Your resume is usually the first opportunity you get to sell yourself to potential employers and the quality of your resume will be the deciding factor in you being invited in for an interview, or not. Writing the perfect resume that sets you aside from the competition is tough. The way we apply for jobs has changed considerably within the last 15 years, moving almost exclusively online, not to mention the COVID-19 pandemic which has increased the number of applicants, and therefore competition, tenfold. From designing the right format and layout to utilising the best language to sell your skills and experiences effectively, if resume writing isn’t something you do often, it can pose a significant challenge.
These challenges are why an increasing number of jobseekers are opting to use resume writing services to enjoy the benefits a professionally written resume brings. However, as with any industry, product or service there are multiple of options available, all claiming they can write the very best resume possible, and prices can vary widely, as does the quality of the service, so how do you know which one to choose?
Hiring the correct resume service for your specific needs is a big decision to make. A perfectly written resume and cover letter, optimised for the application could secure your next big career move, while the wrong choice could put your entire job search in jeopardy, so it’s not a decision that should be taken lightly.
Firstly, why utilise a resume writing service?
Before looking at what you should consider when hiring a resume writer, it’s important to understand the direct benefits to your job application process when engaging a professional resume writing company. There’s absolutely no doubt about it, when it comes to making your next career move, your resume is the most important tool at your disposal.
It’s the document that gives the recruiting manager their first impression of you, and first impressions are everything as they say, so you need to ensure you are presenting yourself THE candidate who is going to solve the current problem within their business (this is why they are recruiting). A good professional resume writer will ensure that your resume is written in a compelling style and as a bare minimum, completely free from simple errors that non-professionals make.
A resume writing service should guarantee that your documents are formatted and designed to current standards, which are changing more often than you’d think. When it comes to their resume, many job seekers simply edit their existing resume and update their employment experience over the years. The result is a significantly outdated, somewhat irrelevant read, usually with the employment experience presented like a running daily to-do list. In the current job market, this isn’t going to offer any advantage over other candidates and a numbers game begins, usually applying for dozens or even hundreds of jobs before being selected for interview.
Here’s where a professional resume writer steps in. They can objectively look at your previous experience and highlight what is relevant and what to omit. They will focus on your key skills, your relevant experience and critically, your achievements.
Leaving the achievements out is the most common mistake candidates make when writing their own resume. It’s your achievements that set you aside from every other candidate in the market, and it’s crucially important that these are displayed within your resume. Companies are seeking to employ achievers, not doers.
So, what should you look for in a professional resume service?
There are many benefits to a professionally written resume, so it is essential that you find the right partner for you to ensure you maximise these benefits. There are also different factors that combine to make the perfect resume, so you want to ensure you are getting the best value from your resume writer.
When choosing a resume service, the main points you should consider are:
The company’s reputation
This is one of the most important things to consider when looking for a resume writing service to work with. Your resume is one of the most important documents you will ever own, it’s the document that directs your whole career, and therefore your finances and ultimately your life, so naturally, you should want to work with the best resume service that your budget allows. It’s not a place I would suggest scrimping on. With this in mind, please take the time to research the resume writing companies you are considering and read the reviews and testimonials from previous clients. Ensure the reviews are genuine, review sites like Google and Trustpilot filter out fake reviews so this can be an excellent indicator of client satisfaction rates. As a rule of thumb, if the review score is lower than 4.5, ask yourself what’s going wrong with 1/10 clients and can you take the chance that you will be in that 10%? On the other hand, a ‘perfect 5’ usually indicates fake reviews – be wary! Things that seem too good to be true usually are.
CV People hold a review score of 4.9/5 which can be verified on Trustpilot, our feedback and testimonials are gauged from over 25,000 clients since 2011.
Their marketing
Don’t base your decision solely on reputation alone. You should also consider how the resume service are marketing themselves to you as a client. This is an excellent indicator of their attention to detail and sales skillset (incredibly important when writing a resume). If they cannot effectively sell their own services and brand to you, how will they be able to create you a bespoke resume which in turn sells you as a candidate to hiring managers? See the link?
