How to choose a qualified professional resume writer in 2022/23

If you Google "resume writer", you'll get about 1.92 million results. Even if you assume only 1% of those searches lead to actual companies, that's still 19,200 options - too many for any person to choose from.

So how does one choose a top resume writer? In this article, I'm going to take you through the questions you should be asking and qualifications you should be looking for.

Taking the time to consider these questions is important for finding someone that knows what they're doing - if you don't, you'll end up wasting your hard-earned money and time.

I'm going to cover these questions:

1. Do professional resume writers help?

2. Why should I hire a professional resume writer?

3. How much does hiring a resume writer cost?

4. How do I know if a professional resume writer is qualified?

5. How do I find a good resume writer for my industry?

6. What does the resume writing process look like?

7. Are professional resume writing services worth the cost?

8. Why don't resume writers offer guarantees?

9. What are industry practices I should be aware of?

10. Should I use a local professional resume writer?

1) Do professional resume writers help?

Yes, qualified resume writers with the right credentials and experience can help. They see things that you may not and can spot useful insights that you might miss.

The most common situations that resume writers help with include:

• Busy executives that simply don't have the time to research and prepare their own resumes.

• Experienced professionals that have never needed a resume before.

• Career changers that aren't sure how best to position their skillset.

• Professionals that thought they had a good resume but aren't getting the interviews they want.

2) Why should I hire a professional resume writer?

You may be wondering why you shouldn't just write your own resume and save the money - any rational person would consider the same. However, hiring a writer has advantages that a DIY approach may not be able to match.

You benefit from the writer's industry expertise

Look for writers with backgrounds in recruiting, as they'll have insight into the hiring process:

• How ATS platforms work

• How to present and organize information on your resume

• Which information to include and which to leave out

• How to tailor your resume without rewriting it every time

You offload the stress of the process onto someone else

Doing your own industry and keyword research, determining what's in demand for your field, and figuring out how to market yourself are challenging tasks, especially if you're still employed and don't have a lot of time to spare.

You avoid common resume writing mistakes

There's a lot of conflicting information out there on resume writing and sorting through it all can be tough for someone that's not in the business.

Established resume writers with strong track records didn't get to where they are overnight. The process involves a scientific attitude, trial and error, and applying a combination of experience and best judgement to arrive at good results.