It's that time again for me to revise my resume and I thought I had done a pretty good job of it myself, until I went home for Christmas and my brother-in-law basically told me it was worthless. Under normal circumstances, I probably would have told him to shove it and his assessment would not have had any impact on me whatsoever, but the fact is that it has been four months and I have yet to land one interview. Something is obviously not working, so once again I am on the quest to find a legitimate professional resume writing service and once again, it is an enormous project. The last time I did this, I ended up getting completely disgusted with the majority of resume writing websites and decided not to use a service and try it myself. Since I knew what I was getting into this time around, I started from legitimate websites like the NY Public Library and used the links/resources they provided. After I narrowed it down to a handful of legitimate professional resume writing services, I did a general google search for each one to find any complaints, reviews and comments from real people who had used their services. I found a lot of the same type of fake reviews and fake review websites that I had the first time around, but I also found some real reviewers and real customers and I was sure to read all the fine print on the websites carefully. (I will let you know which service I ended up going with and I will give you an honest review of their services and my level of satisfaction in another post after I get my resume and have had time to evaluate their services.)
In the mean time, I want to mention the fake review sites that are either paid to write positive reviews about the company or are an affiliate of the company or are part of a combined agreement between several companies to create a fake review website in order to provide a facade of legitimacy and make it seem as though the review site is in no way affiliated with the companies being reviewed. I know this sounds confusing if you don't know what I'm talking about so let me put it this way. Company XYZ provides a resume writing service and they have a website companyXYZ.com where you can purchase resume writing services from them, BUT they also create a website called resume-writing-services-reviews.com. They create and pay for this fake review site and the reviews are not real because they are either written by the company or by someone who has been paid by the company to write a great review. Sometimes multiple companies will team up and pay to create a fake review site together. Here is an example:
Compare Resume Services
This is what they state as the purpose/description of their website:
"To assist you in your search, we have compiled not only a list of the
top 10 resume writing services,
but an in-depth analysis of their guarantees, credentials, turnaround
time, service fees, and much more! If you are looking for an unbiased,
third-party
comparison
of the best resume companies in business today, simply visit our Resume Service Reviews page to learn more."
I added the emphasis to show you that is a blatantly FALSE statement. It is most certainly NOT a third-party nor is it unbiased. For one needs only scroll down the page to find the contradiction and proof of an affiliation at the very bottom in small print:
"Disclosure: The owner of this website is an affiliate for providers of services mentioned on this website and may be compensated when you purchase from a provider."
It is almost laughable to take companies like this seriously. Almost. It's not laughable because they actually succeed in tricking many people to hand over a lot of money for something that most likely will not be up to par. That is not to say that all the companies are horrible or should not be used, but any company that participates in false advertising or pays money in order to deceive people is not a company I want to do any business with- especially for something as important as a resume. I should note that it is not just resume writing services who do this. Virtually any product or company does it. If you are looking for a TV or a smartphone and google "TV reviews" or "best smartphone" you will find all kinds of sites like "best-tvs-reviewed.com" or "compare-smartphones.com" etc.
When it comes to reading reviews online, the bottom line is: don't believe everything you read. While I suppose a large number of reviews for any company or service are legitimate, there is also rampant abuse of the reviewing system no matter what the site. Desperate companies or individuals will spam sites with false reviews or pay someone else to do it or even have something along the lines of a spam-bot do it. Always use common sense and check to see if the reviewers have other reviews about other services/companies. Are there multiple reviews that all seem to be posted around the same date/time? Are there several reviews that seem to be using the same wording or wording that sounds like it came from a commercial or just sounds inauthentic? If it's an interactive message board or forum, reply to a reviewer and see if they reply back. If they do, ask for specifics. If they start to fall apart or seem way too invested in defending the company, then it's very likely that person is affiliated with the company and not an actual customer.
