If you’re in the market for a new resume and considering hiring a professional resume writer, read on to discover what factors
to consider besides price. Clearly your career and future are riding on this so you want to find the best resume, the best price, and if it is important to you, some value added services if they make sense.
Talking about prices and services isn’t usually what I write about, but I just got off of the phone with a client who was calling to do a price comparison for a one page resume. He got me thinking.
After talking a bit, I asked him for a bit of background information. My client was in the construction industry and had been for more than 15 years. He was looking to make a complete career change. And, he was looking for the cheapest resume he could find. Good to know. At any rate, I gave him a price quote for a resume – no problem it’s on my site.
Sticker Shock?
When I gave him my price, he had a bit of sticker shock. He was calling from a small town and he thought that my prices were higher than the other firms he called locally. Could be. However, I assured him that when considering prices nationally, my prices were in fact on par with the national average and included more value added services, which is a good thing for some clients.
So I asked him a couple of questions to find out just what was important. And here’s where things got interesting. I asked him what the other companies were offering besides the resume. They were offering nothing in addition to the resume. And, when I asked him if they talked to him about a career change strategy in terms of the resume, again he said no. Hmmm … coaching and resume strategy are two of the most important issues especially when a client is making a career change. It didn’t take him long to decide that price was not the only consideration.
At any rate, my client’s call prompted me to offer my two cents on what I think is important in selection of a resume writer. Here are some of the considerations you will want to make if selecting a resume writer is in your future:
* What comes with the resume?
* Do you offer any sort of guarantee?
* Is there a set number of rewrites?
* How do you decide on a resume strategy?
* What files do you include in the finished product?
* I don’t know how to add a resume to a job site – do you help?
* Do you use templates or do you customize the resume design?
* What if I have a resume design I want you to use?
* Does your company do any client coaching? How much more is that?
* What if I have a question about my interview? My job search?
* Do you provide any sort of client support going forward?
* Have you written any articles or provided any tips online? (You want to find out about their level of expertise).
* Do you have any certifications or credentials?
* How long have you been doing this?
* What resume writing and career coaching organizations are you affiliated with?
Make sure that you get all of the facts before you decide on purchasing a resume. If price is the only factor, then of course go with the cheapy. However, if you have a lot of questions or are going to need support during the course of your career, someone who knows you and will stick with you for the long haul should factor into your decision. By this I mean that there are resume companies who do not give any additional support to their clients – if you think you’re going to have questions during your job search, find someone who is accessible.
You Get What You Pay For
The old adage you get what you pay for definitely applies in this situation. Your career is not something you want to play around with – invest in yourself. So, before you select a professional resume writer, be sure to ask yourself what is really important to you.
Remember, resume writing doesn’t have to be a pain, click here to learn how you can easily get an interview winning resume written by a certified professional resume writer.
Patricia Erickson is a seasoned career management expert and certified professional resume writer with over twelve years of executive recruiting and coaching experience. She works with career changers and job seekers to design strategies that transform careers. Patricia has been instrumental in navigating clients toward their true career aspirations as well as finding purpose and personal fulfillment.