It’s not uncommon to find blog posts and articles online about resume writing services.
Some are positive, some are negative. But it probably doesn’t come as a surprise that we recommend you steer clear of these businesses altogether.
We don’t believe in their value.
If you’re looking to build a resume, there are plenty of ways to do it yourself. You could start with a free template online, or you could pay for an expensive template through an agency — a business whose only goal is to sell you high-priced services. These businesses are only in it for the money and not for you, meaning you get virtually no value at the end of the project.
And before you think we’re just being negative, let’s take a look at the problems with resume writing services. This link here can also provide additional information for how they work.
- #1 They work around your schedule and not yours. A service might put together a resume (maybe even from a template) based on your information, but they could also request time off from work to do so. If you’re looking to get a resume in the next couple days, this could be a deal breaker.
- #2 They’ll work “around your busy schedule.” While some might say they work around your schedule as well, they don’t really mean it. If your busy schedule involves a lot of weekend hours, then you could be out of luck.
- #3 They’ll add their own fluff to your resume. This isn’t just about adding features to your resume. This includes personal information and things that may not otherwise be relevant to the company you are applying to.
- #4 They aren’t going to write for you what you want. Many businesses promise you’ll get a resume that is written by an expert, but that’s not the case. You’ll end up with something alien to what you actually want and need.
- #5 They might make you choose between options. With templates, you’re often getting a lot of different choices for verbiage on your resume — option A, option B, etc…but all of these lead to one final product: the same exact resume.
- #6 They’ll give you a final product that you aren’t happy with. This is the biggest problem with resume writing services. No matter how good they may be at making text look fancy and eye-catching, it’s not going to get you any closer to getting the job you want.
- #7 They can’t give you absolute assurance that your resume will be accepted. These businesses are only able to provide you with a “guarantee” in the sense that they won’t change anything on your resume once it is completed — and if you have enough issues with it after it’s complete, then they promise to fix those issues for free. But it’s not really a guarantee in the end.
- #8 They won’t teach you how to write. This one is rather obvious. With resume writing services, you won’t be able to learn how to write well for yourself.
- #9 You might think they’re providing a service, but it’s really a product. While the company may say they are providing you (the client) with value, it’s really just an easy way for them to make money.
- #10 They “use your information.” A service will take your resume and “build” it from scratch. But it’s been proven that this rarely works out in the client’s favor. Much of the time, they just take data from your resume and use it with a template.
- #11 You have to give them personal information for them to use. If you’re going to use a service, then you need to be ready right away. This means providing your social security number, your address, and so on — all things that are great for identity theft.
- #12 They’ll ask for all of your information upfront. Some services may say that they can assess your situation and understand what you need without seeing all of your information. This is almost never true. The more information you give up, the easier it is for them to figure out what you want.
Of course, there are exceptions to the rule. There are some resume writing services out there that do provide value. But in our opinion, most of these businesses are only there to make money, and you’re going to have a bad experience even if everything goes right for you. If your budget is tight and it’s important that your resume gets knocked out soon, then there is a service out there for you. Otherwise, we dare you to try building your own resume if you have the time and ability.
It’s disappointing that many companies believe that creating a resume is a simple task. It isn’t. You don’t just sit down and slap together some text to put in your email, you have to do research and think about what you want to say. If you do all of the above, then you will be on the right track.
