10 Things You Should Know Before Hiring A Resume Writing Service
When applying for jobs, your resume is your first impression. Your employer has no clue how hard working you are or what value you can bring to their company.
Without a solid resume, the chances of you landing your desired role is slim to none.
What are resume writing services?
Resume writing services are companies or resume writers that help applicants get more interviews and land jobs by improving their resume.
With resume writing services, you can share your education and experiences and this information will be used to produce the most polished resume to submit to to an employer.
There are different types of resume writing services, but they fall into two main categories:
Offline: Offline resume writing services are services that are based where you are located. This includes companies located in your city, career centers, campuses and more. To use these resume writing services, you’ll have to go visit an office or campus and there are professionals who will help you with your resume there.
Online: Online resume writing services are services that are done completely online. There are hundreds of companies and writers who do resume writing for applicants. You submit your information and payment online and you’ll get a professional resume sent directly to your email.
Why are resume writing services necessary?
Resume writing services are not a requirement. If you feel like you can make a decent enough resume to get your desired job, then you should do so. Resume writing services are primarily an investment to increase your chances of getting an interview or job.
For some people, writing resumes on their own can lead to poor resumes. This will lead to months of no responses from potential employers and thousands of dollars in lost wages from not having a job.
Resume writing services are necessary for people who may lack the writing ability to craft a resume that’s attractive to an employer. When you choose to use resume writing services, you are getting help from a professional who has done resumes for thousands of applicants.
They are familiar with how to structure a resume, what experiences to include and anything else needed to get you an interview. Although many people have the credentials needed for their job, they don’t have the writing ability to communicate how valuable they can be to an employer.
This is where resume writing services can help. A professional will take all of your education and experiences and create the best resume possible. This resume can be used on all of your future job applications.
1. Resume writing services don’t guarantee jobs or interviews
The first thing that people interested in resume writing services must acknowledge is that resume writing services do not guarantee jobs or interviews. A good resume can help get your foot in the door, but if you don’t have the experience or education for a role, you will not get hired.
Be very careful of any resume writing services that promises you big results because it’s likely fraudulent. Any resume writing professional who’s done enough resumes will let you know that their services don’t guarantee results.
What resume writing services actually do is make you a much more attractive candidate on paper. Oftentimes, you forget how much work and education experience you really have. A resume writing professional will help get that on paper and help tailor your experiences to match what an employer is looking for.
2. Costs may vary depending on several factors
The cost of a resume writing service can vary drastically based on a few factors. Typically, resume writing services will charge anywhere from $100-$1,500. The average resume writing service cost is generally between $200-$300. Some of the factors that can influence the price of the resume writing service include:
Experience of resume writer: The more experienced a resume writing service is, the more they will charge. This is typically due to their ability to generate more results for applicants
Type of applicant: Your experiences may impact the cost of the writing service. For example, a new college graduate will not have the same resume writing needs as an executive. Resume writing services may charge more if you have a lot more experiences that you want to highlight on your resume.
Revisions/process: Once you get your resume back, you may request additional rounds of revisions to be made. Depending on the resume writing service you use, you may be charged extra for this.
Urgent rates: Resume writing services typically have their own time frame for getting your resume back to you. You can request a faster/urgent turnaround time for your resume. This will likely cost more than just waiting to get your resume back normally.
3. Use trusted resume writing services
The last thing you want to do is pay hundreds of dollars to get scammed or get a mediocre resume back. If you do a quick Google search, you’ll see there are hundreds of companies that offer resume writing services.
You have to be able to weed out which companies and resume writers are reputable and which ones are not. Some criteria you can use to do this include;
Reviews: Reviews are the best way to figure out how reputable a resume writing service. When you Google a resume company, you’ll get several review results like Google My Business and Yelp.
I’d recommend only using resume writing services that have at least a 4 out 5 star rating. This reduces the chances of you selecting a bad resume writing service.
Site appearance: There are some resume writing services that have ads on Google, but have a very poor site appearances. You probably wouldn’t buy an online product from a company with a shady site, so you shouldn’t buy resume writing services either.
4. Turnaround time
When you’re applying for jobs, you generally can’t sit and wait to get a resume back for a few weeks. If you’ve invested a few hundred dollars in getting the best resume possible, you probably want it back in a reasonable time frame.
