Should you Hire a Resume Writing Service

Should you Hire a Resume Writing Service REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD OR SHOULD NOT HIRE A RESUME WRITING SERVICE If you live in Michigan, or anywhere else in our country, lets face it. The economy stinks. People are getting laid off and companies are closing down or outsourcing to other countries practically on a daily basis. So, what good would hiring a professional resume service do for you? EVERYTHING. Its understandable to be cautious about hiring a resume writer, especially online where you cant visually shake a hand or see an office full of certificates, awards, books, or anything else that might prove credibility. Here are a few reasons you SHOULD hire a professional resume writer: 1- PROFESSIONALISM A professional resume writer knows what he/she is doing. Ive had clients tell me over and over that having it professionally written got them the job. They had sent in the old one previously, and at my urging, resent the new one and got the job! Make sure whomever you hire is CERTIFIED. If you are unsure whether or not your writer is certified, go to www.parw.com and type in their name. If they are certified, it will come up as such. A certified writer has gone through extensive training and was tested on it, ensuring their work meets the standards of the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches. If you are going to spend the money, you want the best. 2- BRANDING/PR A professional resume writer acts as your personal cheerleader, your brander, your public relations firm. You want someone who knows how to present your qualifications in your best light. They will gather the relevant information (career goals, experience, training, etc.) to create a professional image for you. Something you will be proud to hand out to a hiring manager. 3-GHOSTWRITERS- A professional resume writer knows how to craft content that gets people interested. They create a resume that sounds and feels like YOU. A professional resume writer constantly updates their skills and abilities by keeping up with the latest in career news, and attending webinars, teleseminars and conferences. 4- FORMAT How bored are you when you see a resume that is bullet after bullet of a position description? Would you call that person back? Neither will the hiring person. Professional resume writers are TRAINED in creating unique documents with appealing fonts, borders and styling that is all YOU. 5- RESOURCE CENTER Your professional resume writer is a career one-stop-shop! Chances are they have a wide range of resources to offer during your job search. Many are also Certified Career Coaches and remain well informed of career events and other services helpful to their clients. Many times employers will contact resume writers for suitable candidates. Reasons NOT TO HIRE a professional resume writer: 1- They offer you a resume package for $19.95. Most likely this company is a printing or secretarial service that will rewrite everything you gave them, or dump your info into a pre-written template. 2- They tell you they are certified, but you check on the PARW site and they are not. WRONG. Turn around and go back. They are misrepresenting the truth and God knows what they will do with your money. 3- They offer a 30-day guarantee if you dont get an interview. I know this is a touchy one, because many of my colleagues do it, but here is my beef with that: with each client, I put my heart and soul into the resume. I am already writing a resume that I think will knock the socks off any reader. So how can I possibly offer a rewrite on that? I already wrote a killer resume and I stand behind it. I would rather sit down with the client and go over job search because I guarantee that is where the problems lie. So, to sum it up, its important to find a solid and reputable resume service. Check for memberships to professional career organizations with writers that are certified. A professionally written resume is a good investment and is worth its weight in gold, not to mention it will get you noticed immediately. Have you hired a resume writing service? What was your experience? Im interested to know what you thought. Talk to me Should You Hire a Resume Writing Service An executive resume service can be one of your biggest assets. As the saying goes, “it takes money to make money.” That definitely holds true for job seekers. New interview clothes and shoes, dry-cleaning, gasoline these expenses add up, especially if you are a job seeker currently between positions. Should you take on the additional expense of hiring a resume service? The answer depends. Just Entering the Workforce? If you are a recent college graduate with little practical work experience and are seeking an entry-level position, hiring a resume writing service may not be necessary. At this stage, your work history is limited. The majority of your resume will consist of details of your education and the skills you possess that will make you a stellar employee. If you’re resourceful and possess decent writing and grammatical skills, you can probably craft a decent resume yourself. Yes, a resume service would be helpful, but it may not be necessary if your finances are particularly tight. Executive Looking to Advance Your Career? If you’re a seasoned professional in the hunt for executive or C-level positions, you absolutely should hire an  executive resume service, a cover letter writing service and even a LinkedIn profile writer. The stakes for you are high. You don’t want to miss out on a lucrative position because, for example, your resume lacks the keywords hiring managers use to cull through hundreds or thousands of resumes they receive. Your forte may be management, marketing or team building. The best executive resume writing service providers have  their own specialized niche: crafting resumes that win candidates job interviews. For job seekers at the executive level, hiring an executive resume service is a smart investment that could cut down the time it takes to land the perfect job. Buyer Beware: Better Shop Around Executives should absolutely invest in quality help writing their resumes, cover letters and social media profiles. However, not all resume writing services qualify as “quality help.” Anyone can hang out their shingle and call themselves a resume writer. Make sure to do your homework so you don’t waste your time and money on a resume service that won’t add any value to your job search. When looking for a service, do your due diligence. Ask questions. If you get the sense you are  dealing with a resume mill, move on. A resume mill is a service that offers cheap resumes with a fast turnaround time. Essentially all they really do is put your information into a carbon-copy template, format it so it looks pretty and make sure spelling and grammar are correct. They don’t address your specific skill set and goals. You know you’ve found the  best executive resume writing service  when the writer asks  you  questions, spends time getting to know you and demonstrates expertise in SEO, marketing and resume distribution.