Will A Resume Writer Design My Resume
Resume writers often will format your resume, but if youre looking for someone to make a heavily designed resume, its not a given. And thats probably a good thing. Applicant tracking systems the programs that many companies use to process and organize resumescant always parse fancy formatting. So a good resume writer will make sure your resume has clean, simple formatting an ATS can read. Muse coaches, for example, typically focus not on the fancy details, but what is going to help you get through and land that interview, Eonnet says.
Resume formatting is also about appealing to the human reader. As former recruiters, both Smith and Hundley make sure the resumes they write are easily scanned and understood by someone who might have a lot of applications to go through in a short time.
If you re looking for a heavily designed resume, you should be up front about that expectation and prepared for the possibility that youll need to pay more or even hire someone separately.
How Do I Know If Someone Is Qualified To Write My Resume
Before hiring a resume writer, conduct research to confirm whether the writer you are considering is qualified.
At a bare minimum, the company you choose to work with should be a member of a nationally-recognized resume writing association.
The most common organization which Resume Pilots is a member of is the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches . You can also consider companies that are a member of the National Résumé Writers’ Association .
Members of these organizations are generally well-versed in resume writing theory and practice, have significant industry experience, and remain up to date with recruitment trends. However, you will find that quality can still vary significantly from writer to writer.
Most importantly, choose a writer you can trust by:
- to ask about their process
- Evaluating the types of clients they have worked with in the past
Based on this research, you will better understand whether you would feel comfortable working with them and trusting them with such an important piece of your job search.
Remember that choosing a resume writer is just as important as choosing any other professional to represent you, such as a lawyer or accountant.
A writers work may very well propel you ahead in your career and open doors for you or hold you back.
How Much Does It Cost To Have Someone Write Your Resume
The average cost of resume writing is $527, with many services priced even higher. However there are a couple of budget-friendly services online that are still thorough and effective. Our top choice if youre not looking to spend too much is TopResume, whose services begin at $149.
If you are a Senior Manager, Executive, or other more-experienced professional or have a higher budget, then you should review our full list of recommended resume writers.
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Are Resume Writers Worth The Cost
Founder of Big Sur Resume Service & Maritime Resume Services
In William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, the eponymous lead character utters the famous line “To be, or not to be, that is the question.” Likewise, when people are in the process of searching for new jobs, the question arises: Should I hire a professional to write my resume? Paying a professional resume writer: To be, or not to be, that is the question.
Being a resume writer myself, it is in my interest to go forth and yell from the rooftops that hiring a slick resume-conjuring magician will transform a job seeker into a living breathing exhibit of the U.S Army’s old slogan “Be all you can be.”
All right, so we have established that any resume writer will tell the world that job seekers need to hire professionals if they want to land their intended jobs. Right, but is this true?
Despite the screechings of my caseworker’s boss at the state department of rehabilitation, the discipline of writing resumes professionally is becoming more respected and more well known. The increasing respect and public awareness for the profession of resume writing has also led to the development of more formal credentialing in this field. The fact that there is formal credentialing and certification for resume writers proves that drafting a good resume is really a skill in its own right, and no, it is not just something that anyone can just do without training or experience.
Reasons to Hire a Professional Resume Writer
Summary
Available Plans & Pricing: Fair
TopResume claims to produce resumes that are optimized for your occupation by using technology that compares your resume to three job descriptions that you send over. The service will also write cover letters and LinkedIn profiles for an additional cost. If all you need is a resume, TopResume is priced reasonably. Here’s a look at the current packages they offer:
Professional Growth: $149
- Formatted in a way to get a potential employers attention
- Keyword optimized to get you past the applicant tracking system
Career Evolution: $219
- Everything that the Professional Growth package offers
- Includes a cover letter
- 60-day guarantee that you will land interviews
Executive Priority: $349
- Everything that the Career Evolution package offers
- LinkedIn profile makeover
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Quantify Your Achievements And Accomplishments
Your resume must present a story of your career narrative and back it up with hard numbers. Numbers provide empirical proof of your claims and add a necessary layer of credibility to your resume.
Unfortunately, its also a key area where most resumes fall short. Heres what an unquantified resume achievement looks like:
Improved sales through innovative outreach campaigns.
