Résumé Building Services

Deciding to write your own résumé or hire a résumé building service to write it for you depends on your answer to just two questions:

• Is my current résumé getting me the number of interviews I want to receive?
• Is my current résumé getting me interviews for the kind of job I want?

If the answer to either or both of these questions is “no,” then you should explore using a résumé building service.

What is a Résumé Building Service?

A résumé building service assists job seekers with creating résumés from scratch. However, it may also offer:

• Résumé review and optimization of your existing résumé to improve its clarity, impact, and compatibility with Applicant Tracking Systems (automated screening software).
• Achievement-focused rewriting to quantify accomplishments and strengthen the overall effectiveness of your résumé.
• Cover letter writing to provide a companion piece to your résumé customized for a targeted role.
• Content writing and optimization for your LinkedIn profile to improve its impact on recruiters and hiring managers.
• Résumé building for a variety of job seekers including executives, career changers, and entry-level job seekers.
• Creation of CVs (curriculum vitae) for academic, research, medical or international roles.

How Can a Résumé Building Service Help Me?

A Résumé building service will optimize the impact of your résumé by customizing it to target specific roles, industries, and experience levels. It will improve language and presentation by ensuring that grammar, spelling, and wording are correct; use strong action verbs and concise phrasing; and apply clean, professional formatting. 

A résumé building service will help you compete more effectively in the job market. It will tell you what employers look for, make sure every section of your résumé is strong and recommend next steps for your job search. What it won’t do is apply for jobs on your behalf or guarantee interviews or job offers.

Who Uses a Résumé Building Service? 

A résumé building service is often used by someone who wants to stand out in a competitive field, change careers, and increase the number of interviews they receive. A résumé building service can be a great resource for you at any stage of your career, especially if you don’t know how to describe your experience well.

How All Résumé Building Services the Same?

All résumé building services operate in much the same way. They ask to see your current résumé or talk to you about your experience. They ask you to fill out a questionnaire or do a short verbal interview. They will write or revise your résumé based on your goals.

However, there are different types of résumé building services: Large, Boutique, and Freelance.

Large Résumé Building Services

Subcontract teams of writers and follow a standard, consistent and rigid process. Use standardized templates/formats and repetitive steps in writing each résumé. Often milestone driven (an approach where progress is measured, managed, and motivated by reaching predefined checkpoints) rather than project/client driven. Flexibility is limited and if you want to diverge from their standard format or timetable, it may not be possible.

Provide less personalized attention and quality can vary widely between individual writers. You may get an inexperienced writer or feel like part of a “production line” rather than a custom-tailored service.

Usually charge higher fees because they have expensive overhead costs.

Boutique Résumé Building Services

Smaller businesses with a few dedicated writers. Offer highly personal, one-to-one premium, made-to-order résumés, and career branding services. Directly contacting the person who is writing your résumé is easier. Provides more flexibility in adapting the style, format and messaging of your résumé based on your preferences. Often the collaboration is stronger. Writers will take time to understand your voice, career story, and goals.

Freelance Résumé Building Services

Independent professionals working solo on such platforms as LinkedIn, Upwork and personal websites. Provide one-on-one attention, customized service, and adjust style based on your voice and preferences.

No standard vetting of freelance résumé building services so quality varies widely. Some freelances are excellent. Others, not so much.

No centralized guarantees (a single, central authority who is responsible for making sure customers are treated fairly and are satisfied with the results). Policies on revisions, outcomes or refunds vary individually. If your writer is unavailable or unresponsive, you may end up with a résumé that doesn’t meet your needs and no recourse for “getting what you paid for.”

Are Résumé Building Services Worth It?

If you’re stuck or unsure how to start, a résumé building service can get you unstuck. If you want a more polished, professional résumé, a résumé building service can write it for you. If English or writing isn’t your strength, a résumé building service would be a good choice for writing your résumé.

To help you determine if a résumé building service would be beneficial during your job search, ask yourself:

• Do I need help with wording, formatting, or both?
• Am I getting as many interviews as I would like?
• Am I getting interviews for the kind of job or industry I want?
• Is my résumé ATS friendly?

Are There Other Things I Should Consider?

• If your budget is tight, a freelance résumé building service may be less costly.
• If you are in stage of your career where stakes are high (executive or C-suite), a boutique résumé building service with experienced writers can best meet your needs.
• If you are seeking an industry-specific job or in a niche field, look for expertise in those areas. A boutique résumé building service or specialized freelancer would fit nicely here.
• If you need handholding, a boutique résumé building service or well-experienced freelancer should meet your needs.
• If you want a fast, standardized product, a large résumé building service should be able to provide it.

How Can I Vet a Résumé Building Service?

If you have decided to explore a résumé building service as an option to write your résumé, vetting the company is important. Here are some questions you can ask to help you choose the résumé building service that is right for you.

Experience and expertise:

• Do the writers have real human resources and recruiting experience and/or certifications such as Certified Professional Résumé Writer and Certified Career Coach?
• Are the writers familiar with your industry and career level (mid-career, executive, technical, academic, etc.)?
• Who will write your résumé and what are the writer’s qualifications?

Communication:

• How will you communicate with the résumé building service during your project? Will it be through telephone, email, online chat via the website or a combination of all these communication styles?
• Will you talk to and work with the same résumé writer throughout your project?
• Will you receive ongoing support during your job search?

Customized, Not Cookie-Cutter:

• Do the writers create unique résumés tailored to the goals of each client and not just use a generic template with your name dropped into it?
• Will you be asked about your goals, achievements, and target jobs rather than filling in blanks on a form?

ATS-Friendly Formatting:

• Does the résumé building service use ATS compatible formatting?
• Do the writers use relevant keywords from job descriptions in the résumés?
• Do the writers optimize structures of résumés so scanning software can analyze and interpret them?

Samples:

• Can you review samples?
• Do the samples have clean, easy-to-read formatting?
• Do they use simple (not excessively elaborate or phony-sounding) language?
• Do they focus on accomplishments of the individuals for whom they were written? 
• Are accomplishments quantified (for example, “increased profitability by 25%”)?

Revisions Included:

• Does the résumé building service offer at least 1 to 2 free revisions after you receive the initial draft of the résumé? 
• Red flag: Avoid résumé building services that don’t provide at least 1 to 2 free revisions after sending you the initial draft of the résumé.
• Red flag: Beware of résumé building services that offer unlimited revisions. This suggests they lack experience. (No one should have to write or revise your résumé indefinitely to get it right.)

Pricing Transparency

• Is the price quoted firm (no hidden fees)?
• Is the price quoted comparable with other résumé building services? Hint: Résumé building services charge an average of $200 to $1,000+ to write a résumé. The range is wide based on a number of factors that include the size and structure of the résumé building services company and their methods of operation.

Reviews

• Look at reviews. Check multiple sites. Look at résumé building services’ websites for comments from clients.

Red Flags

• Avoid résumé building services that guarantee job offers or specific outcomes.
• Use AI (Artificial Intelligence) with little human review.
• Have low-quality writing or formatting.
• Don’t ask about your background.

Quick Decision Checklist

• Understands your career and industry.
• Creates custom content and does not use a template.
• Includes 1 to 2 free revisions.
• Offers samples and good reviews.
• Provides transparency pricing.