A Better Impression Résumé & Career Counselling Services

Why should I hire a professional résumé writer?

Take a look at the following excerpt from an article written by Eric Hoagberg, a technical recruiter, which appeared in the September, 2002 issue of Workforce:

“If candidates want to get noticed they need to write a clear and compelling résumé. I will contend that the majority of candidates send in résumés that prove the fact that they did not take the time and effort to really communicate well. It says a lot about a candidate who can quickly, clearly, and accurately communicate in writing what they bring to the table. Why don't more candidates pay a professional résumé writer to draft them a résumé that will get them noticed? Getting a job is all about communicating and marketing your skills. The responsibility is on the candidate, not the recruiter.“

What is the difference between a career coach and a career counsellor?

Individuals hire a coach to help themselves reach a career-related goal, make a change, or solve a problem much faster than they could on their own. Career counselling provides individuals with guidance, the administration and interpretation of vocational assessments, and the tools to help them with their job search or career change.

With career counselling, it is up to the client to make the decisions and implement the plan, whereas the role of a coach is to drive the client to put the plan in motion.

A Better Impression's target market is employed professionals seeking a job or career change, therefore we do not have student rates.

If I hire you for résumé writing or career counselling services, will you find me a job?

No. The role of a career counsellor is to teach the client the skills to manage his or her own job search and provide support and guidance. However, for an extra fee, recruiter lists targeting the client's desired occupation/industry can be provided as part of the process.

Can you help me with salary negotiations?

We do provide customized salary research for your position title, job level, and industry, but for information on conducting salary negotiations, we highly recommend the book Negotiating Your Salary: How to Make $1,000 a Minute by Jack Chapman, which can be purchased on our Recommended Books page.

What can I expect from the first career counselling appointment?

The first session will focus on gathering information from you regarding your objectives and what is most important to you in a job and career, and determine your needs. We will also do one assessment and you will leave with a practical tool you can use. Payment is made at the end of the session.

You need not commit to a specific number of sessions, which is why we do not offer a career counselling package. The number of sessions is driven by your needs and budget.

What is an Individual Learning Plan?

In this age of ongoing career management, an Individual Learning Plan (ILP) provides a focused structure for planning and working towards your professional development and learning goals; it's like a map of the path you need to take to get to where you want to go in your career. ILPs are often a requirement for employees within larger organizations for planning professional development to increase their competency levels, but an ILP is also beneficial for anyone engaging in lifelong learning for career advancement.

A Web Portfolio (or e-Portfolio) makes a candidate stand out in the eyes of employers, because it greatly expands upon your qualifications beyond what can be included within a traditional two-page résumé. A Web Portfolio can contain in-depth case studies of your successful projects, graphs demonstrating you have increased revenues, as well as video and sound clips, etc. -- clearly articulating what you can offer to the employer. Included within the Web Portfolio would be your Web résumé page, with links to download PDF and plain-text versions of your résumé. You can invite the employer to view your Web Portfolio by referring to it in the cover letter, followed by a link to your Web Portfolio. The link can also be placed in the heading area of your résumé, just as you would place an email address.