Posted by pat/WA on 7/5/12 11:32am
Msg #425607

Resume

Service Link is requesting a professional resume. How to you complete a resume applying for a position when you will be an independent contractor and not an employee?

Reply by HisHughness on 7/5/12 11:40am
Msg #425608

Any primary contractor will require what amounts to a resume to establish that the sub is competent to perform the job.

Reply by Barb25 on 7/5/12 11:46am
Msg #425609

I had a similar request from another signing service recently. I was equally a bewildered as to how much information they wanted especially since my background prior to loan signings were unrelated to the industry. I called the company. They really only wanted my experience in the industry. So I wrote a little blurb about my experience in this industry: type of loans, type of companies, years in industry. This type of stuff. Call them for clarification if you are not sure. They will tell you exactly what you want.

Reply by Jessica Ward on 7/5/12 12:20pm
Msg #425618

I have one I update annually.

You include the ammount of time you've been in business:

2000-Present: "My Business Name Here" -- Sole Proprietor/Owner.

Then you include bullet points below.
* Number of loans signed per year
*Reliable, effective bullet points
*number of clients, or the average number of years a client has been with you, etc.

Measurable things like that, you get the idea.

Then below that, you'll include what you did in your last job or two, and the bullet points you include should be the sort of things that make you good at what you do now.

It's helpful to have a current resume like this, because one day you may decide to stop doing this, and you'll have a handy resume if you want to go job-hunting.


Ever since high school, I've had a standing "date" with myself to update my resume every January 1st, no matter how much I loved my job, or if I was working for myself, or even if I didn't plan on working that year.

My philosophy is that a resume and a budget are two things you never want to have to do in a rush. Do it while you're clear headed and have it handy.

see p/m for more.

Reply by NJDiva on 7/5/12 12:32pm
Msg #425620

Awesome post Jess! Thank you! n/m

Reply by HisHughness on 7/5/12 1:26pm
Msg #425628

Re: I have one I update annually.

***My philosophy is that a resume and a budget are two things you never want to have to do in a rush. Do it while you're clear headed and have it handy.***

You can add to that a credible excuse for coming home at 2 a.m. with liquor on your breath.

Reply by Northern Virginia Loan Signing NVLS on 7/5/12 1:42pm
Msg #425633

Resume

Yes, recently 2 signing companies requested one from me - one was from a local title company I contacted to do business with. I call it My Professional Profile. I took relevant excerpts from my standard resume, along with what I have in my company brochure, and list of current clients.

If you don't have a brochure at this point, completing a resume is a great way to begin your "I'm Awesome, Pick Me" marketing piece!

Reply by jba/fl on 7/5/12 8:22pm
Msg #425702

Gotta watch that....

" list of current clients."

Sometimes they are trolling for new people to contact for their business so only give out SS's not TC's.

Reply by Northern Virginia Loan Signing NVLS on 7/5/12 1:46pm
Msg #425635

Speaking of annual updates

Hopefully, you religiously keep this same "date" for your annual cbr pull! (:
Unless, of course you have the auto credit monitoring service (recommended).

After being in the business, I even neglect to do this regularly (it's like the hairdresser you has time for everyone else's hair, but her own!!)

Reply by Clem/CA on 7/5/12 2:06pm
Msg #425643

Re: Speaking of annual updates

Got a free one every 4 months, just rotate the three companies

Reply by Jessica Ward on 7/5/12 2:13pm
Msg #425645

CreditKarma.org helps you watch the score free

I enjoy watching my credit score slowly sink to zero as I pay off and close EVERYTHING.

We drank the "Dave Ramsey kool-aid" a few years ago and no longer have debt. No college loans, no cars, no credit cards.... just the house left to go and should have that paid off before my 40th birthday!

My husband and I have REALLY common names, so we send a letter every 3 months to each credit bureau listing which accounts we have, and that all others need to come off, because we get tagged with other people's messes all the time.

I have a neighbor who routinely kites checks on her old checking account (my name is her maiden name). Had the police come to my door once asking about a bad $500 check for a vacuum cleaner at the K-Mart.

I said "officer, you're welcome to come on in and see no $500 vacuum cleaner has ever crossed this threshold. This is more of a Goodwill vacuum kind of joint."

Reply by JanetK_CA on 7/5/12 3:38pm
Msg #425660

Re: CreditKarma.org helps you watch the score free

Thanks for the link.

I think it's great to have everything paid current (and wonderful to be debt free!), but I'm not convinced that it's a good idea to not have any credit available. You never know when you might be broadsided by something unexpected. Unless you have very large, easily accessible liquid cash reserves, having available credit can be an invaluable thing. And if you ever decide to buy another home or refinance, it's a necessity as we all know. And how do you do all the travel you do without a credit card? I like having the extra security the major cards offer - and the freedom to not have to carry a lot of cash.

I pay off my credit cards in full every month and don't have any cards that require an annual fee. I've had all of them (I have an Amex and Visa both for personal and for business) a very long time and that's a very big plus for my credit scores.

One of my cards is my Costco Amex. The money I get back in rebates from purchases (mostly gas and paper) pays for all membership fees, including the Executive Membership, and then some. I also signed up for dental insurance through Costco last year, which made the Executive Membership worth it.

(BTW, I don't use debit cards because you have less control over your funds - and a bunch of other reasons I don't have time or patience to get into.)

Great idea about sending regular letters to the credit agencies, but what a bummer that you have to go through that! I guess it's a trade-off, but it might be worth considering to have at least one credit card - even if you just charge one little thing on it a year to keep it active - just in case...

Reply by Jessica Ward on 7/5/12 7:01pm
Msg #425693

It's possible to buy a house or refi with a 0 credit score

It just isn't possible when your score is bad.

You have to use a company that does something called "complete underwriting" which means they do a more in-depth underwriting process.

We've never yet found an emergency that wouldn't accept cash. Major medical problem? Hospitals will all work a payment plan, but when you're not makin' payments and you live small, it's no big deal to keep the cash handy. One account is still open, once the six months of emergency reserves are there, that one is going away too.

Reply by Shoshana/AZ on 7/5/12 6:25pm
Msg #425688

R U sure it's CreditKarma.org?

Go Daddy says it's available!

Reply by Sylvia_FL on 7/5/12 6:41pm
Msg #425691

Re: R U sure it's CreditKarma.org?


http://www.creditkarma.com/

Reply by Jessica Ward on 7/5/12 6:58pm
Msg #425692

Sorry, it is CreditKarma.com my mistake n/m

Reply by ikando on 7/5/12 4:14pm
Msg #425665

Re: I have one I update annually.

Great ideas, Jessica. And as a business owner, add keeping your P&L and other accounting reports current (something I sometimes fail).

Reply by Jessica Ward on 7/5/12 7:02pm
Msg #425694

I hated P&Ls until I got quickbooks.

Now as soon as the statement comes in, I reconcile it (only takes about 15 minutes) and then print and review the P&L. It is SUPER easy. If you haven't tried it out, I highly recommend it. It's a chunk of change, but saves so much time it's worth it.