Dear Colleague
I won't waste your time at this stage with waffle; you're probably very busy and keen to get on. So let's talk about why you're here, and what we can do for you.
You are probably here for one of the following reasons:
- you are sick of your job or your employer, or
- you want a career-change, more money, more job satisfaction, or
- you are a victim of the so-called 'credit crunch' and have been selected for redundancy . . . .
- . . . . and you KNOW you need an incredibly strong CV just to get through the door to interview.
Downsizing, or 'right-sizing' (the new 'buzzword' phrase for making redundancies), has never been more prevalent than it is in today's marketplace. Don't take our word for it, look at the Governments own statistics: Frightening Statistics - unemployment rose by another 23,000 to 2.47 million over the quarter to April 2010 alone. (That's two million four hundred and seventy thousand - I thought I'd write it out in full because we are becoming immune to 'telephone number' figures these days).
The number of people (again, this is people like you and me, not just numbers) out of work for 12 months or more rose by 85,000 to a staggering 772,000!!
Forget the politically-correct (PC) niceties, or whatever rubbish our elected 'leaders' are currently spinning. The undeniable fact is that we are in the middle of the Deepest, Darkest Recession in Living Memory. What this means for any job-seeker today is really simple.
It means there are not enough jobs.
Worse, there is fierce, vicious competition for those few that are available.
Whatever your reason for finding a new job, to get yourself into 'pole position' for it, you need to get an interview. Quickly.
To get an interview you need the Most Powerful, Focused and Dynamic CV you can lay your hands on . . . a CV that instantly thrusts you head and shoulders above the competition!
But there's no need to worry; Top Professionals like you and me have already 'got it covered'. After all we're intelligent people! We've probably already written ourselves a really sharp and attractive CV, or we can at least 'Google' for free information off the 'net to do it ourselves pretty quickly when we're ready.
WRONG ANSWER! Sorry to burst your bubble, but for 99% of us our home-made CV just isn't going to 'cut it'.
Think about it for a second. If you needed surgery, would you read up on it and then have a go at the job yourself? Would you draw up your own plans for your new home extension, or would you use an architect? Would you represent yourself in court, or employ a legal professional?
When we're looking for a new job, it's the most important job we'll ever do. It can also cost a lot of money and time , which are 'lost opportunity costs' (see our Warning Page for some illustrations). If you make a few unsuccessful attempts at marketing yourself, it won't take long for you to become just another statistic, and the longer you're out of work, the more difficult getting another job becomes. Every professional recruiter will tell you that a gap on your CV of more than a week or two significantly diminishes your chances of getting an interview.
Remember, it's not the best candidate that makes it to interview . . . . it's the best CV!
Here's why:
1. Your CV is usually the first - and ONLY - impression a prospective employer has of you. However, that CV is often one of many, perhaps hundreds, that literally cascade across his or her desk in answer to an ad or in support of an application. Every part of the process is a filter; another challenge; another bottleneck. Only the strongest and fittest survive.
2. Remember that you are not physically present at this stage to explain, justify or amplify any of your experience or qualifications. Therefore your CV needs to be your powerful advocate - accurate, committed and totally focused on the task at hand - which is getting you an interview! If you are to get an interview your resume MUST AT FIRST GLANCE stand out from the pack. Forget gimmicks or fancy, quirky visual tricks. It needs to be literally 'salesmanship in print'!
3. Your skills and attributes must leap off the page like a coiled spring in a clean, clear, credible and professional way that leaves no doubt in the mind of the selector that YOU are the very best candidate for interview. Your CV should immediately cut any potential rivals for the position out of the equation.
- Is your CV really that strong?
- Is it carefully built around powerful action verbs, describing your valuable contributions to the success of your current employer, with real, tangible numbers and percentages, rather than the usual 'Responsible for . . . ' job-description type drivel?
- Is it presented clearly, in the best way, in professional language targeted at the right reading level?
- Is every inch of the real estate on the face of the CV working for you, selling YOU as the hottest, most valuable new 'product' on the market to instantly solve the target employer's problems or 'key frustrations'?
- Is it in a bang-up-to-date format, that recruiters and headhunters expect to see, or is it in a tired old Word format like everybody else's, probably 5 to 10 years out of date?
- CV Writing is both an art and a science. Are you good at both?
- Do you write CV's every single day, like we do, or is it a 'once every 3 to 5 years' thing? It takes time and experience and a great deal of trial and error to become good at anything. After all, that's how you got to where you are, isn't it?
