Scott Lackey ⋅ New York , NY Jugular ⋅ 25 years experience

Kenneth:

One other disadvantage of resume writing services, in addition to the many listed above, is that many of the popular services (even executive outplacement firms) follow virtually the same format for everyone. A headhunter once told me he can recognize which service wrote the resume by the approach and style. Not a good thing. Keep it personal. Then ask for individual help.

Good luck,
Scott Lackey

James Voss ⋅ Kingston , NH General Electric ⋅ 44 years experience

Kenneth:
What HR (todays world) does is use a 'search engine'. Now, of course I cannot know what "buzz" words they may be looking for, each business is different, but the facts are- that's what they do. Their job is to compile a few of the "most Qualified" candidates who will be notified to come for the interview. No matter HOW qualified you are, if you do not get past the electronic search engine- you won't hear a thing.
COPY the job description and PLUG it in your cover letter. Don't leave it like that. But that should be the starting point to meet the inquiry for the search engine. For each of the job requirements, briefly tell them how or why you are qualified. When you get the interview, the Resume you have is what the hiring manager will want to talk to you about.
All the Best

michael convey ⋅ Camp Hill , PA jh williams Oil company ⋅ 45 years experience

Your resume is not an autobiography. Most Human Resource people or managers looking for employees go through a screening process to eliminate those they do not believe are qualified to handle the position. Obviously, it is important that you avoid pitfalls that place you in that category. Spelling and grammatical errors disqualify applicants, so make sure words are spelled properly and sentences are grammatically correct. It is imperative that you sell yourself. Education, experience and family circumstances are all key areas that should be addressed. To sell and distinguish yourself, afteryour personal information, start selling by listing the qualities, characteristics, education, accomplishments or experience that you feel is your primary asset. Cut down on job duties, avoid repeating yourself, edit unnecessary words and customize your resume for the job you are applying for.

Mary H. ⋅ Waltham , MA Hewlett Packard Enterprise ⋅ 20 years experience

Kenneth,
I have read many resumes for different positions over the years, and can reiterate a lot of what the comments above have stated about resumes:
If there are errors in it, I disregard because someone who cannot present a best, error-free introduction does not give me confidence.
I can spot resume writing trends after seeing several who are practically copies of each other. I then try and think like the writing coach and read between the lines. I probably scrutinize those more.
If it is too wordy, I lose interest. Know your audience - chances are the person reading it has also read 100 others. Be concise and to the point, and don't repeat.
Don't pay for a service, when you have so many resources available for free!

Drew Mitchell ⋅ Carmel , IN Hewlett Packard ⋅ 8 years experience

Kenneth,
Don't bother paying for this service; we can all help you for free. I've assisted numerous college graduates and MBA candidates write their resumes and coach them for upcoming interviews.
I can share with you many sample resumes/CVs so that you can use to create your ultimate résumé.
Please let me know how I can help!
Kind Regards, Drew Mitchell

John Charbonneau ⋅ Brewster , NY PepsiCo ⋅ 17 years experience

In my opinion there is little to no value with resume writing services. Take your resume as far as you can take it and then work with a recruiter to tailor it further...for free!! Everyone is going to have a different opinion about content and style but at the end of the day you have to be comfortable that it represents you and your skills in the best possible light. Don't be afraid to tell a recruiter thanks, but no thanks for any recommendations that you are not comfortable with. Remember, they want to just put you in a position at the end of the day and they are nowhere near as vested in putting you in the right position as you are!

Jason Fields ⋅ Bethesda , MD U.S. Army, Specialist ⋅ 3 years served

Hire Heros USA, did a great job for me for free, just have to sign up at 9:30 on Mondays

William Oplinger ⋅ Wilton , CT Alcoa ⋅ 13 years experience

Don't waste your money. If you want to have someone look your current resume over, send it to me and I'll have an HR professional do it pro-bono.

Bill

AnnaMaria Bliven ⋅ Blanchardville , WI Army Reserve ⋅ 11 years experience

Hello:

I read the comments and agree with all of them. The only other thing to mention is to be sure and mention specifics such as what you did in the position you are listing and make sure to use similar phrases as you see on the job description for the position you are applying. For example, if the job description requires that you have management or supervisory experience, be sure and list that experience and do so with measurements such as "I supervised 10 people" and you might say "working together we improved productivity by 70%" (as an example)......potential employers want to know for a fact the value bring to them so be sure and show them in your resume. This is a document where you get to shine and you need to shine brighter than your competition.

Jill DeSimone Moisan ⋅ Princeton , NJ ⋅ 30 years experience

I have heard mixed reviews on resume writing..I have heard concern that some actually off shore the writing
If a service provides an email blast of your resume, that would be worth it and have heard good feed back
I do agree..have some one look at your resume

Thank you for your service...We all appreciate your leadership

Jill

Kasey Spickard ⋅ San Francisco , CA Google ⋅ 2 years experience

Hi Kenneth!

I agree with the above statements that leveraging resume writing services are not the best option. I have some general tips that I think are beneficial when crafting your resume.

1. Don't worry about format initially
2. Think about what you have done in the past. How did you do it? What skill set did you develop?
3. Think about the impact of what you did in your past roles? How did what you do make a difference or change the team/project.

I'm happy to consult with you and review what you are working on. Let me know if this is something you would be interested in.

Thanks!

Samuel Comer ⋅ Fayetteville , WV U.S. Army, Sergeant First Class ⋅ 20 years served

Dear Kenneth,

Don't pay for a resume that you can easily write yourself with a little research and advice from the ACAP advisors on your local base. I started out thinking the same way your are and pay someone to do this for me.

After doing some research, talking to several recruiters, head hunters and hiring managers, I discovered there is no such thing as a perfect resume and allot of the advice our there is excellent and contradictory at the same time. I discovered all this during the past 18 months I have spent on my transition from the Army.

You are just as capable, possibly even more capable as person you are will to pay $200 - $600 or more for a resume. Save the money and put it to good use on a suit for your interview.

Please feel free to contact me for assistance and advice or need someone to proof read drafts etc. Additionally, if your options are open I have a couple of opportunities that might interest you.

Best Wishes,

Sam Comer

Owner C3 Innovations, LLC
Toll Free: (866) 922-8714
Cell: (541) 409-1879
sam@4toplubes.com
www.4toplubes.com

Kevin Wiley ⋅ Kingston , WA Ameriprise Financial ⋅ 4 years experience

Kenneth,

I do a lot of recruiting and positioning of people, I would be glad to take a look at what you have and coach you.

Let me know,

Kevin Wiley
Financial Advisor

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney
2011 NW Myhre Road, Suite 301
Silverdale WA 98383
Office 360 613 1975
Fax 360 613 1992
TF 800 447 6021
Kevin.wiley@mssb.com