Are Resume Writing Service Worth It?

Perhaps you are someone who have been considering a resume writing service but thinking if it’s worth the money, then this article is for you!

As most job seekers may find, the resume writing process is anything but simple. For many, trying to perfect their resumes may cost days, weeks, or even months to achieve. And to be realistic, that quest for perfection is key, as your resume is the single most important tool in your job search arsenal.

This throws light on why certain job seekers choose to rely on resume professionals to tailor their resumes.

Why Hire a Resume Writing Service?

Why do you need to hire a resume writing service is the first question that should come to mind?

Fortunately, there is one same answer to that question; resumes are difficult for non-writers to create, and what worked 5 or 10 years ago might be obsolete now.

Of no doubt, you may be considered an expert in your industry, but does that qualify you to write a resume? Probably not. The fact is that resume writing requires a certain skill set that most of us don’t possess. And without those skills, we may struggle to properly craft our real value as potential.

This is especially true in today’s highly competitive job market. Recruiters have devised a more efficient way of filtering out bad resumes, and they even have a software known as the ATS (Applicant Tracking System).

These ATS programs brings yet another challenge. You see, your resume needs to be written in a way that caters to the ATS requirements. Otherwise, the software will reject your resume and you’ll never even get a chance to have it looked at by human eyes.

The key note is you’re probably not a professional resume writer, and may not have much experience with any type of formal or professional writing. You may be lost on what a potential recruiter is looking for on your resume. Unfortunately, this means that your own attempt to craft a resume could prove aborted.

Resume writers have read dozens if not thousands of resumes (depending on years of experience and volume) and know what is boring, tiring, or unimpressive in a resume.

The bottom-line; hiring a professional resume writing service is there to ensure your key skills and valuable experiences are properly furnished to your potential employer.

What Type of Resume Writing Service Is Best?

Next, you’ll need to consider the type of resume-writing service you want to work with, as there are several options available. As you might be thinking, they each provide different levels of service, along with featuring different price levels.

1. Resume Builders or Template Services

You can’t technically count a resume template service as a resume writing service. I included this option just to acknowledge its existence seeing you might have already come across at least one of them when researching resume writing services.

Just be aware that such operations tend to be unpredictable, and so always carry an element of risk.

Basically, template services don’t actually write resumes. Instead, it provides one or more templates for you to enter all your work history details, and then the service creates a resume based on a template.

For resume builders, however, it’s a different ball game. The best resume builders are far more advanced than outdated templates and enable you to tailor your resume to a specific job description.

The costs are usually reasonable (if hidden), but the results can all amount to being useless. That’s especially true if you need your resume to pass an ATS, since there’s no way for an automated template to adequately accommodate the ATS requirements.

Nearly 75% of resumes are rejected by an ATS resume test because they’re not correctly formatted or keyword optimized.

As a rule, this template service option is best recommended if you are looking to have basic details of your resume on record and plan to deliver the document directly to the individual who makes the hiring decisions.

However, if you are submitting for online applications, you’ll risk having your resume overlooked by the screening software due to a number of formatting errors.

Take for example, your resume template puts your contact information in the header or footer of a document, the ATS scan will not see it.

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2. Resume Factories

Every day, more and more people begin to realize that they need a well-written resume to make career advancements, and that they don’t have the skills necessary to create a stellar resume.

However, as they look for resume writers to craft them a document which will make them stand out from the crowd, they tend to cut corners and look for shortcuts.

Unfortunately, these shortcuts lead to nowhere and job seekers will only end up unemployed, and a few bucks short.

Ensure great care when it comes to utilizing the service of a resume factory also referred to as mills. They employ people who possess only a small amount of resume writing skills or expertise.

Many lack knowledge and sometimes even proficiency in your language. Not only that, the companies behind such operations tend to fail in providing the type of professional guidelines writers need to make your resume the best it can be.

With absolute confidence, this type of resume writing service is almost never worth the money you invest.

Perhaps you get a delivery, it tends to be incomprehensible or rely on “creative” resume formats to disguise the fact that there is less quality content.

This resume writing services can be spotted easily by noticing key things like: No contact details, no resume examples of their work.

One of the first things job seekers notice, when looking for reputable resume writers, is that creating such a document costs money, usually more than they were initially willing to spend.

