You know, this is my life they were screwing around with. Copy of text of a letter I sent to an job shop agency after they set up an interview using a butchered copy of my resume:
HI
I'm what you call the talent. I'm the kind of person you employ to get the client's work done for them. You need people like me. the problem is that we, the talent have to talk to your clients and establish a relationship before it works out. That means we have to go to interviews or conduct them on the phone. It's absolutely imperative that nothing stand between me, the talent, and the client that could screw things up for me. I had a call from one of your agents today to set up an interview with xxxxxxxx today. So far, so good. Unfortunately the resume you submitted to him and the resume that I wrote had as much resemblance as an apple to an orange. All the words were right, but they did not say what I wanted to say anymore. The problem is that I can relate to my document but not to yours. Especially if I have not seen or vetted your document until less than an hour before the interview. This makes impossible to prepare for an interview and makes an interview crash inevitable. In addition it make me look like either I'm trying to hide something or an outright liar. Since part of what I have to sell is my abilities and reputation this isn't something that I, at least, can tolerate.
Look, I've been in the job shop business for a long time now and I've been around the track more than once. One thing that has bitten me enough times is having to defend a document that I have not seen. It tends to break that important sense of trust that's a big part of what I'm trying to present to your clients. Once that trust is damaged nothing I can do will bring that back. I can say what my experience is, show the client all sorts of pretty pictures, and put up with their stupid tests, but in the end they have to trust that I can do what they need. Which is why I got so angry with you and why I consider absolutely essential that the resume that is submitted reflects what I need to say. If you rewrite or reformat my resume without me seeing it, the small bubble of trust can easily be evaporated. It's so easy to put me on the spot when interview time comes around. Anything can make me look bad and the interview goes downhill from there, meaning I walk out sweaty, beaten and disappointed in myself. In fact this was the exact issue that killed an interview a couple of weeks ago for me. That resume rewrite was not as drastic as the one you did, but it was enough.
I know that there are plenty of shoppers out there who can shuck and jive their way through something like this. Quite frankly I'm frequently the guy called upon when those types can't cut the mustard and are let go after a couple of weeks. I hate having to clean up after their sullied reputations. So one thing I try to be is up front and honest about what I can do for the client and how I can help them. Which is why I Insist that I know what I am dealing with. It's my integrity on the line here and I'm the one who has to deal with the consequence, not your agency.
Regards
John Carlton
I canceled the interview.
You Know, This MY Life They Are Screwing Around With
the agency is supposed to handle that kind of contact, as well as things like salary negotiations. by the point I found out how bad it actually was it was too late to do anything but cancel.
hanelyp wrote:Did you explain to the prospective client why you cancelled, and attach a copy of the resume organized as you intended?
It is imperative to work with an agent you trust.Skipjack wrote:Sorry, John!
This really sucks! Job shops are crap.
Better luck next time!
Some are solution shops. Some are body shops. Avoid the body shops if you can.
Engineering is the art of making what you want from what you can get at a profit.