When you are reviewing which resume writing services to use, make sure to check out their turnaround time for resumes. Anything over 7 days is way too slow. The majority of services guarantee somewhere between 3 to 7 days for a resume.
5. Make sure that the resume writing service can fit your specific needs
Resume needs vary from person to person and between different industries. A college graduate looking for an entry level job will not have the same requirements as a lawyer or doctor.
You have to ensure that the resume writing service you choose has experience with doing resumes for professionals like yourself. Many resume writing services specialize in a specific industry or job demographic.
The more experience your resume writer has with your type of job requirements, the better formatted your resume will be. Make sure to ask the service you choose if they have experience writing resumes for your given field or job title.
6. Communication
One aspect of resume writing that can either make or break the process is communication. If you see signs of slow or no communication from the resume writing service, you may find better success in a different service.
The majority of resume writing services communicate with customers via email. They typically reply within the same day or the next day for any needs you may have. I’d recommend asking questions about the service before you buy it to see how well the company or writer communicates with you.
This will be a good indicator of how communication will go during the resume writing process.
7. Are any guarantees offered?
The best resume writing services have done thousands of resumes and are the most capable of getting results for you. To prove this, some of them will offer specific guarantees regarding landing interviews, jobs, etc.
If I was choosing a resume writing service for myself, this would be what would make choose a service. The entire purpose of using the resume writing service is to increase my chances of landing a job or interview.
If the company I work with guarantees me a certain result, I will choose that over any other company most of the time.
What are the guarantees?
I’ve seen a few guarantees from resume writing services, they typically guarantee this:
- If you haven’t received a certain amount of interviews within 60-90 days, the resume writing service will do an additional free review of your resume and make any updates needed to improve your chances
- Some offer money back guarantees (extremely rare)
8. Credentials and writing team
One way you can check how the quality of the resume writing service is to check if they have any professional licenses, accreditations, etc. This is not a deal breaker, but it’s a good indicator of how long a company has been in business and their experience with writing resumes.
You can also take a look at the writing team of the resume writing service. Some companies will display the different writers employed at their company and this is a good sign that the company is reputable. Generally this will be in the “about us” or “team” page on their website.
9. Does the resume writing service have experience with ATS?
An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is a system that most companies use for their job applicants. This is the first stop that your application will make. If it doesn’t pass the ATS, you will not get interviewed or offered a role.
If a resume writing service gets you through the ATS, they’ve done a good job. The majority of applications (around 75%) get rejected by the ATS for a variety of reasons.
Great resume writing services know what an ATS is and are experienced with helping applicants bypass it. If you’re down to a few resume writing services, ask them if they can help you get through an ATS and choose a service based on that.
10. Executive resume writing service
For senior level professionals like executives, doctors, lawyers, there is a higher ROI in investing in an executive resume writing service instead of a normal resume writing service.
Most senior level jobs require much more resume demands than the the average job. An executive resume writing service is one that specializes primarily in helping senior level professionals land big roles at companies.
These companies are far more experienced than the normal resume writing service companies in navigating through senior level recruiters and job applications. These services typically cost more, but they are the best way to increase your chances of landing a senior role.
Final thoughts
Resume writing services can be a great investment to help get your foot through the door of companies. The point of this post was to help you become aware of common misunderstandings regarding resume writing services. This will help you have the right expectations when you decide to explore resume writing services.
I personally think it’s a good investment. If you can spend a few hundred dollars to land a job that pays thousands per month, it’s a no-brainer. Additionally, you can keep using the resume for future jobs. All you have to do is just update your resume with new experiences and it will still look professional.
The only other recommendation I would give is to be careful about super pricey or super cheap resume writing services. You want the resume writing service that has the best ROI.
If you choose a cheap provider, it’s definitely not worth the hassle of going back and forth with them due to low quality. If you choose a very expensive service, you won’t feel like you got the most bang for your buck even if you did manage to land a role.
The best option is somewhere in the middle with a resume writing service that has a lot of reviews and experience. This will maximize your ROI for choosing a resume writing service.
I’ve reviewed the 10 best online resume writing services you can use. I’ve linked them here, check out this list before choosing a resume writing service.