Having an up-to-date resume is an absolute necessity today regardless of whether you are employed or still looking for a chance to land a job. With that being said, resume writing services become a viable solution for many people who don't know how hiring/job application works today. However, not all job seekers are willing to pay $50-$300 for someone to create an effective resume and/or cover letter. At Prime-Resume, we believe it is even better when one chooses to create an application package himself/herself but only when such person knows what to do in order to achieve success. In this article we are going to share some pros and cons of ordering from professional resume writing service as well advantages and disadvantages of "I will do it myself" approach. Once again, we don't believe that paying an online agency to get a resume done is always the best option for job seekers (despite the fact that we are the company that would benefit from such a claim). There are people who could do it all on their own perfectly fine. On the other hand, there are job seekers who think that ordering from a professional resume service is better. We are not going to say that one is better than the other; different things would work for different people. This article is meant to help you understand what is better for you: a paid resume writing professional or your own effort to do it.
Writing a Resume on Your Own: Pros and Cons
Many would expect a resume agency to say that writing a resume on your own isn't a good idea. But we believe that the opposite is true. Doing it all by yourself means you have the passion and you have the drive to achieve your career goals and with little guidance a job seeker can create an effective application package that will land interviews. So here are the pros of writing a resume on your own.
Advantages of Creating Your Own Resume
No one knows you better than you. Most companies would ask you about your career history in order to make that a part of your resume. However, no matter how long you will be explaining your story to a support representative, you will never be able to communicate the entire story and how it is connected with your life goals and passions. At Prime-Resume, we are confident that no professional will be able to reflect all of that on a resume better than its owner. Injecting your personality into your resume will likely help gain an advantage over your competitors so in case you are willing to invest your time and efforts into drafting your own resume, do it.
The truth of the matter is that if you know what to do and how to draft a document that will tell your career story along with your relevant credentials for the applied position, no one will be able to do it better. Creating a resume as a part of your job search strategy. Now with online services, you have very little chance that you will even be asked about your job search approach or how you plan to use your resume. But even if you get a question like that and suppose you provide a detailed answer to that question, it doesn't necessarily mean the information you provide will make any difference. The thing is that resume agencies usually assign your order to one of the writers who simply needs to know what kind of job you want to get and specific career data. When you are working to create an effective resume on your own, you have a chance to adjust your document in accordance with your job search plan. This way, a resume becomes one of the job search tools that all work together to achieve one goal. Keep in mind, there are plenty of other things that could help you win the job, i.e. cover letter, thank you letter, interview meeting, etc. You can easily tailor resume yourself.
If you took time to understand how to write a professional resume on your own, by this time you should know the principles that can make a resume an effective one. Consequently, you will be able to update and tailor your main marketing document whenever such need arises. The golden rule is never to submit a generic resume to multiple job openings but to tailor the document for each and every position. If you have never written your resume then you will have a hard time adjusting things on your own. But if you are the one who created the document then you will have no problem tailoring it to match specific requirements. This should save you money (means you won't have to order resume editing service) and time.
Disadvantages of Writing Your Own Resume
Spending your time and efforts. When we say that, we want you to understand that we are not talking about 2-3 hours. In order to write a high quality resume, one needs to spend 6-20 hours depending on the initial level of understanding of hiring practices. If you really want to create an effective resume, then you need to understand how HRs assess resumes, how they select candidates for interviews, what is ATS, and what are those things decision makers look for in a resume. It is not enough to simply download a free template or use an online resume builder to get it done. More than that, if you want to send your resume to multiple employers and apply for different openings, that means you have to create several versions of your resume.
To simplify, it works like this: you study the job requirements, research the prospective employer, and tailor your resume by highlighting relevant experiences and skills. This takes much time; therefore, not everybody can afford writing one's own resume because of the lack of time. Difficulty with understanding how hiring actually works in different industries. This is especially true of those who wish to change a career. But even for those who prefer staying in the same industry, understanding all industry specific aspects takes time. What skills are most important for employers in the specific niche? What kind of experience is sought after? Is having any technical skills a must-have for candidates? Although the answers to these questions often define job search tactics and resume writing technique, they may be different for different industries. And one not only needs time to research all of that information; it is also extremely exhausting because some aspects are difficult to understand no matter how much time you spend on studying them. Difficult to understand which advice to follow. If you try to search the web using such inquiries as "career tips", "how to write a resume?", or "how to get a job", etc. you will come across thousands of articles that are meant to help job seekers. However, some (most) of them present information that is way too far from reality and truth. We live in a world where everybody can post content online and consider himself/herself an expert. But the truth of the matter is that no matter how many times you will call yourself a subject matter expert, you won't become one if you don't have profound knowledge in any particular subject. For people who attempt to write a resume, it is difficult to understand which advice to follow since many of the articles contradict each other. So one at least should have some basic background knowledge about how hiring managers work and how they assess candidates.