As far as customer satisfaction and professionalism are concerned, if you really want to check up on a company or service, go to the BBB website. Even companies that are not accredited by the BBB can have a rating and helpful information. For example, Careers Plus Resumes is NOT accredited by the BBB and has a rating of C-. It also has more information on legitimate complaints made against the company and the company's responses to those complaints. Any information on the BBB website cannot be faked, so this is a good way to go if you are getting contradictory information online. Here is the link to the BBBs rating and information for Careers Plus Resumes, which is just one example of a company I would never use:
http://www.bbb.org/nashville/business-reviews/resume-service/careers-plus-resumes-in-gallatin-tn-37018432
Showing posts with label reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reviews. Show all posts
Monday, December 31, 2012
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Hulu's New Format - FAIL! (And a dirty little secret)
If you are an avid hulu user, as I had recently become, you've noticed their massive site overhaul. It's a complete and utter disaster and anyone looking for more specific details on just how the new implementation affects users, needs only to read the comments on their blog (http://blog.hulu.com/2012/08/21/launching-a-new-hulu-a-fresh-look-for-the-shows-you-love/ ) or their Facebook page. I'm sure that this only represents a fraction of the users who are unhappy, as many users won't even bother to comment or won't care enough to find their blog and complain. It took me exactly 11 days to do so and by then I was so annoyed, I had to blog about it here.
What I find particularly amusing is that if you google, "hulu new layout" you will get a bunch of articles and reviews praising the new design and saying how great it is, which would be hilarious if it weren't so pathetic. This is the dirty little secret of the industry. The articles were all written by those employed by hulu or those who have a stake in keeping hulu relevant, like the networks that allow their shows to be streamed through hulu, for example. Nearly every single article or review praising hulu's new design happened to be posted on August 22, one day after the official launch, and the others were posted on the day the new format launched. Coincidence? No, they are actually just disguised press releases, as surely none of the authors really use the site regularly or had taken the time to understand and appreciate the utter fail of the new features and design and how it impacts actual users. They post on a variety of different sites and media outlets, hoping to work up a false positive buzz to hide the actual dissatisfaction and legitimate comments from actual users. They also use these fake articles to placate advertisers and give them a false sense of security (and probably jack-up their ad fees.)
This is a prime example of how little concern and respect companies have nowadays towards customer service or making customers happy. While I'm not sure exactly how the new format benefits advertisers, I'm certain that it does since there can be no other logical explanation for implementing such a train wreck. Obviously, the user is irrelevant to them since any company reading the comments and taking customer feedback seriously would have immediately reverted to the old layout. Eventually, the site will fail, but it will take a while before advertisers catch on and for many users to find an alternative. When that time comes, hulu will scramble to win back viewers and advertisers, but it will be too late, as people will have found another, better, more user-friendly alternative and be unlikely to switch back to a site that completely dismissed them in the first place. Once you lose advertisers, they don't come back.
Of course, there is always the possibility hulu will come to their senses and revert to the old layout or at the very least, give users the option of reverting to the old layout (impossible), but I'm guessing they don't give their users enough credit for being able to find alternatives. I have several, but I liked using hulu and I liked using it to find new shows or shows that I might not have otherwise watched. Oh well. I am giving them until September 21 to roll back to the old format or I will delete my account (free account that it is) and never return. I will still not watch any shows on hulu in the mean time. Most networks post their own shows on their webpages and of course there is always the reliable torrenting method of obtaining shows (commercial-free, I might add.) I will be choosing those methods until (if) hulu gets its shit together.
What I find particularly amusing is that if you google, "hulu new layout" you will get a bunch of articles and reviews praising the new design and saying how great it is, which would be hilarious if it weren't so pathetic. This is the dirty little secret of the industry. The articles were all written by those employed by hulu or those who have a stake in keeping hulu relevant, like the networks that allow their shows to be streamed through hulu, for example. Nearly every single article or review praising hulu's new design happened to be posted on August 22, one day after the official launch, and the others were posted on the day the new format launched. Coincidence? No, they are actually just disguised press releases, as surely none of the authors really use the site regularly or had taken the time to understand and appreciate the utter fail of the new features and design and how it impacts actual users. They post on a variety of different sites and media outlets, hoping to work up a false positive buzz to hide the actual dissatisfaction and legitimate comments from actual users. They also use these fake articles to placate advertisers and give them a false sense of security (and probably jack-up their ad fees.)
