Hiring a Resume Writer: Is It Worth It?

If you are considering a career change, new position, or are currently one of the 11.5 million unemployed workers in the USA, odds are high that you are experiencing some stress when it comes to the who, what, when, where and how of crafting a resume. Maybe you’ve submitted dozens of resumes and are getting no invitations to an interview. Perhaps the last time you attempted to assemble a document like this, Bruce Springsteen was topping the charts –for the first time.

Regardless of your situation, your intuition is correct. The resume is arguably the most important tool in landing the job of your dreams. While networking and relationship building are still the most effective ways to find the job you seek, even those trusted connections will need to see you marketed on paper. Putting your best foot forward in the professional world means paving the way on paper for your abilities to shine in person.

Given the fact that on average hundreds of applicants are applying to a single job and recruiters may only spend 6 seconds looking at your resume, creating a resume that works for you is truly a daunting task. Do you want to tackle this as a “Do it Yourself” project? Maybe this is an area that you should trust a professional?

According to a recent study done by TheLadders:

• Using a Likert-like scale ranking of 1 to 7, recruiters gave professionally re-written resumes an average rating of 6.2 for “usability.” This was a 60% improvement compared with a 3.9 rating before the re-write.
• Professionally prepared resumes also scored better in terms of organization and visual hierarchy, as measured by eye-tracking technology.

Are you confident that you can convey your most important information on a page organized well enough to be discovered by the human eye in 6 seconds? If not, hire a professional. Don’t trust a document of such importance to just anyone either! This is your future. Do your research and know the difference between a “Resume Mill” and a professional writer.

A professional writer should have a certification or an affiliation that is nationally recognized. Look for CPRW ( Certified Professional Resume Writer ) or NRWA ( National Resume Writer’s Association ). Unsure who to hire? Google the writer in question! Have they written professional articles? Do they have endorsements from clients they have assisted in the past? What is their writing process and how do they need you to participate in that process?

The very last thing you want is a resume in circulation doing you harm. Consider investing in a professional writer that can move you through the front door and get you that interview you deserve.

Ready to get back out there and land that job? Is your resume up to snuff? Are you ready to compete with the hundreds of other applicants applying to the same job you are? What can you do to increase your chances of success and the odds you will be invited to interview? This is a must read for anyone who is currently engaging in the job search or considering a career move.