Examine how they communicate with you and scrutinise their branding. If their communication leaves you feeling like they don’t give 100% effort, or their branding looks dated, then these can be clear warning signs that your resume won’t be written with the care and attention it requires. Keep a close eye on their attention to detail. Your resume must position you above the competition, and compelling writing requires a keen eye, minor mistakes in this day and age will result in recruiters forming a poor opinion of your resume and this WILL cost you interviews.
Pricing
Prices for a professionally written resume can vary drastically. There are resume writers to suit every budget, and typically they fall into three categories:
Sub $200
These budget-friendly options will just focus on making your existing resume more compelling and tidying up any grammatical errors. This basic level of service will not focus on your personal branding or position. They would usually lack any kind of client consultation and work via email. This level of service is usually outsourced to non-English speaking countries then proofread and mistakes corrected before being forwarded on to you. They usually don’t allow for revisions or refunds if the quality of work is poor. More often than not, these services provide zero value and you’d be better off joining our resume workshop and writing your resume yourself. You can even ask us for a free resume review, and we’ll tell you where to improve it!
$200 to $600
This middle tier of pricing will see your resume written by recruitment consultants or professionals with similar experience. They will typically help you tailor your profile to ensure you are selling yourself more effectively to potential recruiters. The document should be free from spelling and grammatical mistakes and you should expect a brief consultation towards the top end of this price point. If your existing resume is dated and poorly written, you should expect to see an improvement.
$600 to $1,500+
This is where CV People sit in the market. Our elite resume writing service aligns you with our extensively trained, hand-selected, top-tier resume writers. They not only write your resume, but essentially build a powerful marketing brand for you. Our career experts will work with you to develop the perfect job application strategy, giving you the very best chance of securing your dream role. Expect a full in-depth consultation call to discuss every detail of your career; only local Aussie experts working on your project; a full 100% satisfaction guarantee with unlimited revisions of your resume; a three-business day turnaround on your first drafts, and of course, an assigned elite resume writer with significant experience in your profession.
Experience
Regardless of your industry, you should work with resume writers who understand the world in which you operate. Certain jobs and industries utilise specific language, jargon or skillsets, so it is vital that whichever resume writing service you opt for, they understand the requirements of a top-tier resume within your own profession.
While a resume service might have fantastic reviews from accountants, they might have never written a resume for an executive. Of course, for a one-man band and small resume writing companies, it’s not feasible to hire resume writers who have experience in every industry, and this could be the factor that catches you out and results in a resume that doesn’t quite cut it.
CV People have 4 dedicated teams. These teams solely work with graduates, professionals, managers and executives. This ensures our staff are qualified to work with clients at your career level, it’s what they do all day, every day. We don’t believe in jack-of-all-trades resume writers and neither should you. We’ve written resumes for over 25,000 clients since 2011, in over 60 different industries. There’s quite literally no job we don’t have experience in. Okay, astronaut!
What are their guarantees?
While no resume writing service can guarantee you a job, there are just too many variables, you should double-check what the resume writing service offers you as part of the package. For example, CV People guarantee that you will be invited to more interviews within 60 days of having your resume professionally written. If you don’t, we’ll re-write it free of charge!
Looking to take your resume to the next level?
At CV People Australia, we know just how important it is to approach potential employers with a first-class resume in the current job market.
As Australia’s premier resume writing service, our highly experienced team have worked across a broad spectrum of industries, and on average, we dedicate between 10 - 20 hours work to each project. Perfection takes time and we strive to achieve that with every client we work with. On average, our clients secure 4x more interviews, negotiate a 24% higher starting salary and make their next career move twice as fast.
Our expert resume writers will conduct a full and thorough consultation call to understand your skills, experience and achievements, then we’ll discuss your future ambitions and aspirations, alongside conducting in-depth research on your target positions. With this information in our war chest, we’ll begin drafting a bespoke, ATS-optimised resume that will dominate ATS algorithms and get you in front of the hiring manager.
The key to a professionally written resume is in the detail, which is why our quality control team proofread and double-check your entire resume before sending it to you for review. Your satisfaction is our only priority, which is why we offer unlimited revisions, working with you until you have the perfect resume guaranteed to secure you more interviews.
At CV People, we don’t follow a simple checklist or work from templates; all of our resumes are written bespoke to each client. We are incredibly proud of our success and the success of our clients over the last decade, so if you want to find out how we can help you, browse our resume services or send in your resume for a free review!
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