By Jennifer Anthony
RECOMMENDED
Professional Resume Writers
Overview
Professional resume writers are career specialists that stay up to date on the job market and industry trends. They are typically independently owned but sometimes they have a small staff. These resume writers are highly specialized and they focus on resume writing on a daily basis. This is not a part-time, side job to these professionals — this is their livelihood.
If they aren’t actively writing client projects, they can usually be found networking with hiring managers, attending job fairs, polishing their skills at industry conferences, or reading up on the latest employment trends. Price range is typically between $300 and $1,000 with higher fees for executive level candidates.
How to Spot Them
If you use a typical search engine, you will literally find more than a million links. To narrow it down, you can search the directories of the leading professional organizations for resume writing.
- The National Resume Writers’ Association
- Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches
- Career Management Alliance
Once you find a writer, you should be able to easily navigate their website to find contact information quickly. Your e-mails should be answered quickly and the responses should be individualized and not canned, automated messages.
You should contact two or three writers to get a feel for the process and costs involved. If you ask for resume samples, they should be provided without hassle.
Examples
- http://www.execresumeservice.com/
- http://www.anexpertresume.com
- http://www.careersolvers.com
- http://www.awriteresume.com
- More choices
NOT RECOMMENDED
Selling Machines (also known as ‘Resume Mills’)
Overview
I’ve talked to countless clients disappointed in their previously “professionally” written resumes. They operate without regard to their clients or how they affect the resume writing industry as a whole. They have large advertising budgets to bring in tons of business and they outsource their work to contract writers all over the country. Sometimes they outsource their work overseas and you get contract writers who do not even speak English as their first language! The writers often have no writing experience or expertise and are required to use templates that are provided by the company. Price range is typically between $50 and $300.
How to Spot Them
They typically have very busy and colorful websites with hundreds of pages and tons of links. When you submit your resume for a review, you will get a canned response via e-mail and will not get a personal telephone interview. They are coached to pick apart whatever you send them and to recommend a resume rewrite for every resume that is turned in, regardless of the quality. Making the sale is their only real goal.
Examples
- http://www.resumeedge.com/
- http://www.theladders.com/
- http://www.resumewriters.com/
- http://www.resumedoctor.com/
- http://www.employment911.com/
NOT RECOMMENDED
Resume Typists, Typesetters, or Designers
Overview
These services are legitimate but often do very little for you. Many of them will simply take your information and make it pretty. This type of service is often provided at your typical, retail copy shop. Price range is typically between $25 and $150.
How to Spot Them
They typically offer various services such as word processing, transcription, and desktop publishing. Usually, they add-on resume writing as a service after a few clients ask for resume help. Some of them are awesome graphic designers, but they will not give you a properly formatted resume that can be shared, opened, or edited MS Word format.
Examples
- http://www.precisionphotos.com/resumes.html
- http://www.riversidecopy.com/resume.html
- http://sleekresume.com/
- http://www.mailbags.org/resume_design.htm
- http://computype.bizland.com/
OTHER OPTIONS
Workforce Development Centers & University Career Services Offices
Overview
The workforce development centers are state-run agencies (funded by tax revenue) that provide information about resume writing to the community. Some of them have staff writers assigned to actually help jobseekers write their own resumes.
At the university level, there are career services offices. They provide information such as self-help books, job bulletin boards, and self-assessment tests. Sometimes you can schedule an appointment with a career counselor to get advice or help with your resume and cover letter.
I grouped these two types of centers into the same category because they are typically free to the jobseeker. While free help may be nice, in my experience most of the information that is being distributed through these offices is more than 10 years outdated.
How to Spot Them
You can usually find these services in the same building with your local DES or DSHS office or at your local college campus.
Examples
- https://fortress.wa.gov/esd/worksource/Employment.aspx
- http://www.employment.oregon.gov/
- http://www.careers.wsu.edu/
- http://oregonstate.edu/career/
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© Jennifer Anthony, Nationally Published Resume Expert & Career Strategist
Disclaimer: Advice offered in this article is not comprehensive and is intended for a wide-range of readers. Individual results may vary based on geographic location, local economies, market saturation for a particular industry, academic background, adaptability to workforce changes, and/or continued motivation. Contact a professional resume writer to discuss your unique situation.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/3.0/us/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, CA 94105.
