Your resume is a representation of your professional skills, knowledge, and experience.
Writing a professional resume is often the first step to landing a good job, so you must do it carefully and with skill.
But you already knew that.
The real reason you’re here is that you need help writing your resume. Perhaps you’re aiming for a new job, or looking to score a promotion?
Whatever the reason, this article will show you what kind of resume help you can get to write a successful resume.
If you want to build a winning resume, there are five options available to you:
- Create it yourself
- Use a resume review website
- Use an online resume builder
- Pay a resume writing coach
- Hire a professional resume writer
The option you go with is up to you, of course, but this article will assist you in making the best decision for your work situation and particular career goals.
You’ll learn more details about each resume writing option, including how it works and its pros and cons.
1. Go It Alone
There are many reasons why someone might choose to write their own resume.
If you’re on a tight budget, you may want to test your resume writing skills before spending any money on your job search.
Recent grads and entry-level professionals often fall into this category.
On the other hand, you may already have strong writing skills and resume know-how that makes you confident enough to create your own resume from scratch.
However, if you’re opting to create a resume by yourself, you must ensure that your writing meets the standards of a professional resume. To do this, you can seek guidance from career blogs on resume writing and even use samples or free templates you find online.
Pros
Writing your resume by yourself has a couple of benefits. For one, your work experience is written by someone with firsthand experience: you. What’s more, it’s free!
Cons
If you write your resume yourself, you might get “just so so” results at best. Also, it’s likely to take a considerable amount of your time, which means time away from your job search efforts.
Cost:
$0
Resources:
How to Make a Resume – Find My Profession
Best Resume Formats – The Balance Careers
2. Use a Resume Review Site
As its name implies, a resume review site is a website that helps you assess your resume and can even give you tips on how to improve it.
Note that there are two types of resume review sites. There are the free ones, and there are those that charge you for their resume review service.
The process usually involves uploading your resume to a website, then receiving feedback in the form of scores or narratives. Feedback can be instant (which usually means it’s automated) or received within a few days.
You can then take the suggestions to improve your resume.
We suggest looking for a service with a review provided by a human. In other words, you don’t want one that provides an automated (and often generic) machine-generated review.
Pros
One benefit of using resume review sites is that most, if not all of them, have online reviews available for you to check before using them. In addition, the cost of getting your resume reviewed is usually inexpensive or even free.
Cons
You will be making the changes to the resume on your own. And often, free resume reviews are a sales tactic for the website. After using their site, you’re on their email list, and they begin their relentless attempts to sell you a resume.
Cost:
$0 – $230
Resources:
Free Resume Review Sites – Find My Profession
3. Use an Online Resume Builder
Another viable option for creating a resume is to use an online resume builder.
An online resume builder is a software program used by job seekers to design and create resumes.
They provide professional resume design templates that will help you take care of the formatting and styling of your resume.
Using a resume format that is already created for you allows you to focus on the content of the resume instead of designing something on your own.
Although using an online resume builder can cost you some money, it is much better than using a Word doc to create your resume from scratch. The templates in Word are fairly basic and are used by many job seekers.
You will also find free online resume builders out there. In fact, there are quite a few of them! The hitch about using the free ones is that you will get limited resume customization options.
Also, be aware of builders that look like a free service, but ask for payment right before you download your resume.
Pros
You don’t have to spend time designing an eye-catching resume. Additionally, online resume builders are often free. But when they’re not, they usually don’t cost much money. Also, there are tons of resume builders available on the Internet.
Cons
You will need to fill in the templates completely in your own words, which takes some time. Some services look free upfront but then charge a fee. And if you go with this option, it is best if you have a keen eye at evaluating professional resume formats.
Cost:
$0 – $60
Resources:
Online Resume Builders – Find My Profession
Career Lessons From a Resume Builder – The Muse
4. Pay a Resume Writing Coach
There are times when writing a resume for a job can be more daunting than usual. Even when you use a resume review site or an online resume builder, you still may not be able to figure it out.
More complicated job searches, such as those involving a career change or industry change, an employment gap, or relocation from one city or state to another may require a higher level of assistance.
Figuring out the over-and under-qualification equation to target your resume for a particular job can also be challenging. In such situations, a resume writing coach can prove very helpful.
A resume coach is a skilled specialist with in-depth knowledge and expertise in documenting your qualifications, work history, career objectives, and talents in a way that appeals to a recruiter.
You can meet with the coach (sometimes online or via a call) to discuss your resume and make the changes together on your resume.
They help create an engaging narrative that aligns your experience with the requirements of any given job opportunity.
Another option is to learn the art of resume writing from them so that you can implement the changes on your own.
Pros
Professional resume writing coaches stay updated with the latest hiring processes and can research and identify keywords and phrases related to several job postings. You will work with a “real, live” human one-on-one to create your resume together, giving you the opportunity to learn some resume tips and tricks.
Cons
Despite going through the trouble of looking for a good coach and even possibly spending some money, a resume coach won’t do all the work for you. You may have to make some personalized changes by yourself. Also, resume writing coaches can be hard to find.
Cost:
$69 – $712
Resources:
5. Hire a Professional Resume Writer
In addition to paying a resume writing coach and using an online resume builder or a resume review site, hiring a professional resume writer is yet another way to build a resume.
In fact, it is the most viable resume writing option of the bunch.
Resume writers help you prepare your resume in its entirety.
They take care of everything…from guiding the structure to targeting the unique job post, from crafting summaries of your qualifications to turning all your disparate experience and skills into a compelling resume that grabs attention quickly.
In essence, they don’t just write a resume for you; they make your resume valuable and successful.
As professionals, resume writers are adept at asking the right questions to collect valuable information from you. They know how to demonstrate what recruiters are looking for and how to deliver information in a way that works for you.
Pros
Quality professional resume writers do not merely write your resume; they partner with you to do it. So, you can rest assured that your resume will represent your career journey in a captivating and effective manner.
The best part is that you don’t have to spend hours brainstorming how to approach resume writing. Just partner up and cooperate with an excellent professional resume writer, and you’re set.
Cons
The only downside to working with professional resume writers is that they’re the most expensive resume writing option you’ll find. But keep in mind that it’d be worth it.
Cost:
$99 – $2,597
Resources:
Best Resume Writing Services – Find My Profession
Are Resume Writers Worth It? – The Career Experts
Key Takeaways
Having read to this point, you now know more about creating a resume than you did before.
The bottom line is that you can create your resume by yourself, but if you get stuck or don’t have a lot of experience with it, you can get help with your resume.
You can use a resume review website or an online resume builder.
You can also seek help from expert professionals such as a resume writing coach or a professional resume writer.
Among all the options at your disposal, getting assistance from a professional resume writer is the safest, quickest, and most effective approach to writing your resume.
If you’re looking for a reliable professional resume writing service, consider Find My Profession.
Our professional resume writers partner with you throughout the process to carefully weave your career story into a valuable and successful resume that lands you interviews!
