I was once retained to develop a resume package for a gentleman in his mid-40s who was seeking a sales position.
He must have been having some financial difficulty because he asked me to charge the project to his father’s credit card.
After contacting his father and getting written permission, I welcomed my new client.
When the resume and cover letter were presented to my client, he praised their quality and complimented me on my writing ability. He said, however, that his father, who was a prominent local business owner, wanted the corporate Human Resources manager to review them before finalizing the project.
My client took the documents with him and returned a few days later to say that the HR manager did not like the resume and it needed to be revised.
The problem was the resume did not list hobbies, a physical description of my client and other personal information that was commonly listed on resumes.
I explained that such information, although once a part of resumes, was no longer preferred by today’s hiring managers. I gave him the pros and cons of listing such data and told him that, if he insisted, I would change the resume but advised strongly against doing so. My client agreed with me, accepted both the resume and cover letter as first presented and finalized the project.
About a week later, I received a letter from my client’s father with a check for $100 enclosed.
The original cost of the project was more than $400. The letter said that he and his Human Resources manager had evaluated the documents and agreed they were worth $100 not the amount charged.
He asked that I issue a credit for $300.
Rather than exhibit anger, I decided to agree with my client’s father…on one condition.
I sent him a letter stating my position. If he would forward to me a signed and notarized agreement that gave me legal power to establish pricing for the products and services he offered, I would reciprocate by letting him decide what prices I should charge for my products and services.
I returned the $100 check with the letter and never again heard from the father but retained my client’s business.
Sue Montgomery, CPRW, ICJCTC
Resume Plus
3077 Kettering Blvd., Ste 116
Moraine, OH 45439
[email protected]
www.resumeplus.com
Alleviating Project Challenges & Those Problem Clients
Navigating through tricky situations can be very unpleasant, especially if you’re dealing with a specific issue for the first time.
What I thought would be fun was to ask several colleagues on what their experiences have been since opening shop. So, I set out to encapsulate a series of simple questions to provide me with what I felt was needed for the book, yet offer flexibility for the contributor to share their individual situations.
