If you need a resume, should you hire a writer? Resume companies certainly will tell you that this is a crucial step, but also many hiring managers and headhunters also encourage job seekers to use professional services.

But should you hire a freelancer or go with a big resume company? As a company that reviews resumes produced by professional resume writers, we’ve found that looking at writing samples can be the best way to gauge the quality of the service or freelancer.

So, your first step should be to see if the company or person has resume samples up on the website and take a look at these samples. While you are reading the samples, keep the following ideas in mind.

1. Are There Any Errors?
As a resume review service, we’ve seen samples from hundreds of writers. Resume professionals make a surprising amount of mistakes, or so we’ve found. If you find even one spelling error, this is a huge red flag.

After all, if a writer or resume company is providing you with samples, you have to assume that they are showing off their best work, and not just some random first draft of a resume. Therefore, if you notice just one spelling error, what does this tell you about their attention to detail? Basically, it just looks sloppy and signals that this person definitely should not be your top pick.

But, don’t just look for spelling errors. Look for weirdly worded phrases or sentences that don’t quite flow correctly. If it seems weird to you, then it definitely will seem weird to a hiring manager.

2. Is the Format Consistent?
A good writer’s resume will be error-free, of course, but it also will be written in a consistent format. They won’t list skills with bullet points in one section and dashes in another. They won’t use bold text for job titles in one section and bold-italic text for job titles in another. Here’s an example of an inconsistent format:

RESTAURANT MANAGER
Olive Garden/June, 2018-Present
• Managed 25-person staff including servers, cooks & support staff
• Implemented computerized scheduling system, decreasing absenteeism by 40%
• Supervised catering team for large-scale corporate events with 100+ guests

ASSISTANT RESTAURANT MANAGER
Pizza Port. February, 2016-June, 2018
– Managed 15-person staff, including servers, cooks & delivery workers
– Created weekly and monthly schedules for 40+ employees
– Developed incentive programs for low-traffic days, increased revenue by 25%

In the sample above, the resume writer italicized the name of the restaurant and work dates in the first work experience, but did not use italics in the second example. In the first example, bullet points were used to highlight tasks, while dashes were used in the second section. While the actual text is fine, the format is confusing and definitely distracts the reader.

Here’s an example of a consistent format:

RESTAURANT MANAGER
Olive Garden/June, 2018-Present
• Managed 25-person staff including servers, cooks & support staff
• Implemented computerized scheduling system, decreasing absenteeism by 40%
• Supervised catering team for large-scale corporate events with 100+ guests

ASSISTANT RESTAURANT MANAGER
Pizza Port/February, 2016-June, 2018
• Managed 15-person staff, including servers, cooks & delivery workers
• Created weekly and monthly schedules for 40+ employees
• Developed incentive programs for low-traffic days, increased revenue by 25%

While the actual content is the same for both examples, the format is much better in the second example. When you are choosing a writer, resume consistency is an important factor, so be mindful of the format and the cleanliness of the design when making your selection.

3. Is the Content Dynamic?
When hiring managers read a resume, they typically spend less than one minute perusing the contents, at least on the first go around. A sloppy looking resume or a resume with errors, definitely won’t make the cut into the second round of reviews.

However, the actual content of the resume is obviously crucial. When you review a writer, the resume sample won’t necessarily be for a person in your industry. But, this doesn’t mean that you cannot evaluate the quality of the content.

Content for any resume should be dynamic, easy-to-read and truly showcase the skills of the applicant. Each work experience should include bullet points that exemplify and quantify the applicant’s skills and how these skills benefitted an employer.

For instance, if a resume states that an applicant “was responsible for managing the company sales team,” that’s definitely lackluster. Instead, a good resume writer might state that the applicant “managed a 12-person sales team, exceeded sales goals by 25-30% in 2016, 2017 & 2018.”

The second example provides a hiring manager with information about how many people the applicant managed and whether or not the person was a successful manager. Whenever a writer can provide clear examples of an applicant’s skills and successes, this is a sign that they are a competent resume writer.

4. Length & Overall Design
In general, most resumes should be no more than one page in length, if a resume writer creates a sample that runs for two full pages, this isn’t a good sign. It kind of tells you that the resume writer doesn’t know what items to include and which to exclude in a resume.

This can be tricky, but an experienced writer will know which items hiring managers truly want to see, and what information is just filler. Keep in mind again that hiring managers don’t really have time to read a huge, two-page resume. For some very high-level executive positions, a two-page resume or perhaps a third page is not a bad thing, but these are unique situations.

If the design is a bit too gimmicky, this also can be a bad sign. Too much design can distract from your message. Generally, it’s better to have a crisp, professional look with a consistent format. Adding colors and design elements really aren’t as important as content and consistency.

Our Reviews Can Help!
At Top5ResumeWriters, we’ve actually done quite a bit of the groundwork for you. We’ve reviewed resumes from many top-rated professional resume writing services and chosen several that offer outstanding services.

To select the best, we created a mystery client and sent the same information about this client to multiple resume companies. When we received the results, each resume was reviewed by an independent team of hiring managers and other professionals.

Many of the resumes we received contained errors or simply rehashed the basic information that the mystery client provided. Resume Writing Group, however, provided us with a stellar, error-free resume that contained all of the bells and whistles that hiring managers want to see.

When choosing a writer, Resume Writing Group should be at the top of your list. But if you opt for another company, we highly recommend that you use some of the tips listed in this article to help you select a great resume writer.