Professional Resume Services: Are They Worth Paying For?

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When you are preparing for the job search battle, the most important weapon that you will have at your arsenal is your resume, which may leave you to ponder whether you should write your resume yourself or have a professional resume service do it for you. It almost seems like a silly inquiry, because after all, if you don't know who you are then who does?

The fact is, however, that no matter how well you know yourself or how good you are at your job, if you cannot convey that onto your resume, you could just be wasting your time and efforts. Sometimes, hiring a professional resume service to write your resume for you is something that people have a hard time doing. They may feel deflated and think that they should be able to adequately write their own resume alone. This may even describe how you are feeling.

However, you cannot afford to let your ego or pride get in the way of ensuring that your resume is top notch, because face it, you are not the only one who will be applying for that dream job you have your eye on. In order for you to take full advantage of your opportunity, you need to be sure that you stand out significantly from the rest of the applicants. One sure way to accomplish this is with a resume that really pops and sparkles. Here are some of the advantages that a professional resume service can offer you.

Create Your Resume

This may seem like an obvious point, but it is true that a professional resume service will actually create your resume from scratch. A good resume service will want to conduct a sort of "interview" with you to ensure that they have an ample opportunity to get to know everything about you. You may also be asked to fill out a questionnaire and perhaps even provide them with your old resume. Really, the more information they ask you for the better, as the more they know about you the better their resume creation will be.

Knowledge of Resumes

Because professional resume services are in the business of creating resumes, they will be in the know of what potential employers are looking for. Certain fields require certain formats and finesse when it comes to what should be on a resume, and the resume writer assigned to create your resume will know all the ins and outs of your chosen field. They will also know how to adequately "spruce" up your resume in order to have it come off as a cut above rest.

Experience and Skills

There are several certifications that are given out in the world of professional resume services. There are certifications that can be obtained by the company itself and there are also certifications that can be obtained by the writers who work for the company. Finding those who are designated with such certifications is really quite simple. Most will proudly display the fact that they are certified in some way, such as an icon on their website, and if you do not see any certifications — just ask. When you work with a certified resume writing service and writer, you can rest assured that they have had to pass rigorous specifications in order to obtain the certifications themselves. In the case of the writers, being certified means that they have had to have their work judged and approved by some of the top resume writers in the industry.

Confidence in Work

A good professional resume service will always offer you a satisfaction guarantee of some kind. This guarantee will almost always consist of the resume service editing or fixing your resume for free until it is to your liking. Some resume services will even go as far as totally re-writing your resume if you do not see any results with your first version in a certain amount of time.

Distribution

Another nice perk that many professional resume services now offer is resume distribution. Again, these services are in the game of resume creation, and they will have a vast network that they will be able to use for the purpose of distributing your resume. This saves you time and greatly increases the chances that your phone will be ringing with calls from companies wanting you to come in for an interview.

When you see all the benefits that come with hiring a professional resume writing service, it is hard to think of a reason why you would not want to. Yes you can go at it alone, but will you be able to offer yourself what the professional resume services can?

The most important thing to remember is that the professional resume service that you may hire will, in fact, be costing you money to retain. With that, you must be sure that the resume service you choose is a good fit for you and be sure that they will accomplish everything that you want them to. If the first resume service doesn't give you a good feeling, then try another one. There are plenty out there that are both reputable and affordable, as well.

The bottom line is that writing a resume is an art form much like anything else. Unless you are an accomplished writer, it is probably in your best interest to hire a professional to help you out with your resume. While it will cost you money, won't it be worth it if you are able to land your dream job that much faster as a result of hiring them? Yes, you can save money by writing your own resume, but you can also save money by making your own suit for an interview. Ultimately though, neither approach may be advisable or land you the job you have always wanted.