed the resume to a couple of my hiring manager friends, and they both said it’s not laid out properly, nor is it professional.
This is the toughest issue to resolve IMHO. Because the comment is likely code for “I’d like a refund.”
Most of your clients will be wonderful and professional individuals, however, there at times will be one or two that leaves you shocked from the experience.
They’ll test your patience, be unreasonable, and make continued and oftentimes unnecessary resume changes.
SOLUTION: Verify that you have an easy-to-understand refund policy on your website and within you client contract (if you use one). Signed contracts will protect you clients who seek something for nothing.
Be sure to check out these sample contract clauses to help.
Issue #4: I’m disappointed with the draft. Let me know what we can do about that.
Again, this MAY BE code for the client wants a refund.
However, the client didn’t ask outright for a refund.
This tells you that there’s room for discussion. The client may be expecting a refund or a partial refund. Yet, may be looking for some rewriting.
SOLUTION: The best place to start in these cases is to assume the client wants a rewrite and ask the client to get on the phone. Then, ask specific questions about what the client did/didn’t like about the resume draft. Get specifics. Sometimes, clients can be vague when answering questions so go section by section if necessary.
Issue#5: The resume presentation isn’t what I expected. Is there something you could do differently?
Resume presentations have changed.
Changing the presentation may not be the right choice, so educate your client and encourage them to utilize the version for a test run. Explain that the resume shouldn’t resemble that of their “competition.”
Your clients will likely accept your explanation and wisdom because it makes sense.
