How to Choose A Resume Writer
by Jay Edward Miller, author of  Irresistible Resume

Resume writing is a skill and profession just like any other professional service. Unfortunately, many people are hanging up shingles, running ads, and showing up in cyberspace claiming to be resume writers when they have no writing skills, little experience, and no knowledge of their profession. There are no specific licensing requirements or even a complete educational program to train someone in resume writing. This means that anyone with the inclination can put up a sign, print up business cards, or post a web site, and claim to be a resume writer.

I am amazed that many individuals claiming to be resume writers don’t work at their craft. Many resume writers I’ve met have a wooden, sophisticated, anti-marketing style of writing. These writers don’t know that a job search is a sales and marketing project and that, beneath all the style and formalities, resume writing is copywriting. Just because someone can write a newspaper story, write a novel, or teach an English class, doesn’t mean that he or she can write a resume that sells. Be careful when considering hiring a resume writer. I have been writing resumes and teaching resume writing for a living for many years, and I’m going to tell you that you that there is a huge disparity in quality. The purpose of this report is to give you some insight and tips in finding high level, quality services. Keep the following in mind:

In a job search, resumes rule!

I’ve been accused of putting too much emphasis on the resume. My response to that: In a job search, it is next to impossible to put too much emphasis on the resume. If you can’t communicate with potential employers in writing, you’re in trouble. Nothing fancy, nothing outrageous. Just words on paper that cause an employer to respond or move on. Job hunting with a resume that doesn't communicate well is like job hunting in a foreign country without knowing the native language. Your words alone need to make your message come to life in the reader’s mind. In the job search, resumes rule!

But the problem doesn’t stop there. There exist an old school mentality that says the resume is merely a formal list of past jobs and schools, and should be about as exciting to read as a laundry list. While this old guard is crumbling and changing, there remains a loud, grouchy, narrow-minded group of "experts" who shake their finger at you while spouting outdated resume rules, such as "a resume must be one page," "use short bulleted phrases," "start each line with an action verb," yada, yada, yada . . . . Unfortunately, some of these dinosaurs double as resume writers. They will often give themselves away by pointing out that resumes are nothing more than a necessary evil. Don’t swallow that baloney. In a job search, resumes rule!

Find a writer who is a big fan of resumes. One who understands that your resume is your personal sales representative that sells you when you can't be there. If a resume writer shows the slightest bit of cynicism about his or her craft, you can do better. Keep looking. Resumes rule! Don’t put the writing of the most important document in your career in the hands of someone who doesn’t agree with that.

Determine if you are dealing with a writing service, a typist or a copy shop.

The first thing you need to do is sort out the confusion between:
1. Professional resume writers
2. Typists
3. Copy shops / quick print shops
4. Employment services that do resumes on the side.

In the big city, and even in some small towns, if you look up "resume services" in the Yellow Pages you will find copy shops, quick print shops, and secretarial services among the listings. To someone who has never sought out resume writing services, this can be misleading.

Print shops and copy shops can help you if, and only if, you have your resume already written verbatim. Typist and secretarial services may do some editing and proofreading, but they are not writers. What a typist, print shop and copy shop can do is make your resume look nice. While having a nice looking resume is important, with today’s technology, nearly everyone has a nice looking resume.

You might ask: When I am checking out services, what if it’s not clear whether a service is a writer or a typist? Well, what you need to do is ask them two things:

1) Can they write your resume from scratch? If they respond with anything less than an absolute, unqualified ‘Yes!,’ they are probably not a professional resume writer.

2) Are resumes their first and foremost product and service? Again, you want an unqualified "yes". You don’t want a secretarial service that does resumes on the side.

Employment agencies and recruiting firms will frequently offer resume services. I recommend shying away from such offers. Resumes are not their primary product and are often treated as a mere formality in the job search.

Determine If He Or She Has Extensive Real-World Experience

Before you hire an expert, determine that his or her expert status comes from direct experience writing resumes - and hopefully lots of it. I am constantly amused by resume writing services that present their experience in human resources as their primary source of expertise -- I’d never hire such a person on that basis. There is a night-and-day difference between writing resumes and reading resumes.

Get this! There is a book on writing resumes written by someone who is not even a resume writer! He calls himself an expert on writing resumes because he has read and evaluated a lot of resumes. You need to beware of people like this. The implication is that if you worked in human resources you have special inside knowledge of what employers want. Well, I’ve hired lots of people in my career and I’ve got news for you, there is no inside, super-secret knowledge that gets people interviews and jobs. Selling yourself on paper is done through content and organization that comes from solid resume writing experience and a good understanding of copywriting (selling on paper).