This is a prime example of how little concern and respect companies have nowadays towards customer service or making customers happy. While I'm not sure exactly how the new format benefits advertisers, I'm certain that it does since there can be no other logical explanation for implementing such a train wreck. Obviously, the user is irrelevant to them since any company reading the comments and taking customer feedback seriously would have immediately reverted to the old layout. Eventually, the site will fail, but it will take a while before advertisers catch on and for many users to find an alternative. When that time comes, hulu will scramble to win back viewers and advertisers, but it will be too late, as people will have found another, better, more user-friendly alternative and be unlikely to switch back to a site that completely dismissed them in the first place. Once you lose advertisers, they don't come back.
Of course, there is always the possibility hulu will come to their senses and revert to the old layout or at the very least, give users the option of reverting to the old layout (impossible), but I'm guessing they don't give their users enough credit for being able to find alternatives. I have several, but I liked using hulu and I liked using it to find new shows or shows that I might not have otherwise watched. Oh well. I am giving them until September 21 to roll back to the old format or I will delete my account (free account that it is) and never return. I will still not watch any shows on hulu in the mean time. Most networks post their own shows on their webpages and of course there is always the reliable torrenting method of obtaining shows (commercial-free, I might add.) I will be choosing those methods until (if) hulu gets its shit together.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Careers Plus Resumes - They are insane!
(Originally posted Jan 29, 2010 on my old Wordpress blog)
I have been absolutely dreading the whole resume nightmare. I decided that because of my unique employment history, I need a professional resume writer to tackle the task so I have been researching various websites and services. It’s very difficult to assess some of these websites because there is not really a way to ask questions before signing up and paying for them. I have very specific needs and I want someone who has solid experience with career changers, since that is the entire reason I am willing to hire someone for this in the first place. I don't need help with job descriptions and wording since I think I do a pretty damn good job of that myself, but I do need help with figuring out the format and how to address the major career shifts (i.e. medical research in a hospital to horse trainer/riding instructor) and gaps (which weren’t so much gaps as multiple part-time jobs and reconfiguring my life post Hurricane Katrina.)
Anyway, so after visiting several of the major resume writing sites out there, I decided to google each of them to find any reviews, complaints, satisfied customers, scam alerts, etc. Resume writing is not a cheap service and I’m not going to plunk $250-$400 down without having some kind of assurance and confidence that I am going to be getting my moneys worth! One of the companies I googled was “Careers Plus Resumes” (http://www.cpresumes.com) which led me to a complaint board with a complaint about them. I ended up registering on the complaint board because I wanted to contact the poster so I could ask them a few questions. Then I noticed that another user had posted three messages in a row defending the company and claiming to be a satisfied customer, which immediately raised a red flag. If he was truly a satisfied customer, why would he visit and register on a complaint board just to respond to a complaint about the company? When I am happy with a service, I don’t go looking up information and complaints about the company to defend them! I might give a positive review somewhere and move on. I certainly would not try to debunk another persons experience- even if it was nothing like my own! The whole thing is very suspect and I think it’s reasonable to assume that it is actually someone from the company who feels the need to defend themselves, which in turn makes them look extremely unprofessional. There is no reason for anyone other than company employees to invest in such a personal defense. So I made a very rational, measured comment that by posting such a vigorous defense of the company, they were actually doing more harm than good because there would be no reason for a satisfied customer to seek out and defend a company against one little complaint on the internet. I added that I was definitely opting NOT to use Careers Plus Resumes, as it seemed very strange and unprofessional to pose as a satisfied customer. (Well, I didn’t actually write that last bit, but you get the idea.)
