I recently read an article that referenced the use of resume services and career coaching as being reserved for those at the “top of the corporate ladder.” Needless to say, I took offense to this right away. True, resume services and career experts come at a cost, but that does not mean that those services are limited to the corporate elite. As members of several professional organizations, I’m sure that most of our colleagues would agree: It’s not about your tax bracket or whether you have a corner office or a cubicle, it’s about your skills, achievements and successes and your ability to express that on paper and during an interview. If you simply can’t highlight all of the above on your own, you should employ the help of a professional. After all, you pay a mechanic to fix your car, you pay a plumber to fix your drain, so why are you writing your own resume? Now, anyone who’s purchased a service or product knows you get what you pay for. A quick scan of the internet will show you that resume services range in price from $39.95 to $1,000+ and while we here are Resume Platform pride ourselves in customer service, delivery and expertise, there are multiple companies that do not. We encourage our clients to research other firms and interview writers to ensure the service you pay for is the service you deserve. Here are some RED FLAGS to look out for when finding a professional.
- Resume writers who are not accredited. There are many people out there who will call themselves professionals in resume services simple because they have spent time in Human Resources or Recruiting. This does not make them “professional resume writers.” You’ll want to ask about professional writing certifications such as Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and Certified Advanced Resume Writer (CARW). If they don’t have either of these they have not been certified by the leading organizations in the industry. Most writers will have multiple certifications and continued education.
- Fast turnaround time (48-hours or less). A resume requires work, hours, days, sometimes weeks of work. Firms that claim faster turnaround time will typically use an auto-generated template for every client simply adding in the information you provided.
- Work is being subcontracted out. While it is ok to use subcontractors (many high-ranking career firms employ them), it’s not ok to pretend the work is being completed by someone else. Make sure to ask who will be completing the work for your resume, and if a subcontractor is being used makes sure to ask for their credentials as well.
- Not providing samples of their work. If a company does not have samples readily available on their website, ask for them. If they are not willing to provide several samples move on. This means one of two things: 1. they don’t have any samples to provide or 2. they don’t want you to see that all their formats are the same.
- No phone call. You couldn’t possibly understand a client’s true career needs without having a conversation. If a company has made it through to this step and refuses a call, they most likely won’t be able to answer your specific questions or concerns.
The #1 question we ask our clients who are on the fence about purchasing professional resume services is: Would you feel comfortable applying for a position knowing that a professional wrote the other applicant’s resume? If you need more information on professional resume services or specifically what Resume Platform provides to our clients please take a moment to watch our corporate video. As always, leave a comment with questions and start a dialog with us!
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