So, they turn to resume mills – cheap, fast companies that make very few promises and deliver even fewer.  Thinking they actually struck a good deal; job seekers are happy to pay resume mills for the job.

The product they receive is poor, and is practically useless in the job-hunting endeavor as the delivery will be unable to pass the ATS system.

Let’s take a closer look at how resume mills work, and why it would be a poor investment choice.

Just like any other mill, resume mills are companies, individuals or group that earn their living through quantity, over quality.

By the time a reputable resume writing company finishes a single resume, a resume mill company will have completed more than 15 resumes.

The same is with the price.  For the price of a single resume from a high-quality resume service company, a resume mill organization will create a dozen for same price.

From a business perspective – both companies will earn approximately the same, however, the quality of their product is vastly incomparable.

But hey, they’re cheap, right?  The fact of the matter is – you get what you pay for.  A low investment usually means low returns, sometimes no returns, at all.  And with the competition being as fierce as it is in the job industry, job seekers should avoid looking cheap and amateurish

3. Certified Professional Resume Writers

Your best option will always be to rely on true professionals. The best resume writing services will have highly talented, experienced writers with a vast amount of resume writing experience as well as local talent, well-acquainted with the job market in their immediate surroundings.

A resume writer committed to their field is also committed to seeing you get results from the work you do together.

The resumes they write go far beyond listing your present and past employers with a laundry list of your core duties and responsibilities. And, a resume writing specialist doesn’t use boring resume templates either.

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These professionals will be able to take your important information and craft a relevant, effective resume that provides the branding you need to stand out from the crowd.

Employers wade through the “fluff” resumes and focus on the ones that present value and are achievement based.

Template or cookie-cutter resumes, starting off with the obsolete objective statement, or making general fluff statements like “possess excellent communication skills,” “fast learner,” “team player,” etc. doesn’t stand out.

High quality professional resume writers will:

• Invest a lot of time interviewing their clients, to make sure they understand their needs and career goals
• Select an appropriate resume format, and make sure to place greater emphasis on the candidate’s biggest advantages
• Advise the client on where, how and when to apply, and what to do if they get invited for an interview
• Walk the candidate through the entire employment process

As you might expect, though, resume writers will require more time and more money because the process asks for greater collaboration from you.

Hiring a resume writer will require you to be involved at different stages of the process. The writers will need clarify details, and ask for your complete trust that the final product satisfies current industry best practices and your job seeking needs.

A certified professional resume writer can be found on platforms like LinkedIn Profinder or Thumbtack, or via utilizing a trusted service with a wide network of writers.

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It’s easy to get tempted by the low prices and the promise of a fast turnaround.  The resume is far too important of a document, to be acquired from an assembly line set up somewhere in a third-world, non-English speaking country.

Always note that hiring managers have seen so many resumes in their lifetime that they’ll be able to spot a cheap one, bought from the internet, in a glance.

They will form their opinion on the candidate based on that resume, and with a cheap document, how do you think they’ll view the candidate?

They certainly won’t consider them hard-working, detail-oriented or responsible.  And without those qualities, don’t expect to get hired anywhere good.

How to Choose the Right Resume Writing Service

1. Do Your Research

There are a ton range of career service professionals out there who provide resume writing services. But not all resume writers provide equal stellar services.

If a resume writer claims to be a certified, verify it. Unfortunately, there are some dishonest people out there claiming to be credentialed when in fact they’re not.

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2. Carefully Peruse Their Website

Find out if they specialize in your field or industry. Look for testimonials attesting to the quality of their service and how they’ve made a difference for their clients or customers

3. Contact Not Less Than 3 Resume Companies

Based on your research and conversation with each resume writer, you’ll have a better understanding of how they can help you and if they’re a “good fit” or not. Don’t relax. Take out time to research and make a well-informed decision by contacting at least three resume companies.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, you ultimately get what you pay for. The key to ensuring that your resume writing service is worth the cost is to choose wisely.

Identify a reputable company that actively works with you to craft the perfect job search documents for your need.

When you successfully achieve this, your resume will certainly worth the money you paid and you’ll be at a competitive advantage when you submit your resume to recruiters or hiring managers.

You’ll quickly find that hiring a resume service is really worth it. You’re doing more than just hiring someone type up your resume or do simple updates. You’ll be investing in both you and your career.