Having ruled out that company, I went on to research the others on my list and forgot all about it until I got an email message from a newly registered user on the site who claimed to be the CEO of the company and who had threatened me with legal action for posting negative comments. First of all, I only posted one comment- as a reply to another comment. Second, I was not the one who wrote the complaint. I have had no direct experience with this company! Third, my comment did not include any false information. Lastly, legal action? Seriously? On what grounds? It was one of the most pathetic attempts at intimidation I have ever seen and it failed miserably. This is the exact message copy and pasted:
"My name is Justin Olsen, President/CEO of Careers Plus Resumes, Inc. We have evidence to believe you are either a direct competitor or an administrator of this website. Our corporate attorney has partnered with our local Law Enforcement agencies and have detected and logged your IP address which is a physical address of your computer and can be traced to your exact location. We are hereby demanding that you cease and decist from posting anymore defamatory/false statements about our company and have the other posts removed immediately or we will pursue damages in Federal Court to the fullest extent of the law. You will be held liable for damages and attorney fees for your criminal actions against our organization. Good day."
Aside from being laugh-out-loud funny, it is false and ridiculous on so many levels. I responded to him saying as much and I’ve since received several other “threatening” messages from several “different” users, all of whom coincidentally registered within the last 24-48 hours and who have only made posts concerning (and defending) Careers Plus Resumes. The funniest part of this whole thing is that I wasn’t even the one who wrote the original complaint! Lol! They are insane. Every single company that provides services or goods to the public will ALWAYS have some unsatisfied customers. That’s natural and expected. What is not natural or expected is for the company to waste time and energy posing as various users to defend the company and insult those who “have the nerve” to write about their negative experiences.
I’ve replied to two or three more messages, including another from the CEO who claimed that in addition to being a certified writer, he is also an attorney. If anyone is propagating false information, it is him! Based on his other statements, it is painstakingly obvious he is no such thing. An attorney would know that everything I’ve posted is 100% protected and that libel cases are heard in civil courts and not Federal court- even criminally libelous cases are state-by-state and not federal. Nearly every single thing he has claimed thus far has been false and incorrect. It’s ridiculous.
This is the reason it is so important to do research, and I am writing this blog entry to expose their complete lack of professionalism and moronic behavior so that other people who are looking for information about them can see and judge for themselves. I have had no experience using their services so I can’t even say this is a review, however, I would certainly not recommend them, as they clearly lack professionalism and credibility.
Here is the link to the original complaint and thread for your amusement and should you wish to follow-up on any new developments, though I’ve certainly lost interest in this game. Btw, my user name on the board is “imanygirl.” http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/careers-plus-resumes-c299050.html?selcom=579716#c579716
To view the original Comments for this post on my old blog, you can go here:
http://july7nyc.wordpress.com/2010/01/29/careers-plus-resumes-they-are-insane/
I have been absolutely dreading the whole resume nightmare. I decided that because of my unique employment history, I need a professional resume writer to tackle the task so I have been researching various websites and services. It’s very difficult to assess some of these websites because there is not really a way to ask questions before signing up and paying for them. I have very specific needs and I want someone who has solid experience with career changers, since that is the entire reason I am willing to hire someone for this in the first place. I don't need help with job descriptions and wording since I think I do a pretty damn good job of that myself, but I do need help with figuring out the format and how to address the major career shifts (i.e. medical research in a hospital to horse trainer/riding instructor) and gaps (which weren’t so much gaps as multiple part-time jobs and reconfiguring my life post Hurricane Katrina.)