It is said that unless your CV or Resume makes an impression within 8 seconds, you're dead in the water, out of the race.
Your Top Pro CV from Top Professional Resumes does exactly that. Together with your targeted, structured and individually-tailored Covering Letter it acts as your silent but incredibly powerful salesman, instantly propelling you, in leaps and bounds, well ahead of the competition.
Without the Top Pro CV, available exclusively from Top Professional Resumes Ltd, you are going nowhere fast. Don't take our word for it - ask our hundreds of satisfied clients. The testimonial at the top of this page is bang up-to-date, and you can view many more - live - by visiting LinkedIn and viewing my profile (there is a link to that over on the right). Here is another recent endorsement of our service, and particularly the expertise I bring personally to the process:
“Stephen is a remarkable expert in creative CV writing, his skills and knowledge are so evident in the products he creates. Stephen offers an excellent service and embeds a culture of genuine individual support and advice, very timely and encouraging. I would gladly recommend Stephen and the services he offers to anyone and add that Stephen has provided more than a supportive, professional service to me - he is a mentor, motivator and a reliable colleague.” K.W, Senior Manager NHS, Hull - October 2010
Just consider the reality of where you are at the moment, particularly if you have lost, or are about to lose, your job.
Unless you are very wealthy, you need to immediately begin marketing yourself to new potential employers in order to continue with your life. You need to quickly get back into a position where you can earn enough to provide yourself, and perhaps your family, with the financial means to carry on in the lifestyle you presently enjoy.
I don't know your personal circumstances, but the timeframe may be tight. Current research tells us that most people are less than 2 pay-cheques or salary injections from homelessness.
What I mean by this, is that most of us cannot run for more than a couple of months - at best - without regular income. Unless we dig deeply into savings, or sell the car (or one of them), the mortgage or rent won't get paid. And that's just the start - credit cards, bank loans, HP agreements, utility bills, the list goes on and on. So we really need to get the ball rolling quickly and effectively.
As outlined at the top of the page, getting a new job begins with getting an interview.
Order Your Career-Winning Professional CV or Resume TODAY!!
. . . . . and have your Top Pro CV in your hands in just 5 business days!
Before we go any further let's establish exactly what a CV from Top Professional Resumes is, or perhaps more importantly is not, designed to do.
It is not designed to get you a job, although if you perform well when the time comes, i.e. at interview, this will be the net result. Only you can get the job offer, but only IF you get in front of the potential employer. Having said that, many of our Clients have told us that they felt it was the CV that got them the job. Maybe they're right <grin>.
Many resume services claim to be able to produce a clients' CV within "x" hours. Whenever we see organisations offering to put the whole process to bed in a matter of hours, or even the same day, we know they cannot possibly have done "due diligence" to the job at hand, nor can they in any way have presented their clients in the best possible light.
We know from over 13 years' experience that in order for us to carry out a professional evaluation of your strengths and weaknesses, achievements to date, and your ambitions and aspirations for the future, we need a lot of information from you. Even when you have completed our comprehensive Questionnaire it is necessary for our Consultants to collate and carefully manipulate ALL of the specialist information obtained from you so that you have the very best chance of getting the interviews you want. Typically, for any of our professional clients, the CV takes between 10 and 16 hours of painstaking, detailed work.
If you "want it quick", there are plenty of operations out there that will happily take your money. However if you really want to get that interview, really want to launch your new career, then work with us to create an Unique, Powerful and Unbeatable job-pulling document that 'separates you from the herd'. In order for one of our Personal Career Consultants to properly design and craft this vital tool for you, we WILL NOT deliver your finished resume the same day. It simply cannot be done.
However, we recognise that very occasionally an opportunity may arise for you at short notice that makes our usual time frame unacceptable. In these circumstances we will make one of our Senior Consultants available to work with you "one on one" to achieve your objective in just 2 business days. This highly specialised service may attract a premium, depending on specialist staff availability. Please mention it at the time of ordering and we will quote on an individual basis.
Our competitors think we are mad for saying we can't or won't do it today . . . that this is in effect an 'anti-sales' statement. However, Top Professional Resumes Ltd has built its reputation on QUALITY, not quantity. When a client comes to us he or she wants to solve the problem, not keep repeating the exercise. So we do the job once - properly and completely. Any qualified engineer will tell you - "measure twice; cut once".
As the old adage goes, "you never get a second chance to make a good first impression".
