It’s a truth universally acknowledged that a great resume can open doors, and whether you’re an entry-level grad fresh from college or a seasoned veteran in your industry or somewhere in between, we can help by providing you with our top resume reviews.
We firmly believe that you should always have an updated copy of your resume on hand, at all times. Why? You never know when an opportunity will present itself, and if a recruiter calls or a contact mentions they’ve heard about a new job opportunity, you need to be ready to make a move as quickly as possible.
How Do You Find The Best Resume Writers?
You don’t have to. We’ve done all the work for you. There are hundreds of resume writing services out there, so it can be tough to decide which service is the best. They all seem to promise the world, so we decided to see which services could truly deliver on that promise.
We invented a “mystery shopper,” and hired dozens of resume writing companies to create a resume for that mystery person. The results were pretty surprising. One of the main reasons to hire a professional to create your resume is to ensure that your resume is free from careless errors, such as spelling mistakes.
In our top resume reviews, you’ll find the five companies that we feel provided us with the best work. Unfortunately, even one of these sites sent us back a resume with errors! Sadly, this wasn’t uncommon. More than half of the resume sites we reviewed gave us resumes with errors.
Within our top resume reviews, only the top three really provided the quality workmanship that you would expect from a professional resume writer. All three of these services charged about the same amount for their services, give or take a dollar, so it just makes sense to select our top pick – Resume Writing Group.
Resume Writing Group’s resume surpassed the quality of our #2 pick – The Resume Writing Experts, and the #2 pick is owned by the same parent company that owns us. The Resume Writing Experts resume was high quality, but it lacked that special something extra we found with Resume Writing Group.
Resume Writing Group’s resume was, first of all, error-free, which is always crucial. This well-organized resume also featured an eye-catching, clean design. While these are important factors, the factors that truly set Resume Writing Group apart from the competition were the dynamic content and the quality customer service.
The writer at Resume Writing Group didn’t just take our initial information and create the resume, this writer took the time to contact us and ask more questions to fully understand our qualifications as well as learning more about the types of jobs for which the mystery client would be applying. In the end, this extra contact provided us with a much higher quality resume than we received from any other company.
Do You Really Need A Professional Resume Writer?
Now that we’ve told you that many of these so-called professional resume writing companies provided us with error-filled resumes, you might feel like just writing your resume yourself. But that can be a huge mistake.
Hiring managers spend less than one minute reading each resume they receive. This means your resume must stand out from the pack. It needs to be eye-catching and dynamic and easy to read.
Creating a resume that truly expresses and quantifies your abilities is not easy, but great professional resume writers understand how to accomplish this feat. Plus, if you use one of our top picks, you won’t have to worry about spelling, grammar and style errors.
Once you’ve acquired a fantastic, dynamic, amazing new resume, that’s just one step in the process, albeit an important step. Don’t forget to consider the following:
5 Job-Hunting Tips From Top Recruiters
1. Promote Your Brand
You might be thinking, “what? I don’t have a product.” YOU are the product, and that product needs some fantastic packaging.
These days everything is about marketing. If you aren’t on LinkedIn, sign up and keep your profile updated. If you don’t have a website, create one and start a blog. Ensure that all of your social media posts present a professional, thoughtful image to the world and eliminate anything that might cost you a job.
2. Network With Everyone
While LinkedIn is a powerful networking tool, it’s by no means the only way to network. Every contact you make can be valuable, from the random person you meet at a party to the people in your workout classes.
Just because someone might not be in your industry, it doesn’t mean that they don’t have valuable connections. Make a great impression and they’ll remember you. That guy you chatted with a kid’s birthday party might have an uncle who needs a person just like you at their company.
Additionally, think about what you have to offer. It’s a two-way street. If you’re chatting with an executive and they mention that they need a great mechanic or an amazing dentist, and you happen to know one, provide that information. People remember people that helped them, it’s that simple.
Of course, it also doesn’t hurt to join a few industry-related groups. You can network here, and gain some professional development, which can give you an edge in the job search.
3. Practice Your Interview Skills
While a great resume can open a door, a bad interview can close it. Interviews are crucial, and if you make a bad impression, it truly does not matter how qualified you might be.
Sit with a trusted ally and practice your interview skills. Practice answers to typical questions and be prepared to show examples of your skills. If a hiring manager asks you about one of your strengths and you mention leadership skills, be prepared to tell a short story that demonstrates your ability to lead.
If a hiring manager asks about your weakness, don’t state something trite like, “I just work too hard.” Tell them a legitimate weakness you have faced and describe the concrete steps you took to overcome this weakness.
For instance, you might state that one of your greatest weaknesses was public speaking, so you took some classes to improve your speaking skills and then volunteered to lead a workshop or talk at a business event. This shows hiring managers that you have a capacity for self-reflection and enough motivation to improve yourself when needed.
4. Select Companies Carefully
Don’t simply send hundreds of resumes to hundreds of random companies. Research each place where you apply. Learn about the company culture, some of the key players and the goals of the company.
Not only will this knowledge help you find companies that are a solid match for your skills and goals, possessing some knowledge about the company will help you answer interview questions more thoughtfully.
Think about factors such as the number of employees and the location of the company. Some people thrive in a huge company, while others prefer a smaller company with fewer employees. If a company is located fairly far away, you’ll need to think about the commute length or the impact of a possible relocation.
5. Don’t Forget To Be Thankful
It might seem like a small thing, but a handwritten thank-you note can be powerful. After the interview, sit down and compose a thoughtful thank-you note and put it in the mail that day.
This note should include the usual line, “if you have any further questions; don’t hesitate to contact me.” But add something personal about your interview experience. Rather than just stating that you enjoyed meeting the hiring manager, you might state, “I enjoyed meeting you today and was so impressed with the company’s philanthropic goals and its wellness initiatives.” This shows that you were paying attention during the interview and that you aren’t just sending out cookie-cutter notes to everyone.
Write this note using professional-looking stationary, and if your handwriting isn’t exactly stellar, consider having a friend with better penmanship write it down for you. Most importantly, proof the thank-you note to ensure there aren’t any careless errors.
If you are really stumped, consider hiring a resume writer to create a basic thank-you note and then just personalize it for each interview. Most resume writing services, including our top pick, Resume Writing Group, offer this service.
Ready to get started? In addition to looking through our top resume reviews, consider taking advantage of some of the other services that our top picks provide. These professional resume writers also can help with cover letter writing, thank-you notes, LinkedIn profile writing and much more.
