Case Study
How Great Resumes Fast helped Jennifer Mendelson get an offer from her dream company in just one week ….
“I was more confident about applying after going through Great Resumes Fast’s interview process and seeing my skills on paper. It made me realize that I had a lot to offer a company.” - Jennifer Mendelson
The Client
Jennifer Mendelson, Case Manager RN
Jennifer Mendelson is a case manager RN, which means she is responsible for coordinating inpatient discharges or post-acute care for medical centers.
When a contract position was coming to a close, Jennifer needed to have another job lined up. She felt it was a good opportunity to try to land a position at a company she had been dreaming about since she got her degree: Mayo Clinic.
The Challenge
Standing out on paper and in the interview for a competitive position
Offering a pension, amazing benefits, ample paid vacation time, and great workplace culture, Mayo Clinic is in high demand for healthcare professionals -- and as a result, they are able to be selective about new hires.
Jennifer had applied once before to Mayo Clinic and made it to the interview process but did not get offered a position.
The reason?
Her resume and cover letter didn’t highlight her unique achievements, so the interviewer didn’t know to ask about them. Instead, the interview focused on standard questions that didn’t give Jennifer a chance to stand out in her answers.
“In the first resume that I submitted with Mayo Clinic, I did not put in my accomplishments in actionable, measurable bullet points. So, they asked me their standard behavioral interviewing questions, but there was nothing that really made me stand out in the Jacksonville market as to why they should hire me, looking back on it.”
Jennifer also struggled with identifying and sharing her achievements -- on paper or in person -- because it felt like bragging to her. This made it nearly impossible to convey her level of skill and accomplishments in the job search process.
“It's really hard for me to put down what I can do on paper because I think I'm bragging. When you're writing a resume, the purpose is to show off what you can do, and I wasn't able to do that. I couldn't identify my skill sets at all. I also couldn't think of good actionable, measurable bullet points of my achievements on my own.”
The Solution
Great Resumes Fast’s unique in-depth interview process to draw out the great qualities and skills Jennifer wasn’t able to identify herself
With most resume writing companies, clients answer a generic questionnaire or submit a current resume for rewriting. This doesn’t work for people like Jennifer, who struggle to grasp what makes them valuable to companies and feel societal pressure to “not brag” about achievements.
But Great Resumes Fast relies on an in-depth interview between a client and their personal resume writer. This allows the resume writer to dig deeper and uncover the value a client might be blind to or hesitant to share.
- A 60-90 minute interview between Jennifer and her personal resume writer to draw out the skills, experiences, accomplishments, and qualities that Jennifer felt unable to share on her own
“I would have to say the best part of the process with Great Resumes Fast was the ability for the person to pull out information from me that I was embarrassed or hesitant to give just because I didn't want to be a bragger. It was really uncomfortable for me to do it myself, and my resume writer was able to ask me a number of questions that finally got out those actionable points about my accomplishments.”
- A well-written resume that was strong and memorable enough on its own (even before the interview)
“At a conference, I introduced myself to someone, and she smiled and pulled my resume out of her bag. She was the Director of the Baptist Hospital Case Management Department, and she also said it was the best resume she's ever seen. I was actually offered that job.”
- Inclusion of stand-out accomplishments in easy-to-read bullets, which served as a launchpad for an incredible interview
“My resume gave interviewers the questions I wanted to be asked about in the interview -- about my prior, measurable accomplishments. For instance: ‘So how did you make your company $1.6 million? How did you do that quality project?’”
Armed with her new resume, Jennifer applied to four companies, including Mayo Clinic, her dream company….
Results
Within a week, Jennifer had received an offer from 3 of the 4 companies she applied for
The only reason she didn’t receive an offer from all four was that she had already accepted a position before she had a chance to go to the interview for the fourth!
Jennifer accepted an offer with a salary of $4,000 - $5,000 higher than expected (plus outstanding benefits and a pension) at her dream company, Mayo Clinic
Jennifer attributes her success to how Great Resumes Fast not only significantly enhanced her resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile, but also gave more confidence in her abilities:
“I was more confident after going through Great Resumes Fast’s interview process and seeing my skills on paper. It made me realize that I had a lot to offer a company. The interview process was almost like a coaching session, helping you see what you're good at.”
Why Jennifer recommends Great Resumes Fast:
The ROI greatly exceeds the investment
“For me, the $1000 investment was scary, but when I did the math, it worked out to be about three days pay for me. So if I got a job even just a week earlier than expected, I more than earned it back.
When I first hired Great Resumes Fast, my husband thought I was completely insane because I was spending all this money. But let’s just say he doesn't think I'm insane anymore. In fact, when he goes to apply for his next job, guess who's going to make his resume?”
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