Resume Writing Services: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
With only six seconds of time dedicated to your resume at every job screening — your resume needs to stand out. Some of the best resume writing services like ResumeGo or ResumeEdge have been around for many years, assisting thousands of people secure their dream jobs. But, they aren’t perfect solutions. Like with anything in life, there’s the good, the bad, and the ugly.
This article will examine the three sections and help you determine if resume writing services are right for you.
The Good Parts of Resume Writing Services
Resume writing services can provide many benefits that are traditionally locked for DIY resume writers. These include:
- Highlighting the right credentials
- ATS and keyword optimized
- Quality writing is provided
- Writers cater to hiring practices
Highlighting the Right Credentials
Having the right credentials highlighted is the most important factor in landing a job.
With that said, resume writers know exactly what to include for a particular job. Even things that you may find irrelevant or as fluff, can be reworded to display a valuable skill. After all, many resume writing services offer guarantees that you will receive more calls and interviews — or you get your money back.
With such high-stakes guarantees, these writers know exactly what information to convey to get you the job. With hundreds, if not thousands of resumes written, the writer most likely has already catered resumes to the exact job you are applying to right now.
ATS and Keyword Optimized
As resume requirements become more competitive, companies are now utilizing automated applicant tracking systems to weed out and rank resumes that come in. With 98% of Fortune500 using this software and their recruiters looking only at the handful of top ranked applicants, it is very important.
WIth proper formatting and keywords, your resume can pass and even rank in the top handful. Flourishing resume writing services have writers that excel at ATS optimization.
Quality Writing Is Provided
Professional resume writers are pro writers at heart. They can format your experiences and qualifications in appealing and unique ways that garner attention — without making it appear stiff and pretentious.
With unique wording and the implementation of keywords, both the ATS software and the live reader will be hooked to your resume.
Writers Cater to Hiring Practices
The culture of hiring practices can be sporadic and cannot be learned without years of experience. Resume writers keep track of the ever-changing standards and necessities required to write a resume that really sells. Catering could be anything from these topics:
- Keywords
- Format
- Skills
- Typeface
- Work experience (and/or education)
The Negatives of Resume Writing Services
There are downfalls to resume writing services that should be pointed out. These include:
- High costs ($200 – $300)
- Uninspired Results
High Costs
The biggest downside of resume writing services are the high costs, ranging typically from $200 to $1,000. There are cheap options on the web, but as a general resume rule of thumb, you get what you pay for. Professionally crafted resumes are great, but it’s something that not everyone can afford or want to spend money on.
With free online resources, it’s much easier to learn how to write your own resume now. Of course, that takes time and effort that not everybody has. That’s just one of the several considerations that you will have to factor in before deciding on your plan of action.
Uninspired Results
In regards to lower tier resume writing services, writers may be instructed to push quantity over quality. This can manifest in the form of generic templates or generalized bullet points that don’t really pinpoint exactly what you’ve done.
The truth is, it’s tough for a resume writer to fully understand your work history and all the nitty-gritty details that go into your work. So while resume writers may certainly be capable at writing you a solid resume, they may end up taking the lazy route in certain situations, which will ultimately hurt the quality of your resume.
The Ugly Part of Resume Writing Services
The ugly part of the resume writing industry is straightforward. Certain companies love and are passionate about what they do, while others are more passionate about how to take your money.
Whether you sign with a resume factory that churns out thousands of templated resumes by the hour, or end up never hearing back after paying, it happens. That’s especially true during this time of high unemployment. The ugly truth: some resume writing services do not care about you, at all. It will cost you money, time, and make you feel so angry.
Luckily, research is a valuable tool that can offset your chances of running into one of these foul “services”. Always review their website and look for online opinions on them. Do the reviews match up with what their service claims to do? What’s the average consensus from the typical customer? Are there even reviews?
As a general rule of thumb, stick with resume writing services that have been around for decades and have great relationships with their customers. You’ll be fine if you keep this in mind!