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It's baaack: the recruiter who contacts you and says, "We want to present you to the company but we need to re-do your resume...we know what they like...you really need to use the right key words".
It's a scam! An old one. But because of this mercurial job market, it's making the rounds again.
Just when you thought job search was tough enough, you get hit with this by a recruiter. You think, Oh no, and here I thought I had everything in this resume that it needed ...but they must know what they're talking about and I am interested in the role and really need a new job, so ..."
Wait! Save yourself hundreds of dollars by reading this:
Here is where I tell the story of Gene, a client in B2B sales whose resume we recently rewrote, and now it was rich with examples of success, metrics, keywords of course, and a clean format. But now someone is telling him it's failing. “A recruiter told me that”, Gene offered.
I was immediately suspicious because legitimate recruiters are more concerned with how the candidate's successes match what's needed for the role, than with an exact recitation of keywords. (And today, keywords are assumed, and the focus is on your successes and how you can repeat them at THEIR company - and your career "story"). Also, once or twice a year, I show recruiters in my inner circle a sample new resume, and get kudos from them.
I asked Gene, “Do you know this recruiter, meaning have you worked with this person before?”
“No, it’s someone handling a job posting I replied to a few days ago. They said this to me via email.”
Aha! Now this was getting clearer.
This is often how it goes: Fake Recruiter/Resume Writer/ Career Coach Who Cannot Get Clients Any Other Way puts a (likely) fake job posting out there. People assume it’s legit so they apply. They get a response that says “You look like you’re an amazing fit for this role, but we can’t submit your resume until it’s ATS compliant! [a word that sounds more official than “friendly”]. Now fortunately, WE can take care of that for you. For only $499, we can make it sail through the ATS system so that a hiring manager can be looking at it THIS AFTERNOON!!!” Then, “All credit cards accepted…go here to learn more…”.
Over a very short time, the story shifts from one of “applying for this job” to one of “fixing your resume” and “paying us to help you land your next great job!” Along the way, the candidate gets offered additional services (that I provide a resume client for free), such as $129 for a cover letter or $159 “for an AI-driven search for job openings that YOU want to find!” (But wait, there’s more!)
The candidate is now consumed with fixing a problem that doesn’t exist, and these nameless people have promised them the world once you do the “fix”.
To many job candidates, especially those who’ve been between jobs for a while, this sounds like a gift! They now think, “No one else has told me about this!” Except after a few weeks, they’ll see other fake job posters offering similar services – whether or not it’s needed. One hopes that karma exists for these charlatans. And that candidates get wiser earlier in their searches.
Now here is where I say “no matter how wonderful your resume is, your strategy should instead be to focus on networking, not resume-sending, because done right, that’s the approach that works.” I reminded Gene of that, urging him to refresh his contacts and if needed, by talking with colleagues again or by going to Sales Executive association meetings and making vital connections there.
So if you’ve run into these fake ads and come-ons for ATS resume rewrite services, ignore them. If you need to, like Gene did with me, be in touch with your (real) career coach to confirm that your resume is already ATS-compliant.
Chances are 99% that it likely already is.
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