HOW TO SELECT A RESUME SERVICE:

What you NEED to Know Before You Buy

Types of Resume Services

1. 1.OVERSEAS WRITERS WITH SKETCHY ENGLISH AND GRAMMAR (generally excludes Australia and England) are popping up all over the Internet to make money in an area they are generally totally unskilled in. Their sites usually do not contain information about their writers or where they are from. Because it takes only one error to screen out your resume, it will be pure luck if you receive any interviews. You could throw away $99-$199 or more.
   

2. 2.TYPING, SECRETARIAL, AND/OR ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES generally just format and grammatically correct your existing resume or write a low-level one for you as they do not have professional resume writing know-how. Expect your interview success rate to be low: perhaps 5% against the other 95% who will get called ahead of you. You can expect to pay $59-$159 or more and perhaps wait a year or longer to land a position. 
   

3. 3.COOKIE-CUTTER RESUME MILLS bang out as many resumes as they can to make money. They may have a lot of writers with a low skill level and success rate, probably use resume templates, and often do not provide personal service. Using these services can translate to a low level of interviews and can put you in the 10-15% category versus the other 85-90% of candidates who get called ahead of you and it may take up to a year to land a job. You can spend $159-$399 and up.
   

4. 4.MANY UNCERTIFIED RESUME WRITERS AND THOSE WHO HAVE LESS THAN 5 YEARS EXPERIENCE may have a low skill level as it takes several years to perfect the art and science of resume writing, which is reflected in your resume and results. If, however, they are active members of career organizations*, they generally do have their clients’ best interests at heart. Their resumes can possibly land you in the 25-50+% category while the other +/- 50-75% of candidates may be called ahead of you translating to waiting possibly 6-9 months to land a job. You can pay $199-$399 and up.
   Note: Suggest checking their “About” page and find out what credentials they do have and Google their online presence. When making your comparison, “Check for these Factors” to the left.
   

5. 5.CERTIFIED RESUME WRITERS with 5 to 10+ years’ experience have high work ethics, are members of globally acclaimed career organizations,* generally attend annual conventions to enhance their skills, and may have a positive online identity (Google their names in quotes). They generally can position you in the 75-85% category called for interviews. If they are also Personal Branding Strategists, that percentage can increase to 85-95% (top 5-15%) called for interviews and can help you land a position in perhaps 3-6 months or less, depending upon the profession and/or position. Expect to pay $399-$699 and up.
   

6. 6.CERTIFIED RESUME WRITERS WHO ARE PERSONAL BRANDING STRATEGISTS AND/OR GLOBAL INDUSTRY LEADERS, published authors, career speakers, often quoted authorities in the media, and/or have 10 to 20+ years’ experience can generally position you in the top 2-5% of candidates—surpassing the other 95-98% of job seekers, because an exemplary personally branded resume helps you land more interviews much more quickly (generally from 2 weeks to 3 months) while also increasing your earnings. That’s important to take note, because your brand sells your value and employers pay higher when they perceive a high value in hiring you. Rates generally range from $599-$1200 and up to $2500.
   

Note: The above numbers are estimates and can vary depending upon individual resume writer skill and how many resumes the candidate sends out that match the position for which the resume is targeted, among other factors