Why a Professionally Written Resume is So Expensive – April 10, 2023
How Much is Too Much? How Much is Just Right?
The price range is all over the map.
Just like the quality of what you get versus what you spend.
And yet, a fair estimate places the cost at around $600. That’s the mean cost with all the lows and highs averaged in. A little bit above what a professional-level essential package gives you; and, of course, far below the top-end at $1,000 or more.
Still a lot of money no matter how you look at.
So, why look into professional resume preparation in the first place? Here are a few answers:
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To stand out from the crowd, you need a highly effective resume, which requires time, dedication and specialized skills.
Writing one that will check all the boxes for the hiring manager, speak to the pain points, nail all the keywords, and generate interest is not easy. If it were, the job search wouldn’t exist. Every application would turn into an interview.
The truth is, even for experts at the top of their game, missing the mark is common—especially when it comes to getting past Applicant Tracking Systems. Positioning yourself as the dream candidate is an entirely different ballgame, requiring an entirely different elevator pitch; and, the perspective of a certified professional resume writer (CPRW). -
Essentially, you’re hiring a career coach, research assistant, and professional writer all in one.
Not all resume preparation services are created equal; but, among those in the same league, the process starts by completing a simple online questionnaire and taking part in an in-depth, one-on-one input session with a CPRW.
Most customers provide a copy of their current resume, job description documents, and supplemental PDFs, as well as links to their LinkedIn profile, professional portfolio, and other online resources. It can take hours to go through everything—pulling out all the best pieces and reassembling it all into resume form—work best done by a professional writer trained to do it best. -
Together, you and your resume writer should finalize the content—going back-and-forth in the review and revision process—until you are completely satisfied.
If you decide to go this route, plan a detour from providers who tag-on extra costs for extra rounds of revisions in advance. What you agree to pay upfront should reflect your full investment for the service. The best of the best provided for unlimited revisions at no charge.
The final draft should be sent to a two-person team responsible for quality assurance, eliminating typographical, grammatical, or visual errors. More importantly, that team should possess the right qualifications, i.e., senior level managerial experience with hiring responsibilities, a minimum of 10 years’ experience as an executive-level head-hunter, and training/certification from the Professional Association of Resume Writers & Career Coaches. -
The best investment you can make is in yourself.
While it is impossible to guarantee a professionally written resume will get you a job, due to dozens of factors beyond direct control, it does make it more probable. For starters, you are taking full control over what you can, ensuring that your submission is the best it can be.
In the process, you’ll walk away with a solid understanding of the skills, experience, and achievements that make you unique and appealing to employers. Those advantages will help you identify the jobs that are right for you, boost your confidence as a job seeker, and help you prepare for the interview down the line.
If you feel you’ve done a good job conveying what you did, where you did it, and when, your writer should be able to do a great job on the rest.
You do get what you pay for, but the peace-of-mind you get in exchange is worth the cost of a professionally written resume.
That price is right.
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