I had to share the fact I completed a resume for a person who was a retired disabled veteran who is working for the government at a Naval Base and was trying very hard to get a higher level position than he currently held.  

It was just one step up from where he was currently, but I could tell it was important to him, that he really wanted this and wanted my help.  We worked quickly and effectively wrote him a new resume focusing on his leadership skills, since the position he was applying to was a “lead” position.  

He seemed to be an older gentleman who called me Ms., Mrs. and even Ma’am.  He was providing me respect and courtesy.  I felt he had a very gentle old soul and did things the old fashioned way, by phone and chatting rather than emailing or texting!  

We completed the resume to his complete satisfaction and he thanked me profusely for it.

The last step was for me to email him an invoice that he could pay through PayPal or via credit card if he didn’t have a PayPal account.  I was pretty sure he didn’t have a PayPal account but he did say he could pay me via credit/debit card.  This kind gentleman attempted to pay me using his cell phone.  It didn’t work.  He called me and said he paid, but I showed no payment.  He then decided to go to his local library down the street from where he lived and used one of the library computers to try to make the payment.  He called and said he was having problems opening the invoice or paying it through the library computer.  I contacted PayPal to see if they could track down his attempted payments as I really didn’t want him to pay me twice…or more!

I called him back and explained the payment didn’t go through, he asked me to give him about 15 minutes and he would call me back.  When he called me back he was leaving the library, stating he got a library technician to assist him but they thought he got it completed.  I still didn’t see the payment post, so I again called PayPal to track it down.  Nothing.  I felt bad because I could tell this disabled vet was sincerely doing his best to get me paid.  I waited for a half hour and resumed the search for the payment with PayPal and still nothing showed.  PayPal felt my gentleman may have hit the “mock” payment button instead of the “make” payment button.  This would give him a response saying he was successful in the payment.

An hour went by and still no payment showed.  I finally conceeded that this wasn’t working for him and I didn’t want to delay his resume.  I called and ask if he didn’t mind he could send me a money order by mail, and I would go ahead and send him his finalized resume on good faith.  He was so grateful that I would work with him on the payment.  I ended up charging much less than I would have normally but at this point I didn’t care.

I kept thanking him for his service to our country, because I truly believe we all need to be thankful for their service or we might not be the greatest country in the world!  Even the craft workers are just as important if not more important than the Captains or Generals!

I upheld my end of the agreement and sent him his finalized resume immediately after making the payment arrangements.  I also volunteered to give him interview coaching for free if he gets the interview, all he has to do is call me.  The next morning I received a call from him that he just mailed me the payment and again he was so happy that I helped him on short notice with a quick turn around.

I received the payment the very next day (remarkably) in the mail with a money order stuck in a beautiful “Thank-You” card, hand written inside it said “Have a Great Day Mrs. Beth Jenkins”, and he signed his name and the money order was for $5 more than what I charged him!

This DID make my day, but it actually has lingered and made my week!

Sometimes we must go on faith that people really will do the right thing and we need to give just a little more to our disabled vets for what they’ve given up for us.

So Thank-You to all of my Clients and to all of our Service Men and Women!!