Terms of Agreement for Resume and/or Cover Letter Services
Please be aware of the following expectations and terms of your agreement with The Essay Expert:
Confidentiality
Your identity and the nature of your sessions will be kept private from any third parties unless you provide written consent. There are 3 exceptions to confidentiality:
- When disclosure is imminent to prevent harm to yourself or others;
- When legal demands require that confidential material be released;
- When a child is in need of protection.
Turnaround Time / Scheduling
- For resume packages, we will have an initial version of your resume prepared for you no more than 14 business days after receiving all of the information we need, unless another agreement is communicated and agreed upon. If you need a faster turnaround, RUSH packages are available to accommodate your needs.
- For Success packages: Your consultant will provide a draft of your complete LinkedIn profile within 7-10 business days of finalizing your resume or within 7-10 business days of receiving your completed LinkedIn questionnaire, whichever is later. You will then have the opportunity to request revisions or edits to the draft.
- The Essay Expert’s guideline is that you will have a response to your calls and emails within 2 business days, and comments on your documents returned within 3 to 5 business days. If you do not hear back from your consultant within the appropriate time period, please resend your message and leave a telephone message with your consultant. If you still do not get a response after another business day, please contact Brenda Bernstein directly.
- You are expected to provide responses to any questions from your consultant within 3 business days of receiving those questions. If we do not receive answers or a request for an extension from you within 3 business days, you will incur charges at the prevailing hourly rate.
- Extenuating circumstances will be considered on an individual basis.
- In order for us to help you within our promised turnaround times, we ask that you promptly complete and return any surveys or questionnaires sent by your consultant or by The Essay Expert LLC. Our response times are guaranteed only in relation to when you provide completed questionnaires and responses to our inquiries.
- The Essay Expert LLC reserves the right to extend the deadline of the project and/or to add fees to our initial estimate in order to accommodate additional, unanticipated work. Work on the project may be delayed while additional fees are processed.
- If we make an appointment for a specific time, please provide 24 hours’ notice if you need to cancel or change the appointment. For hourly packages, The Essay Expert’s policy is to charge ½ hour for any appointments missed without proper notice. For flat rate packages, you will forfeit your package if you miss two meetings without providing 24 hours’ notice.
Refund / Exchange / Forfeiture Policy & Quality Guarantee
- The Essay Expert does not provide refunds after 3 days have passed from the date of purchase; however, for a period of 30 days after your purchase, we are happy to use your payment toward another service for you or a friend if you decide not to proceed with the service you purchased. After 30 days, any price increases and “restart” fees will apply (see paragraph #3).
- If you delay completion of your questionnaire or scheduling of your interview for 30 days or more, and wish to proceed with your project, you will be charged any price increases that have been implemented since your initial purchase. We understand that extenuating circumstances arise, but we request that you start your project within the prescribed time. After six (6) months, if we have not received your questionnaire or you have not scheduled your interview, and you wish to restart your project, you may do so for a 35% restart fee. Once you pay the difference in price in addition to any appropriate restart fees, we will proceed with your project as per these terms of agreement.
- If after one (1) year, we have not received your questionnaire, you will forfeit your package and will be asked to repurchase the service if you would like to work with us.
- The Essay Expert will consider your project complete if you do not make requests for edits or a request for an extension within 3 business days of receiving your completed initial document or final document. If you request edits after 3 business days, additional hourly charges will be incurred.
- You are required to provide all subsequent editing requests within 10 business days of receiving your initial document. Requests made after 10 business days will incur additional hourly charges.
- Extenuating circumstances will be considered on an individual basis.
- We do guarantee quality work and that we will work with you to maximize the effectiveness of your written documents; we do not guarantee a job, promotion or other result apart from well-crafted documents. If, however, you are unsatisfied with the product we create for you, you may request a revision for up to 60 days after receipt of a final draft.
- For Success packages, in order to “provide a draft of your complete LinkedIn profile within 7-10 business days of finalizing your resume” (see Turnaround Time/Scheduling), you must submit your LinkedIn questionnaire no later than 1 day following the final approval of your resume. You have a maximum of 5 business days after finalizing your resume to submit your LinkedIn questionnaire. If you do not provide the necessary information needed to create your LinkedIn profile within this time frame, or request an agreed-upon extension of time, we will consider the LinkedIn portion of your service forfeited and you will incur charges at the prevailing hourly rate for any changes necessary. *** We highly recommend completing your LinkedIn questionnaire at the same time as your resume questionnaire.
- If you purchased a LinkedIn Summary package that includes 1 hour of additional writing or coaching, you must utilize the 1 hour of additional LinkedIn services within 10 business days of receiving your completed LinkedIn Headline and Summary. If you do not schedule or use your 1 hour of services within 10 business days of our delivery of the LinkedIn Headline & Summary, we will consider your package forfeited and you will incur charges at the prevailing hourly rate for any changes necessary.
- If you purchase a cover letter only, all of the same terms in this section apply.
- If you purchase a resume package that includes a cover letter, you must utilize the cover letter portion of your package within 10 business days of receiving your completed resume. If you do not provide the necessary information needed to create your cover letter within this time frame, or request an agreed-upon extension of time, we will consider the cover letter portion of your service forfeited and you will incur charges at the prevailing hourly rate for any changes necessary.
