Writing a resume can be overwhelming, especially for a job seeker without much experience or in the middle of changing their career. That’s why professional resume writing services are getting increasingly popular. But some candidates still don’t fully understand why they should pay for something they can seemingly do themselves. If you’re one of them, here’s everything you need to know.
If you’re asking why use a resume writing service, chances are you need it.
Candidates who don’t have much experience applying for positions and are new to the labor market (or had a large break in-between jobs) are usually the ones wondering why use a resume writing service. On the contrary, an experienced applicant is likely to hire a resume writer online or ask friends, “where are resume services near me?” to get professional help.
The reason why it’s the case is that the only people who believe that resume writing is easy are those who don’t know much about it. They think that all they have to do is list their education, work experiences, and skills, add a professional-looking photo—and they’re all set. But if it were this easy to craft a winning resume, job search would take candidates no longer than a couple of weeks.
In reality, there is an ocean of things a job seeker needs to consider, more so if they work in a competitive industry and want to get employed by a sought-after company. So if you want to be on the safe side, hiring a resume writing service is the best thing you can do.
#1 Professional resume writers know the nuances of resumes for different industries
Sure, there is a vague “resume standard” that works for most industries. Almost every employee or future employee is aware of it: one to two pages, jobs in reverse chronological order, and so on. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The truth is, quite a few things vary in the appropriate resume formatting depending on the industry a candidate works in and the position they’d like to apply for.
For example, a resume of a person applying for a position in a federal agency looks different from that of a corporate worker. The resume for a federal position is sometimes twice as long as a regular one (and that’s not just okay but even welcomed). It must also contain such information as the General Schedule (GS) grade level and security clearance, among other things. So a newbie in resume writing is at risk of making a mistake that’ll cost them the job.
#2 They are up to date with new trends and requirements
Also, just like any other industry these days, resume writing is constantly evolving. The standards for what your resume is supposed to look like keep changing, and it may be challenging to keep up. If you don’t want to spend days trying to learn what has changed since you last applied for a job, consider hiring a resume writing service (and, ideally, a career advice expert as well).
To give you some examples, here are a few recent changes in resume standards:
- Start with a resume summary instead of an objective. An applicant in the past was expected to articulate what they were hoping for. Today, it’s all about saving employers’ time and adding a summary of your accomplishments instead.
- Add your LinkedIn. Unless you work in a very old-school industry, including a link to your LinkedIn profile on a resume is basically a must.
- Pay attention to keywords. If you want the recruiter or hiring manager to actually see your resume, it has to pass an applicant tracking system (ATS). So using keywords that match the job posting is critical.
#3 They’ll make sure your resume will pass ATS
Speaking of keywords, making sure your resume passes the applicant tracking process isn’t as easy as it seems. A job seeker needs to strike a balance between using enough right keywords and oversaturating their resume with them. Fun fact: because of ATS bots, recruiters end up seeing only about 25% of applications sent. If this doesn’t show you why use a resume writing service, nothing will.
Professional resume writers have enough expertise and experience to write a bot-beating resume for you without making it too obvious. They know what keywords to use the moment you show them the job posting you’re interested in. Those typically include roles, past responsibilities, and skills worded similarly but not identically to the posting. So if you don’t want to wonder why recruiters keep ghosting you, give a resume writing service a chance.
#4 They know how to make your qualifications sound like exactly what the recruiter is looking for
Finally, people who work at resume writing services know how to take your experience and skills and present it in a way that is guaranteed to impress recruiters. There is more than one way to say that you’re a conflict resolution talent, a true tech guru, or an expert in the 360-degree performance appraisal system. A professional resume writer will choose the one that’ll put you in the best light. Let them do their job so that you get to do yours soon.
One more thing: if you want a resume writing service to be a worthy investment, choose wisely. Pay attention to clients’ reviews, the industries and jobs the service and its writers specialize in, the samples on the website, and so on. The professional resume writing industry is quite competitive, so you won’t have any problem finding a service that matches your needs.
An afterword
Any job seeker can write a resume themselves. But the same can be said about almost everything, from getting a haircut to learning how to fly a plane. Not every resume will bring you the desired outcome; a professionally written one is way, way more likely to. So if you don’t want to miss out on unique career opportunities, choose a resume writing service and let its writers help you.
