As someone with 9+ years as a certified professional resume writer, I have a sound understanding of what is expected of resumes today. While I learned a lot from some of the other resume writing companies I worked for, I also uncovered a lot of things that I didn’t agree with along the way. It’s because of those things that I stepped away from working for other companies and decided to start my own. My goal is to help as many people as possible without making you spend a fortune along the way. After all, who should have to spend $500+ for a new resume?
To help you understand more about what you might find out there today when doing a search online for a resume writing service, I have compiled a list to help shed some light on the industry and what to expect:
Free Resume Review
At some point along the way, you have probably seen quite a few companies advertising to review your resume for free. What I found from one of the companies I worked for was rather disturbing. They never took the time to actually read through your original document. Everyone received a canned response saying that their resume was horrible while throwing in a few phrases from your document to make it seem like they really did evaluate your document. For many people, that convinced them to purchase their services.
I prefer to take a more honest approach to a resume review. My resume service will go through your document and tell you exactly what needs to be changed and why. There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to resume writing because no two people or work histories are the same. Your resume should be as unique as you are. In fact, the company mentioned above even told people who used their services to rewrite the documents that they still needed work. That goes to show you that they even negatively critiqued their own work. Be careful when getting a free resume review. Read through it carefully to see if what they are telling you adds up.
Free Resume Template
There are several resume writing companies online who say you can create a free resume using their templates. What they don’t tell you is that the content that you can use for free is so generic it will never help you stand out from the competition. What good is that going to do you if you can’t get results? After all, the whole point of redoing your resume is to get noticed and get better results during the job search process.
Oftentimes, these free templates are simply a type of bait used to get you to end up purchasing their services and let one of their professionals do the job for you. Why not just be honest in the first place instead of using the old bait and switch tactic? I don’t believe in baiting people in with false promises and subpar products. While my services do come with a fee, you will know exactly what you are going to get right from the start. Rest assured, you are going to get a quality product that truly represents your background and makes you stand out from the competition.
Cheap Resume Services
As the old saying goes, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” That saying holds true in the resume world as well. If you are expecting to get a professional resume writer to redo your document for $20, it isn’t going to happen. If you do find someone who is willing to do it for that price, I can almost guarantee the results you are going to get aren’t going to be what you expected. In fact, you might not even be dealing with a native English speaker at that low of a price.
Most professionals aren’t going to do a resume for less than $100 and that’s for an entry-level professional. I have seen executive documents go for upwards of $1,500 – 2,000 from other companies. Redoing a resume isn’t a simple writing assignment as many like to believe it is. If the resume writer is doing their job right, it takes hours to get to the final result and ensure everything complies with ATS requirements.
Quick Turnaround Times
When companies start promising to deliver in 24-48 hours without charging you a rush fee, that tells me a couple of things. One, they are farming your work out to who knows who to ensure it gets done in the time promised. Two, they aren’t producing a quality product that is going to get you results. Most reputable resume companies offer delivery in about 5-10 business days because it takes time to produce a quality document.
I worked for a lot of companies who claimed to do all the work themselves when they were farming it out to someone like me to get the job done on time. The client never knew I existed though because I never had contact with them. Ghostwriting is becoming more and more popular today. The sad thing is that the client never knows what’s going on behind the scenes and thinks that the person they spoke to is the one doing all the work when they aren’t.
Larger Doesn’t Mean Better
This ties into my previous point. Most people assume that if you deal with a larger company, you are going to get better results. However, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. When dealing with a larger company, one thing is for sure: you will end up spending more money for the resume writing service. This is because there are more levels of people who have to get paid along the way.
At the end of the day, guess who is the one writing the resume for you? That’s right, someone like me. Why pay 3-5x the amount for a resume overhaul when you can cut out all the middlemen and go with someone like me right from the start? The quality I produce for my personal clients is no different than it was for the larger companies I worked for over the years. However, when you work with me, you aren’t just another number in the grand scheme of things for me. You are a person who deserves specialized attention, and that’s what you are going to get.
No Personal Contact
Not all companies operate on a ghostwriter basis. Some actually connect the client with the writer through their own internal system. However, many companies I worked for never allowed you to actually talk to the client via phone. All contact was handled through a messaging system developed by the company. While some clients are okay with this, there are many who would prefer a personal conversation with their writer.
Some of those companies offered to let you speak to the writer if you paid a fee. Shouldn’t that be included in the cost of your package? Why are you paying extra just to speak with the writer via phone to ask questions? That doesn’t make sense. You already spent $150 on your resume, so why should you pay another $75-100 just to talk to the writer? It’s all about building their bottom line. My fees include a phone consult if you want one.
Hourly Rates
Since almost all resume writing projects are done remotely, I don’t believe in charging clients an hourly fee. It’s unethical and immoral to do so. How can the client possibly know how long you spent writing their documents? That’s why all my fees are flat-rate one-time fees. If you need revisions or have questions, it’s all included in the price. You aren’t going to have to spend more money just to get a revision done or speak with me on the phone.
In Summary
I truly believe customers need to know what they are signing up for right from the beginning. If you want to ensure you are going to get the results you deserve, don’t jump on the first resume writing company you find on Google simply because they are at the top of the list. Big marketing budgets don’t mean the company produces better results. Spend time talking with the company and seeing if what they offer aligns with what you need.
I have helped countless individuals like yourself get the results they deserve at a fraction of the cost. If you are tired of looking around and want someone who truly cares about you and your career, you’re in the right place. Feel free to send me a message via the contact form or through email if you would like to schedule a consultation. Due to the number of spam calls I receive, I don’t answer numbers I don’t recognize. Please leave a voicemail or send me a text so I know you are a real person.
