Experience with professional resume writers?

November 4, 2006 8:17 PM

Does anyone have any experience with professional resume writers? I would like to have an amazing resume that really sells my skills and experiences and think I need some help. Please recommend any companies/persons too if you or those you know have used such a service.
posted by psususe to writing & language (9 comments total)

After my father got laid off, he used the services of Stewart, Cooper, and Coon. Among other things, they redid his resume and set up an online version. A little expensive, but they got the job done. If you don't need full 'executive placement' services, I think they offer a la carte resume services as well.
posted by fvox13 at 8:32 PM on November 4, 2006

I read this article about an hour ago, Give your résumé a face lift, which might be relevant
posted by growabrain at 8:39 PM on November 4, 2006

I don't know if I like the idea of having a resume written by a professional. I'd expect something rather corporate and empty from them and what I am personally most interested in is how you think. I want to know about your personality before I ever get to meet you. perhaps giving it to a bunch of people with the question what they would think about the person who wrote this might give you better hints at what you should work on...

then again, don't put too much stock in what I say. I rarely work with resumes.
posted by krautland at 9:19 PM on November 4, 2006

I've looked at dozens of resumes when I've been involved in hiring at various companies I've worked for. I think you'd be wasting your money by going to a professional service.

The only important advice I can give you is this: no more than two pages. If you've worked less than 10 years, no more than one page.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 9:44 PM on November 4, 2006

If you've worked less than 10 years, no more than one page.

This is just nuts. If you work in the tech industry, and you want your project experience on the resume, given the life of the industry you can and should run over one page.

I do agree with the two page maximum.
posted by xmutex at 11:37 PM on November 4, 2006

I recently heard a complaint about these services being a very expensive way to get your resume reformatted in fancy fonts. You can probably work out modern-looking fonts and layout for yourself. However, don't underestimate the importance of re-ordering some of the stuff. If your resume is two pages, you have to persuade the reader that it is worth turning to the second, so make sure you start with material with impact. Contact details and other routine info go at the end.
posted by Idcoytco at 8:01 AM on November 5, 2006

I work with resumes/hiring, and I'd recommend against a professional service. I can usually tell who has used one (my boss usually asks job candidates in interviews whether anyone helped them prepare their materials in order to find out whether the work is their own. Of course they could lie, but mostly when they say they've had professional help, I could tell), and it doesn't work in their favor.

Read some books/articles about how to write resumes. Try to find examples that are specific to your field. Ask friends who are successfully employed to look it over for you and make suggestions. You may even be able to get help from a professional organization in your field or college alumni employment office. But write your own materials in your own voice.
posted by decathecting at 10:14 AM on November 5, 2006

I've had Quintessential Careers work on my resume and I'm really pleased with the work they did. They took my input and came up with a resume that didn't end up reading like a press release :).
posted by Alex Handcoding at 3:12 PM on November 5, 2006

I paid a local resume write about $100 a few years ago. Why I got looked impressive at first, but ridiculous with age. I later had someone help me re-write it for free and it looked fabulous.
posted by JamesMessick at 6:11 PM on November 5, 2006