What are your credentials?
All career documents are written by Laurie Berenson who successfully earned the Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) designation on her first attempt in March 2005. The credential is granted by the Professional Association of Resume Writers & Career Coaches (PARW/CC) and can be verified here.
Laurie also graduated cum laude from Georgetown University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a double concentration in accounting and finance.
What is your process?
I conveniently work with clients through phone, fax, and email. Call or email today for a complimentary assessment of your existing resume.
Once I have received your signed New Client Agreement and deposit, I’ll send you a list of resume development questions that are extremely valuable to me during the writing process. As I review your career history, I will also email you follow-up questions and discuss selected points in further detail during our scheduled phone consultation.
A draft will be forwarded to you no later than five (5) business days for your review and includes up to two rounds of revisions. The final electronic copy will be emailed to you in four file formats (a 2003 Microsoft Word .doc document, PDF, a text file for uploading to online databases, and a second text file for copying and pasting into the body of an email) once I’ve received a signed Authorization to Finalize document to complete your file.
I invoice clients through PayPal (you need not have a PayPal account to pay by credit card) or personal check if payment is made in full.
What is your turnaround time?
I take my lead from the client. The New Client Agreement lists a two (2) week time frame for edits as a general parameter. When a client is motivated, I’m able to proceed through the process quickly. 7-10 days is a more typical start-to-finish time frame for clients. If there is a pipeline of existing projects, I will you advise you of a delayed start to your project in our initial conversations.
Do you have set business hours?
Because I do not maintain a storefront location, my hours vary. This is to your benefit. My flexibility allows me to provide top quality service. I return calls during evenings and weekends and strive to return all calls within 24 hours. I reply to emails promptly, nearly always the same day. Clients have always found me to be responsive.
Can I subscribe to your newsletter?
Why wait around for a quarterly newsletter when you could put new information to use in your job search now? I offer my clients and friends advice and relevant articles in real time. You can subscribe here to weekly posts to my career blog and follow me on Twitter @LaurieBerenson for daily tweets covering resume tips and job search advice.
How long have you been in business?
I launched my business in January 2004.
How long should a resume be?
Talk about urban myths…
Simply put, there are no hard-fast rules about resume length. Most of the resumes I write are two pages. For someone graduating from college, with just a few years of experience or a simple background, one page may be enough. On the flip side, on rare occasions, I have written three pages for senior executives. Do not let anyone tell you all resumes have to be one page. The purpose of a resume is to market your strengths and value to a future employer. At a certain point in most people’s careers, it’s hard to contain that to one page.
Does your background [in executive recruiting] permit you to provide advice in other areas?
With a background in executive search, I provide clients with job search advice and guidance. My resume packages, in fact, are designed to include unlimited email support to take advantage of this resource. More formalized interviewing coaching services are available as well.
