Resume Writing Services

The use of resume writing services is becoming more popular, and there are several good explanations for this popularity.  The first has to do with the tightening of the job market.  As jobs get scarcer, people are looking for that competitive edge that a resume service can give them.  The second reason has to do with the fact that people recognize they need professional help in putting an effective resume together.

Resumes are Personal Advertisements

In many ways, the job search market is really just a great big advertising contest.  Everything else being equal, which it never is, the applicant with the best resume wins.  Your resume should be thought of as a personal advertisement for your professional services.  When you are writing a resume, you are putting together an advertisement that you hope will get the attention of the right recruiter or hiring manager.

We're not talking about attention-grabbing colors here; we are talking about using the right words on a resume; the type of words that prompt someone to call you in for a job interview.  That's where professional resume writing services can be helpful.  They have trained staff that will know what works and what is not effective.  This puts them at an advantage over the average individual trying to put together a resume on their own.

Finding Professional Resume Writing Services

You can find a lot of writing services on the Internet, which means that finding a professional resume writing service should be pretty easy over the web.  You can also try to work with someone in-person, but that doesn't really guarantee you've found a good resume writer.

What you want to look for is a company, or person, that has access to many different kinds of resumes, for many different kinds of professions.  That means you either have to hire a large company with a lot of resources, or a specialist in your area of expertise.

The Internet gives companies access to specialists all over the country, making it an efficient provider of services such as resume writing. The bigger question is how to tell when you've found a good resume writing service.  Over the remainder of this article, we will talk about the types of professional services that a good company will offer.

The Cost of Resume Writing Services

You are going to hire a professional to read through your resume, reformat the document, and perhaps even write an explanation for their recommended changes.  That means someone will be spending hours reading your resume, deciding on the appropriate resume format, making changes to the document, and getting your feedback and approval.

If you consider all the time that you want someone to spend creating a better resume, then we are talking hours of someone's time. If you are hiring a professional, then you should expect pay at least $200 to $500 for this type of service.  If you are looking for a service that is less than $50, then you are probably better off just asking a friend to take a look at your resume.  For that kind of money, you are really just getting a proofreading service.

Professional Certifications

When evaluating between two resume writing services, you should try to figure out if their professionals are certified professional resume writers.  The two best writing certification programs are:

• Certified Professional Resume Writers - certification involves taking a timed examination consisting of four modules dealing with industry knowledge, grammar and punctuation, strategic thinking abilities, and composing a resume based on a hypothetical client.
• National Resume Writers Association - requires taking continuing education units prior to a resume writing exam.  The examination consists of two parts, the first is questions relating to sample resumes, and the second part consists of composing a resume based upon supplied information.

Professional Resume Writing Process

Professional resume writing services are sometimes broken down, and priced, into several tiers of complexity.  The simplest process is that of editing an existing resume, proofreading, and reformatting the content.  The next level of complexity is taking written information and composing a resume from scratch.  Finally, resume writing services may also include putting together cover letters as an add-on feature.

Since most resume service companies recognize that clients are eager to start their job search, the turnaround time on a resume should be less than a week.  The company may also provide access to sample resumes that clients can look at; providing their clients with even more ideas.

Finally, since proofreading, reformatting, or writing a resume can be subject to individual interpretation, most of the more reputable services will have you talk to their professionals over the telephone.  This actually helps to expedite the process by allowing the resume writer to get a better feel for what the client is really looking for - something that might not be evident from the written word.

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