A much more impactful, quantified version of the same achievement would look like this:
Achieved 220% year-over-year sales growth through innovative outreach campaigns.
So Is The Resum A Dyi Job
Hiring managers sometimes expect perfection from job seekers. Their standards regarding resumés may be unreasonable for those competing for a job involving very light writing tasks. So the decision to get help is all yours. If you decide you need a professionally written resumé, by all means, do some editing to make it yours.
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How We Chose The Best Resume Writing Services
To find the best resume writing services, we used a comprehensive methodology to review and evaluate nearly a dozen companies that are available nationwide. We then chose several to review more in-depth using a test resume. We contracted with each of these services and reviewed their offerings based on pricing, customer service, certifications, and guarantees.
After we received final test projects, we rated the quality of each section as well as the overall design and formatting. We combined all of the ratings for these various factors to establish overall ratings for each provider and make our top picks.
How Much Does A Professional Resume Writer Cost
Prices often vary from company to company and also depend on the type of service you require. Some companies offer services starting at $90, but more advanced packages may cost up to $400. Research multiple companies or independent writers before making a financial decision so you can get the most value for your money.
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Is A Resume Writer Worth It
Youll quickly find that hiring a resume writer is really worth it. Youre doing more than just hiring someone type up your resume or do simple updates. Youre investing in you and in your career. Its an opportunity to land interviews for positions you know will prove to be personally and financially rewarding.
Resume Writer Certifications: Not Very Transparent
TopResume states that their more than 1,500 resume writers hold various resume writing certifications however, it doesnt list which ones. Resume writing certifications included: Certified Professional Resume Writer , Certified Advanced Resume Writer , National Résumé Writers’ Association , to name a few. We were a bit disappointed with the services lack of transparency.
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Is It Worth The Money
Job searching sure is expensive. After all, it costs money to dry clean your interview suit, fill up your tank and drive to each and every job interview. And at a time when youre counting every nickel and dime, you dont want to spend any more cash than necessary.
But if youve been job searching for some time without success, it may not be what youre saying, but how youre coming across on paper. Thats where a resume writer comes in. Resume writers are not just professional writers, but theyre experts in making your resume stand out from the rest of the applicant pool. Heres why you might need a resume writer, and why its such a good investment.
Whats The Difference Between A Resume And A Cv
For most jobs, a resume will suffice, and it may even be preferred over a CV. The exceptions are if youre applying for an academic, scientific or international career. Most countries outside of the U.S. prefer CVs, so if youre considering a move overseas, a simple resume wont be enough. Academic and scientific professions also prefer CVs because they give a more detailed overview of research and publications, professional licenses, grants and awards.
Because of the level of detail, CVs can be more difficult to write than resumes. Most professional resume writing services will do CVs as well, though they may be more expensive. It could be worth the additional cost, though, especially if youre new to CVs and youre not sure what information you should include.
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Get Your Resume Out Of The Black Hole
Applying to job after job and not hearing anything back can be frustrating. Its important to remember that most of the time, your resume will create your first impression for you. If something is off about your resume, you probably wont be scheduling an interview. The good news? A professional resume writer will be able to see where things are going off the rails. Sometimes, all it takes is a few small changes to make your resume shine.
Are Resume Writing Companies Worth It
The key to ensuring that your resume writing service is worth the cost is to choose wisely. Find a well-known, reputable company that actively works with you to craft the perfect resume and cover letter for your needs. When you can do that, your resume will almost certainly be worth the money you paid.
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Pros Of Paying For Resume Services
In order to remain as unbiased as humanly possible, we are also going to break down all of the pros we can possibly think of when it comes to hiring a professional resume writer.
Here are 5 reasons why you should pay to have your resume done:
As you can see, if professional resume services didnt work, they probably wouldnt still be around.
Hundreds of thousands of professionals choose to pay for a resume every year.
You wouldnt bring a knife to a gun fight. So why apply to a job with a self-written resume when you know at least some of your competition will have paid to have their resume written.
This review above from Find My Profession shows how much of a difference a professionally written resume can make.
You Cant Tailor Your Experiences To Your Target Job
Career shifter? Chances are youre having a hard time tailoring your work history to your new target job. Do you know the jargon used in a specific industry? Do you have an idea if youre qualified for your target job with the experiences you have? Is your skillset enough? Then, the best option is to hire a professional to write for you. Not only would they choose the best skills and experiences fit for the post they would also present them in a logical, organic way.