Am I saying that you should you never hire someone with a background in human resources? Absolutely not. But I am saying: Don't be impressed by credentials in human resources. There is absolutely no connection between human resources experience and ability to write an effective resume. Certainly some human resource staffers can write good resumes -- but the best resume writer I ever met was ex-zoo administrator turned resume writer, another excellent one was a former teacher, still another owned a small machining business, and so on.

But My Resume Writer is Certified!

As I write this, the two primary organizations that will certify resume writers are the Professional Association of Resume Writers out of Florida and the National Resume Writers Association out of New York. In recent years these organizations have grown significantly in size and credibility. They are great resources for resume writers and membership demonstrates a certain amount of professionalism and credibility. And while I am sure that many, perhaps most, members of these organizations are excellent writers, you still have to do your homework. Members are not automatically better resume writers than non-members.

Finally, one needs to ask: who certifies the certifiers.

Determine Whether Or Not He Or She Can Sell On Paper

A resume should be as persuasive as you can possible make it. If you are timid or have a hard time writing good things about yourself, you especially need a resume writer who can help you to think of how to describe your skills and accomplishments. This is achieved through good solid writing skills, not from hype, puff, or being outrageous.

When you examine a service, ask the writer why he or she does things the way they do. They should be able to easily articulate the strategies they're using and their reasons for what they included and how they organized the resume. It is an inept service that gives you blank stare when you ask about the strategy behind your resume.

Be on the Look Out For . . .

Being ripped off by "cookie cutter" resume services. When a resume writer takes shortcuts or to make his or her job easier, it is never to your benefit. For example, some services do not write new resumes for each client but work off computer templates by simply filling in the blanks with your information. These resulting resumes are too general to be effective; plus they lack information, marketing strategy, character and direction. They are waste of your time and money. When shopping for a resume writer you need to be aware that there are clear indications when you are dealing with a cookie cutter service. Red flags should go up when:

1) You see too good to be true prices. Because so little time and effort go into their service, they tend to charge far less than a good writer charges. This is a dead-bang giveaway of a cookie cutter service. Their target market is price shoppers and their advertising will focus on low price. They prey on people who think all resume services are alike. This is the main reason you find such a large price spreads between resume services. Cookie cutter services have a strong presence on the Internet.

2) The resume service exclusively uses forms to get the information from you. These forms will usually resemble job applications. If the writer does not interview you, run, don’t walk, from this service. You are dealing with a cookie cutter service or a typist. Good resume writers are also good interviewers. They get beyond the basic information you find in forms and will ask you about skills, abilities, accomplishments, personal qualities, and more.

3) The service tells you that they have an exclusive, market tested format that works better than any other format in the world and they use it for all their customers. This is nothing more than an excuse for a "one-size-fits-all" approach and an unwillingness to deal with their clients' individual needs. Cookie cutter approaches also fail to recognize that different professions and industries have evolved their own resume style and character. If your industry has it's own style and buzzwords, and you fail to reflect that on your resume, it will make you look like an outsider.

I Saved Five Bucks!

Finally, we come to money. If you hire a professional, expect to pay professional level fees for the services and, as a general rule, you get what you pay for (as I write this quality professionals start around $400). However, you cannot assume that spending more necessarily gets you a better resume. One thing you can be sure of is that the lowest price is rarely a bargain in the long run. There can be a high long-term cost of looking for a job with the cheapest resume you can buy. The cheapest services usually turn out to be merely typists, copy shops or cookie cutter services -- although they rarely describe themselves that way. Would you rather spend $50 and spend weeks sitting out in the cold, or $500 and quickly get a $30,000 raise?

Future Considerations

Resume companies come and go, and if you want to make changes in your resume down the road, you want your writer to still be in business. There is no hard and fast rule, but generally the companies with a proven track record stand a better chance of being around when you need them. Fortunately, there are some very good Internet resume services that look like they are in it for the long haul. Other considerations: Does the company have multiple offices? Have they invested in a professional website? Older companies indicate a larger more stable clientele.

My Friend in Human Resources Hates It!

Expect to get every imaginable opinion possible on your new resume. While it's perfectly natural to seek out feedback and approval on your new resume, I must warn you that most people are wellsprings of misinformation when it comes to effective job search strategies and resume writing. Some will tell you to make your resume one way and others will tell you exactly the opposite. Don't call your writer a couple days later and demand changes made by teachers, relatives, or a friend who recently got hired. You invested in a professional for his or her expertise. Maybe your friend has a good idea, but don't make changes without asking the writer why they chose to do things the way they did. In most cases, common sense suggest to leave it the way it is while trusting a resume writer with more than a few years experience under his or her belt.

No resume writer or career development service has all the answers for every person, but any service that has been in business 5 to 10 years or more should have pretty good grasp on what works in a job search and what doesn't along with some tips and advice worth many times more than the price of the resume itself.

Good Luck!
Jay Edward Miller

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