Hastings Business Service -- Rates

Rates, Payment, and Turnaround

Rates, Payment, and Turnaround

These prices are typical. Once in a while, I have had an unusually long job that exceeded the upper prices given here, although not by much. See notes at end, following rate table.

Commercial Resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV)
Normal: 100.00
Long: 120.00-150.00
Typing Jobs (see below), Updates, Adaptations: 50.00-75.00

Federal Resume
Normal: 120.00
Long: 150.00-200.00

Editorial Services
Copy and Line Editing: 20.00 per hour
With Formatting: 25.00 per hour

Rush Service
Regular rate x 1.5

Student and Retiree Discount
20% off regular rate

Internet Postings
20.00

ASCII Conversions
10.00

Once I see your material and know what I'm dealing with, I can give you a firm price. If the quote is satisfactory, I will get your payment information before starting the work. You may use a major credit or debit card, write a personal check or money order, or pay in cash.

Usual turnaround is three business days, but I am flexible and can move things faster if you are up against a tight deadline. I have rarely had to apply rush rates -- except for emergency same-day service.

When the job is finished, I will debit your card or deposit your check and e-mail the new files to you. Once you've reviewed them, let me know if you need last-minute follow-up adjustment or revision. This is at no extra cost.

Unlike the usual full-fledged resume projects, typing jobs involve little or nothing more than basic editing and layout -- working from your previously handwritten or typed resume material to make it look and sound good on the page. In these jobs, I simply make the most of what you give me. Few of my customers choose this option, because it doesn't really add value -- beyond improved appearance and cleaned-up grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

Adaptations are alternative versions of resumes I have completed. With these new versions, you and I are using a different focus from the previous version, often targeting a different industry.

From Net research, I've long known that there are unscrupulous firms that charge exorbitant fees for these projects. The reasoning goes like this: "Well, here's a guy making over $500K a year -- let's see if we can get $500 or even maybe $800 from him."

That's just plain wrong. I base my rates, not on your ability to pay, but on fair market-level compensation for my time and effort. To be sure, executive resumes often take longer than the average projects I handle, which means that the price, instead of the typical $100, can well be $120-$150.

I recognize, of course, that some firms go all out with extra services -- interview coaching, job database searches, promoting you to companies and recruiters. This can add up, over time, to hundreds of dollars. I, on the other hand, narrow my focus to what I have time for and what I most excel at -- writing and rewriting, editing, and one-on-discussion with you, the customer.

A word of caution about executive placement firms: Some, of course, are reputable. Others -- you guessed it -- are rip-off factories. Be sure that you know what you're getting into; and be sure that the firm spells out all terms and prices before you sign anything -- no surprises or hidden fees. There are many unhappy stories on the Net from executives who made initial payments upfront for something these firms never delivered -- and then ended up having the firms sue them for refusing to pay the balance.

If my finished work is not to your satisfaction, I will address those parts that you feel need adjustment. If the second attempt doesn't resolve the issues, I will make a third attempt. Beyond the third try, if you and I feel that we're making progress together and you would like me to continue, the project will go into overtime; but if both of us agree, after three tries, that it would be useless to continue working together, then I will refund half of the fee.

I am realistic enough to know that I can't always please everyone. Still, after 14 years in the business, I have an extremely high customer satisfaction rate. So far, I have had only two customers I could not satisfy, no matter what I tried to do for them.