Resume Package Specifics
- You will receive a detailed questionnaire via email. Please complete this questionnaire and return it to us as soon as possible. It is important that you take the time to answer the questionnaire completely and to the best of your ability. Most people find that it is an extremely useful process to go through! Don’t worry about grammar or how pretty things sound – that’s our job!
- You will be assigned to work with a consultant who will draft your resume. Our consultants are all professional resume writers, and Brenda will review all of the consultant’s work before it is sent to you.
- For Entry-Level Resume packages, we will provide up to two revisions of your resume, within 10 business days of delivering your initial resume. This package does not include charts or graphs, and you will be given a basic, attractive resume format. We will also provide you with a text-based resume upon request.
- For Mid-Level Resume packages, we will provide up to two revisions of your resume, within 10 business days of delivering your initial resume. This package does not include charts or graphs, and you will be given a basic, attractive resume format. We will also provide you with a text-based resume upon request.
- For Executive Resume packages, we will provide unlimited revisions for the package price for 10 business days after document delivery or until you and we agree we have reached a final draft, whichever comes first. Your resume may include graphs and charts, and it will have an Executive look and feel.
- You will have an opportunity to provide any feedback or requested edits regarding format and/or content after receipt of your initial draft. We will accommodate all your requests as quickly as possible!
- We will provide you with an ATS-compatible resume upon request for submission to online application systems. However please see items 8-9 if you want us to create a keyword-optimized resume.
- If you are applying to jobs on line, you may wish to purchase a keyword-optimized resume as an add-on. With this service, we will target a version of your resume to a specific position. You will be asked to participate in the process of keyword integration once we identify the keyword phrases that are needed.
- No one resume will be perfect for every position. After you receive your final resume, you will still need to modify the keywords to match each position description for which you apply. If you prefer, The Essay Expert will do this modification for you at our prevailing hourly rate (approximately 1 hour).
Cover Letter Packages
- So that we can write the most targeted letters possible for you, we request that you provide us with at least one and preferably three job descriptions. We find “generic” cover letters are not as effective as those targeting a specific position.
- If you request more than two cover letters, we encourage you to draft the third letter yourself and to get our feedback and edits. We hope this process will allow you to create future cover letters without having to purchase additional packages. Of course if you prefer for us to continue writing letters for you, we can do that too!
Consultants & Referrals
- The Essay Expert works with consultants to do some interviews and draft documents. Please be assured that Brenda will read every word and make sure you are receiving a quality product.
- We welcome and encourage your referrals! Please make your referrals to The Essay Expert, and if you have worked with a consultant you particularly like, we will be happy to assign your friends and colleagues to work with that same consultant. We appreciate your business!
Additional Client Responsibilities
Taking the initiative to have your career documents professionally written is a big step. Progress will be made most efficiently when you commit to the following:
- It is ideal to begin working with your Consultant as far in advance of your deadline as possible. The Essay Expert LLC is not responsible for missed deadlines due to client delay.
- You agree to provide feedback to your Consultant to ensure that your resume and cover letter meet your goals and expectations.
- You are solely responsible for direct correspondence with your targeted employers/organizations.
- We will be using the Track Changes feature of MS Word. If you need assistance in using this feature, please read “How to Avoid Embarrassing Editing Marks on Your Documents! MS Word’s Track Changes Program.” ***You are responsible for making sure there are no redlining marks or comments on your final documents. We will be happy to send you a clean copy of any document upon request.
- Spell check and editing techniques will be used to ensure the correctness and accuracy of your documents, but it is your responsibility to proofread and give final approval of their completion.
- You agree to advise The Essay Expert of any changes in your contact information.
- Resume services are tax deductible. Consult your accountant regarding how to claim your tax benefit from your resume expense. If you require a receipt for your purchase and have not received one please request a receipt at TEESupport@TheEssayExpert.com.
- Your resume and cover letter are only the beginning. Obtaining a new position requires taking action, including identifying appropriate opportunities; researching your target companies on line and on LinkedIn; engaging in aggressive networking; tailoring your resume and cover letter for each position you apply to; and following up with employers after you send the initial documents. The Essay Expert recommends the Job Search Success System. Select resume packages include free or discounted access to this program.
- If you wish to work with a job search coach on specific job search tasks, please check the box on your resume questionnaire to indicate you are interested in job search coaching, or email TEESupport@TheEssayExpert.com to receive a referral to a specialized job search coach.
- As you conduct your job search, we recommend that you check all websites where you might have a profile, especially Facebook, to make sure there’s nothing there you would not want an employer or admissions officer to see. They *do* search for you on the web! Some companies actually require you to friend the hiring manager on Facebook. No one is safe from scrutiny!
If you have not done so already, please send your current resume and any cover letter(s) you have drafted to TEESupport@TheEssayExpert.com. Thank you for choosing The Essay Expert, and we look forward to working with you!
Sincerely,
Brenda Bernstein
The Essay Expert LLC
BrendaB@TheEssayExpert.com
718-390-6696
