Guest Author - Kristen Welcome
Writing a resume can be a daunting task, and when faced with the idea of trying to wrestle all of you essential information onto a blank piece of paper, you may think that a resume writing service sounds pretty good. Before you go laying out cash, however, here are a few things to consider.
1. Do they offer references or testimonials?
Of course, the fact that one customer had a great experience doesn’t necessarily mean that you will too, but it certainly improves your chances. If a service refuses to put you in touch with former customers who were pleased with their work, this suggests that they haven’t had many happy customers, or that they haven’t been in business very long. Either way, this is a potential red flag.
Along these same lines, the business should have a proper website with a few samples of previous work. After all, you should be able to get a good idea of what you’re going to be paying for before you have to hand over any money.
2. How long have they been in business?
A company doesn’t have to be in business for a decade to be an honest company, but if they just opened their doors yesterday, they probably haven’t had a chance to work all of the bugs out yet.
3. Will you be able to talk to a human being on the phone?
Email is a wonderful invention, but if a resume writing service is worth its salt, you’ll be able to speak on the phone with a live, knowledgeable person who will ask you probing questions and try to ferret out any relevant details that you may have forgotten that ought to be included on your resume. When I used to write for such a service, we writers were required to telephone each customer at least once for a decent length of time to give them the attention they needed. If you are considering a service that has such a policy, you’ll have a much better chance to get the personal one-on-one attention that can help a writer to produce the best resume possible for your needs.
4. Can you do the work yourself?
Ask yourself carefully exactly why you want to use a resume writing service rather than creating your own resume. Do you feel that you could create a great resume but you don’t want to spend the time? Are you afraid of the amount of labor necessary to produce a great resume? If this is the case, consider carefully whether you really want to pay somebody else to do what you’re able to do yourself. If, on the other hand, you have reviewed the sample resumes on the business website and you believe that the resume writers could do a better job than you could with your resume, it may be a worthy investment to pay a service to produce the best possible resume for your job search.
A resume service may produce a fine resume that can help you in your job search, as long as you do your homework and use a trusted company. Most importantly, trust your instincts; if a company sounds too good to be true, keep searching until you’ve found a company that makes you feel comfortable.
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