RESUMÉS - A MARKET SURVEY


Albert Isaacs,
Write-to-the-Point (Professional Writing Service).

Let me share with you the results of a market survey carried out by Write-to-the Point, a professional writing service specialising in the compilation of resumés. All of those assessed in the following survey were not clients of W-t-t-P. However, as the results to some questions show, there was something of an emphasis on interviewing small business people. I hope you find the results of interest:


QUESTION ANSWERS COMMENT
1 Do you have a personal resumé or CV? Yes = 91%
No = 9%
1a If you answered 'No', to Question 1, do you think a resumé would help you? Yes = 55%
No = 45%		 Some of those answering 'No' had retired; others were self-employed.
1b If you answered 'Yes' to Question 1, did you write it yourself or was it done professionally? Self = 82%
Professionally = 18%		 Those describing their resumés as professional had either used other professional providers, family members, and one person was a professional writer.
2 Can you see advantages in a professionally written resumé? Yes = 89%
No = 11%
3 What pitfalls (if any) do you see in a professionally written resumé? Expensive = 70%
Time-consuming process = 23%
No individuality * = 25%
Couldn't understand
the complexities of
my career * = 1%
Employed a professional who wasn?t good = 1%
Wouldn?t be relevant = 1%		 These answers total more than 100% because some people provided multiple responses. However, 16% of respondents didn?t provide any answersto this question.
* It should be noted that this is exactly the type of problem that a professional writer should be employed to solve.
4 Are there other areas where professionally written documents would personally assist you? Covering letters = 38%
Artist?s summaries = 2%
Small Business
promotional packs = 22%
Advertising = 42%
Semi-legal docs. = 35%
Press Releases = 13%
General letters = 10%
Emails = 2%
 These answers total more than 100%
because some people provided
multiple responses.
5 Would you use the internet to
source this service?
 Yes = 76%
No = 24%
5a What other sources would you use to find this service? Local Paper = 24%
Yellow pages, etc = 9%
Friends/contacts = 63%
Books = 1%
A financial advisor = 3%
6 What price would you consider paying for aprofessionally written CV? Less than $75 = 10%
$75-$100 = 46%
$100-$150 = 22%
$150-$200 = 8%
$200-$250 = 6%
Wouldn?t pay = 8%


Concurrently, a second survey was conducted amongst the clients of a specific Job Network provider; that is, amongst people who were currently receiving a NewStart allowance through Centrelink. Although these survey respondents were all job seekers, they often had different expectations to clients of mainstream employment agencies, or to users of services such as DreamJob which is an advertiser/marketer of job listings. Sadly, the results of the survey amongst Job Network clients produced quite negative results, particularly when it came to paying for a service. (A few forms were returned with obscenities written on them.) Therefore, it is felt that these results are not typical of the general population whose opinions are better demonstrated by the results that are listed above.

Website: writetothepoint.com.au


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