Make an Absolutely Unforgettable Impression with a resume from the leading International provider - Top Professional Resumes.
Your Future Starts Here . . . Order TODAY!
“Stephen offered and delivered hope when the chips were down. He comes highly recommended, in all aspects of the role. Stephen deserves huge success in the service that he provides. He is straight, to the point and honest, he delivered great ideas of a difference which made me stand out in the crowd. Forever grateful for the help and service provided at speed.” C.D., Head of HR, Oxford - November 2010
Yes, your future career really does start here! As soon as you place your order with Top Professional Resumes, you will be able to download our unique Career Development Questionnaire.
This specially-designed sequence of questions will guide you through giving us the relevant personal career-specific information that will enable us to craft your Top Pro CV. Once completed and returned to us, this unique confidential dossier will become the source document for our career-building service.
Additionally, and very importantly, the Questionnaire is also designed to prepare you for interview.
The comprehensive questions are asked in such a way that the client, while completing it, will AUTOMATICALLY begin programming his or her subconscious mind with the answers to likely interview questions. When they do come up at the subsequent interview, we have already prepared you for them, so you are able to deal with them confidently and fluently.
Filed in our secure storage facility, protected under the Data Protection Act for your peace of mind, the Questionnaire will also be available for any further career changes you may choose to undertake in the future. Following completion we will construct the first draft of your Top Professional Resume, which will then be emailed or faxed to you for approval.
The next and most critical stage is to arrange a mutually convenient telephone interview (please set aside up to an hour of uninterrupted time for this), to discuss and fine-tune any areas we feel could perhaps be stronger. This is also an ideal opportunity for us to gain valuable insight into your personality, or to obtain additional personal input, which may not have been teased out by the Questionnaire. This will also influence the way we write your Covering Letter.
It is absolutely pointless just churning out a "standard" letter that simply accompanies the CV or resume.
At Top Professional Resumes we have determined that the Covering Letter is as important a part of getting the interview as the resume itself. If we can give the Covering Letter just a hint of your personality, the selector will identify much more positively with you when you present yourself for interview. It is also imperative that each Covering Letter is individually designed to carefully match the 'key frustrations' of the target employer, identified from the ad for the position you are applying for, and picks out highly relevant points from both your Top Professional Resume and your previous history.
Many of our competitors completely ignore this fact, preferring instead to sell you an "additional" service, that is usually just such a "standard" letter as outlined earlier. For this reason we strongly recommend you add our superb Covering Letter service to your order.
**STOP PRESS** For a limited time we will INCLUDE this critical resource (saving you at least £29 - some companies charge up to £150 for this alone) in the price of your Top Pro Package - see the additional time-limited bonuses available today on the order page.
Once we agree the final draft, we will ask you to approve it. Then we will "go to press" with your Top Professional Resume (Top Pro CV) and send it out to you the same day.
Opportunity + Preparation = Success
Increasingly, many of our clients purchase their Top Pro CV when they are NOT specifically looking for a move. This gives them the competitive edge when they do actually begin the search for their "perfect" job because most of the groundwork has already been done. In today's uncertain business climate this can be an absolute master-stroke; you never know when you may quite suddenly find yourself having to look for a new position!
It has been said that overwhelming success ONLY occurs when opportunity meets preparation.
Lifetime Value
At Top Professional Resumes we appreciate and cherish the Lifetime Value of our Clients. Because we securely store your dossier of information "in perpetuity", each new Top Pro CV we craft for your next and subsequent moves is completed quickly and efficiently without any compromises on quality or accuracy. All you need to do is give us the details for your new position and we update accordingly, for a very modest fee, which includes a new interview-pulling Cover Letter.
As members of the Professional Resume Writing and Research Association (PRWRA), we consider our Clients our most valuable and sought-after resource.
Our research indicates that today, unlike 20, 10 or even just five years ago in some arenas, there are very few "jobs for life" out there any more. Indeed, in today's market place people typically change jobs every 3 to 7 years on average. Amazingly it is not unheard of now for an individual to have had up to four complete career changes over their working lifetimes!
The good news for you is that once you become a Top Pro CV Client, you will never need to concern yourself with obtaining the best possible resume ever again. We Guarantee It!
Finally, and in summary, we have given you a LOT of information; hopefully enough to make an informed choice. However, please feel free to explore the site and satisfy yourself that we will do what we say. Then give us a try - you won't regret it, and you will have that new job much sooner than you think. Good Luck!
Yours sincerely
Stephen Thompson
Managing Director
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