Resume Writing Service: Pros and Cons
There are both pros and cons of ordering a resume from a professional service online. Some people find it easier to place an order and come back for a written document. It is true that professional services can rid you of a lot of problems; however, it is not a magic pill that will solve all of the career challenges. Keep in mind that resume writing is only a part of the job search campaign. You will still have an interview to go through before you will be offered a job. Besides, a truly professional service will require your assistance (information) in order to deliver the quality product. So it is not just about placing an order on a website and forgetting about all the rigmarole.
Advantages of Ordering from a Resume Writing Service
Qualified writers can help you land interviews. This is the ultimate purpose of every resume - to land job interviews. If you want to measure the effectiveness of a resume, you should simply check whether it is bringing you interviews. That's why resumes are written (no hiring manager will make a job offer based on a resume alone). If you turn to a professional company (be aware of scam!), their writers will create an effective resume that will open new opportunities. This is the biggest advantage you can get. If you do it yourself, things may not work out well. Professional agencies will work on your application until it actually lands you interview invites. 
Great time saver. Writing a resume is a time-consuming activity. By ordering from a professional resume service, you save yourself much time that you can use for other job search activities. Many people simply don't have time for resume writing and that is where such companies can help. The thing is that there are a lot of people employed who are still open for new job opportunities and look to have their resume ready. So instead of researching how to write a resume and how to make it effective, they simply use a resume writing service. This way you don't have to force yourself spend evenings analyzing information and instead, spend those evenings with your family or friends. Additional services to help you with job search. Today resumes services offer a wide range of other services apart from resume writing.
If you choose a professional writer to create your resume and you see that the document produced actually lands you interviews, you may want to consider using other services of that company. For example, resume agencies offer today such additional services as cover letter, follow-up letter, resume distribution, KSAs, interview tips, etc. These things if used correctly can become great tools in the context of your job search strategy. So you can actually save your time and energy by having professionals take care not only of your resume but other job search tools too.
Disadvantages of Ordering from a Resume Writing Service
Cost. Not everybody has the opportunity to pay for resume writing services. The price will be different each time as you look at various services. But it seems that $50 is the minimum - that's what freelancers and small companies usually charge. The bigger the companies and those who have already established themselves in the market usually don't charge less than $100 with some asking as much as $300 for a single resume. So if you don't have spare money, ordering from a professional service may not be your option. Besides, if you need additional services, such as cover letter or thank you letter, you will have to pay another $50-$100. Will it pay off? Yes, if you choose the service that actually cares about the quality of product they provide. You will likely receive a resume that will land you some interviews and you can even get some advice on how to approach the prospective employers at job interviews... You still have to spend some time. It is true that you save a significant amount of time by having a qualified resume writer to develop a resume for you. However, it doesn't mean you don't spend time at all.
First of all, you need to choose the company. With so many online agencies offering their services, you will have to select the one that will charge reasonable money as well as guarantee a quality product. Besides, if you are interested in additional services you should then find the one that can provide what you are looking for. After choosing the company, you will have to spend time explaining what kind of resume you want specifically and how you are going to use it. You can provide this information either in writing or over the phone but reliable companies usually won't start working on the order unless they have complete information. Otherwise, they risk to compromise the quality. So you still have to spend some time on your resume even if you are not the one who is going to write it. You often can't know if resume is well-written. Most people have no idea how effective resume looks like. The reason they order resume writing services is because they are not aware of all job search aspects and how hiring decisions are made. So what job seekers do is they basically trust other people who claim to be professionals to do the job for them and create a document that will help them get employed. But how can one know whether the final product is good enough to accomplish that mission (if he/she has no idea what is considered a high quality resume)? There is no way for such job seekers to check except wait for feedback from recruiters and employers. But this will also be a waste of time in a way... Obviously, one can scan a resume for obvious mistakes (typos, grammar mistakes, etc.) but it will be hard for an inexperienced person to say whether the resume looks professional or not (because it is not about the design but the content and its organization).
Conclusion
Using a resume writing service is not right or wrong, it's just different than writing it on your own. There are advantages and downsides for each of the options, and everyone is entitled to choose what seems to be the best for him/her considering all of the circumstances. However, neither option means you will be hired right off the bat. You can create a resume that will bring you success on your own or you can have professionals do it for you and achieve the same result. It all boils down to the resources you spend on the entire thing. If you don't really know anything about effective job search strategies and how employers hire new people and can afford paying a professional resume service, then you probably should use one. However, if you have time and are interested in understanding how hiring decisions are made, then it is probably better if you do it yourself. If you have any questions regarding our services, please don't hesitate to contact us anytime - either by email, phone or online chat. We will be more than willing to provide information and/or necessary assistance.