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Theyre Online Way Too Often
Weve all seen those videos exposing fake Instagram gurus who have built a massive reputation and business from their prolific tweets and engaging social media posts.
Proverbially speaking, theyre often caught talking the talk without ever having been seen walking. The same issues apply to resume writing. A prospective writer who tweets more than he or she writes is usually compensating for a lack of experience or credentials. Often, many writers are only captivated by the persona theyve created on social media and tend to hand off the actual work to a budget freelancer.
It would be worthwhile to peruse your potential hires Twitter & Facebook feed to gauge how much time theyre actually spending on their clients projects. Many writers do in fact use automation tools that schedule and post tweets on their behalf, but if your resume writer is incessantly tweeting boastful self-promotional posts that appear to be personally typed out, then youve clearly come across a red flag.
Of course, many career sites that have a strong online presence are legitimate though and can benefit you significantly when tapping into their resources. Its important to access each and every site yourself to weigh its benefits.
Professional Services Are Expensive
If youve done any research on the cost of hiring someone to write your resume, this comes as no suprise. Professional resume writers are usually very expensive. Ive seen them range anywhere from $200-$1000 for a single resume. And then you factor in a cover letter and LinkedIn profile and youre looking at a really considerable investment.
And that only accounts for a single generic resume what about the customized resume we talked about earlier? Those custom resumes are a requirment in todays job market. Not many people are in financial shape to hire someone to customized each job application.
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How Much Should I Pay For A Professional Resume
You’ll be able to find online resume writing services that fit into nearly every budget.
Resume writing services charge anywhere from under $100 to over $1,000 for a resume alone.
While hiring a resume writer can be a sizable investment, a writers fee is usually a reflection of his or her professionalism and skill level.
The best resume writers devote a considerable amount of time to:
- Understanding your employment history and career goals via a questionnaire and phone consultation
- Crafting an accomplishment-driven, well-written document
- Working with you to make any changes and edits, if necessary
Before deciding to pay someone to write your resume, consider whether the investment is worth it for you.
Experienced Professionals and Executives
If youre making over $70,000 per year, youll invest less than 1% of your annual salary on your resume.
In this case, spending money on a professionally written resume can be well worth it – especially if it leads to your dream job or a promotion.
Early Career Professionals
If youre early in your career and earning less, you may consider preparing your resume on your own and simply having your final document edited.
However, many clients who are invested in their careers still find working with a resume writer to be a valuable investment in their careers.
Students
If youre a student, you may be able to find the help you need at your schools career services center.
Signs It’s Time To Hire A Professional Resume Writer
Is it time to turn to the pros?
Searching for a job is an expensive process. Commuting costs, interview outfits, dry cleaning, coffee dates, networking event fees they all add up. The last thing you want to do is spend any more money than is necessary to land your next gig.
However, if you’ve been looking for work for a while and haven’t had much success, it may be time to invest in a professionally written resume. Resume writers are trained to not only help you tell your career story, but to frame the information in a way that will get past the electronic filters, known as applicant tracking systems , and catch the attention of recruiters.
Here are five signs it might be time to hire a resume writer and why it’s worth the investment.
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Should You Hire A Resume Writer
As you can see, there are many benefits to hiring a professional resume writer. In some instances, it makes perfect sense to work with a resume writer. But not everyone will need the service. Here are some questions to ask yourself before hiring a professional resume writer:
- Are you talented at writing? If you already consider yourself a good writer, you may not need a professional resume writer. Many resume writing services offer a free resume review so, if youre unsure your resume writing skills are good enough, you could always get them checked out for free.
- Do you know where you want to go with your career? As we mentioned earlier, working with a resume writer is best when you know exactly what types of jobs youre looking for and what your career path is. If youre looking to get any job, using a resume writer would probably be a waste of money.
- How much money do you expect to earn? You could pay $100 for a resume, but its usually the resume writing mills that charge that cheap rates or international freelances working in third-world countries. A high-quality resume writer will usually charge in the range of $350 and $700. Ideally, youll want to see that investment pay off in a short period of time. If you dont expect to make more than $30,000 per year at your desired job, hiring a resume writer may not be worth it.