Anyway, so after visiting several of the major resume writing sites out there, I decided to google each of them to find any reviews, complaints, satisfied customers, scam alerts, etc. Resume writing is not a cheap service and I’m not going to plunk $250-$400 down without having some kind of assurance and confidence that I am going to be getting my moneys worth! One of the companies I googled was “Careers Plus Resumes” (http://www.cpresumes.com) which led me to a complaint board with a complaint about them. I ended up registering on the complaint board because I wanted to contact the poster so I could ask them a few questions. Then I noticed that another user had posted three messages in a row defending the company and claiming to be a satisfied customer, which immediately raised a red flag. If he was truly a satisfied customer, why would he visit and register on a complaint board just to respond to a complaint about the company? When I am happy with a service, I don’t go looking up information and complaints about the company to defend them! I might give a positive review somewhere and move on. I certainly would not try to debunk another persons experience- even if it was nothing like my own! The whole thing is very suspect and I think it’s reasonable to assume that it is actually someone from the company who feels the need to defend themselves, which in turn makes them look extremely unprofessional. There is no reason for anyone other than company employees to invest in such a personal defense. So I made a very rational, measured comment that by posting such a vigorous defense of the company, they were actually doing more harm than good because there would be no reason for a satisfied customer to seek out and defend a company against one little complaint on the internet. I added that I was definitely opting NOT to use Careers Plus Resumes, as it seemed very strange and unprofessional to pose as a satisfied customer. (Well, I didn’t actually write that last bit, but you get the idea.)
Having ruled out that company, I went on to research the others on my list and forgot all about it until I got an email message from a newly registered user on the site who claimed to be the CEO of the company and who had threatened me with legal action for posting negative comments. First of all, I only posted one comment- as a reply to another comment. Second, I was not the one who wrote the complaint. I have had no direct experience with this company! Third, my comment did not include any false information. Lastly, legal action? Seriously? On what grounds? It was one of the most pathetic attempts at intimidation I have ever seen and it failed miserably. This is the exact message copy and pasted:
"My name is Justin Olsen, President/CEO of Careers Plus Resumes, Inc. We have evidence to believe you are either a direct competitor or an administrator of this website. Our corporate attorney has partnered with our local Law Enforcement agencies and have detected and logged your IP address which is a physical address of your computer and can be traced to your exact location. We are hereby demanding that you cease and decist from posting anymore defamatory/false statements about our company and have the other posts removed immediately or we will pursue damages in Federal Court to the fullest extent of the law. You will be held liable for damages and attorney fees for your criminal actions against our organization. Good day."
Aside from being laugh-out-loud funny, it is false and ridiculous on so many levels. I responded to him saying as much and I’ve since received several other “threatening” messages from several “different” users, all of whom coincidentally registered within the last 24-48 hours and who have only made posts concerning (and defending) Careers Plus Resumes. The funniest part of this whole thing is that I wasn’t even the one who wrote the original complaint! Lol! They are insane. Every single company that provides services or goods to the public will ALWAYS have some unsatisfied customers. That’s natural and expected. What is not natural or expected is for the company to waste time and energy posing as various users to defend the company and insult those who “have the nerve” to write about their negative experiences.
I’ve replied to two or three more messages, including another from the CEO who claimed that in addition to being a certified writer, he is also an attorney. If anyone is propagating false information, it is him! Based on his other statements, it is painstakingly obvious he is no such thing. An attorney would know that everything I’ve posted is 100% protected and that libel cases are heard in civil courts and not Federal court- even criminally libelous cases are state-by-state and not federal. Nearly every single thing he has claimed thus far has been false and incorrect. It’s ridiculous.
This is the reason it is so important to do research, and I am writing this blog entry to expose their complete lack of professionalism and moronic behavior so that other people who are looking for information about them can see and judge for themselves. I have had no experience using their services so I can’t even say this is a review, however, I would certainly not recommend them, as they clearly lack professionalism and credibility.
Here is the link to the original complaint and thread for your amusement and should you wish to follow-up on any new developments, though I’ve certainly lost interest in this game. Btw, my user name on the board is “imanygirl.” http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/careers-plus-resumes-c299050.html?selcom=579716#c579716
To view the original Comments for this post on my old blog, you can go here:
http://july7nyc.wordpress.com/2010/01/29/careers-plus-resumes-they-are-insane/
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